Completion of works
Disputes over building work are lost on the paperwork, not on argument. What decides them is what's recorded in the site diary, which defects were raised at handover, and whether the state of the work was documented while it still could be.
Where to start
The initial conversation is free. Bring the contract, the site diary and the handover report; they tell us more than either side's account. A standalone task starts at CZK 5,000 excl. VAT.
When you call us
The site has stopped, the deadline has passed and the other side isn't responding. The question isn't only who is to blame, but how to get the work finished without losing your claim.
The defects are obvious, but the other side refuses to acknowledge them or plays them down. What matters is which defects were raised at handover, and in what form.
The invoice is overdue and quality is given as the reason. Some of those objections are genuine; some only surfaced after the payment date.
The contractual penalty grows every day and often ends up exceeding the value of the dispute itself. And it's often unclear whose delay it actually is.
The work has been accepted, the warranty period is running and the retained part of the price hasn't arrived. On larger projects, that means hundreds of thousands sitting with the other side for years.
The dispute shifts: it's no longer about completion but about settling up for the unfinished work and what has already been paid.
Practice
Reading the contract for works and the variations that piled up during the project
Recording the state of the work while it is still visible
Notifying defects on time and in a form that will hold up
Retention, bank guarantees and their release
Contractual penalties for delay, and defending against them
Withdrawal from the contract and settling up for unfinished work
Asking the court to preserve evidence where the state of the work may change
Negotiating completion instead of fighting over money
With building work, most is lost in the first few weeks. Whatever isn't secured while it can still be seen has to be proved later through expert evidence, at greater cost and with a worse result.
How we handle it
The contract, variations, site diary, handover report, photographs and correspondence. Only these show who is in delay and which defects were raised in time.
The state of the work, how far it has progressed, defects that will vanish under plaster or change over time. Sometimes an expert inspection is enough; sometimes an application to the court to preserve evidence is needed.
Most disputes over building work end in an agreement on completion or on a price reduction. We go in with the numbers for both options worked out, not with a demand.
An action for payment, for a price reduction or for release of the retention. We keep you updated on what has changed and what it means for your cost-benefit calculation.
From practice
Retention
The work had been accepted, the warranty period was running and the retention was being withheld on the grounds of minor defects. Comparing the handover report with the defects notified within the time limit showed that most of the alleged defects had been raised only after it had expired. The matter ended in an agreement to release most of the retention.
Delay
The penalty had built up over the months the site stood idle. The site diary and the correspondence showed that part of the delay was caused by the client failing to have the site ready. An assessment of how much of the penalty would stand up changed the negotiating position before anyone went to court.
Let's work it out
Call or write to us. The first conversation is always about understanding your situation, not about selling.
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