How long after a job can a customer come back about faulty work? The 6, 12 and 15-year limits for a builder

A customer can go to court over faulty work for six years from the day the breach happened, if their claim is on the contract. If the fault was hidden and they only found it later, the clock can start later, with a hard stop 15 years after the work. Those are the main numbers for a builder in England or Wales. The detail below shows which one applies to which job.

The three limits in the Act

The Limitation Act 1980 sets the time within which a claim must start. Three parts matter to a builder.

Most domestic and small commercial jobs sit in the first row. A deed is rare in the trades. It is a document signed as a deed, which is more than a quote that has been accepted.

When the six years start

The six years run from "the date on which the cause of action accrued". For poor work under a contract, that is normally the date the work was done badly, not the date the customer noticed. A bathroom tiled badly in March 2026 gives the customer until March 2032, even if the tiles only start to lift in 2029.

That sounds harsh, which is why sections 14A and 14B exist. Where the claim is for negligence and the damage was not apparent, section 14A(4) gives three years from the "starting date" if that ends later than the ordinary period. Subsection (5) defines the starting date as the earliest date on which the customer had both the knowledge needed for bringing an action and the right to bring one. Subsection (10) says knowledge includes what the customer could reasonably have found out from facts they could see, or with expert advice it was reasonable to take.

Section 14B then caps all of it. No negligence action may be brought more than 15 years after the act or omission alleged to be negligent, even where the three-year starting date has not yet come.

A worked example. A builder finishes a roof in June 2026. The customer finds a leak behind a wall in March 2034, eight years later, and learns then that the flashing was never fitted. The ordinary six years have run out, but three years from knowledge run to March 2037. Fifteen years from June 2026 is June 2041, so the longstop does not bite. The claim would be in time.

Whether a particular claim succeeds is a question for a court. These are only the time limits.

Do your records outlast the claim?

Here is the part most builders have not worked out. The record-keeping rule and the claim period are different lengths and start on different dates.

GOV.UK says self-employed people "must keep your records for at least 5 years after the 31 January submission deadline of the relevant tax year". The claim period is six years from the finished work. We counted both for the 2026 to 2027 tax year.

A job at the start of the tax year is fine. A job finished in the last weeks of it is not. The tax rule is about the figures that go on a return. It does not mention quotes, photographs, messages or sign-off sheets, and a firm that clears out "anything older than five years" can lose the one email that shows what the customer agreed to.

What to keep, and for how long

Keep the job file for six years from the date the work was finished. For work where a hidden fault would be serious, such as structural work, roofs, waterproofing, gas and electrical work, the 15-year stop in section 14B is the safer date to plan for. The file should hold:

1. The quote and the customer's acceptance, with any changes agreed in writing. Our guide to writing a quote lists what a quote should say.
2. The terms you worked to. A signed copy of your terms and conditions is better than a link.
3. Dated photographs before, during and at the end of the work, especially of anything that will be covered up.
4. Test and completion certificates, such as those in our electrical certificates guide.
5. The final invoice and the customer's sign-off at handover.

Ask your insurer whether your policy responds to claims made after you stop trading, because a claim can arrive years after the job. Our guide on public liability insurance covers the basics. The general rule for tax papers is in how long to keep invoices and records.

Where the agency fits

Overlyft can build an AI member of staff for a trades firm that files every finished job's quote, photos and certificates into one folder and puts a review date on it. It does not decide whether a claim is valid. Someone in the firm checks anything it prepares before it is sent or relied on.

This page is general information about the law in England and Wales, not legal advice. If a customer has made a claim, tell your insurer and take advice before you reply.