Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, your work (the service) must be carried out with reasonable care and skill, within a reasonable time, and for a reasonable price if none was agreed. Any materials you supply must be of satisfactory quality. If your work falls short, the customer can ask you to put it right, and if you can't, to reduce the price.
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 sets the baseline for any work you do for a private customer. You don't need to memorise the Act, but knowing what it expects keeps you out of disputes — and helps you push back when a customer demands more than they're entitled to.
The standard your work must meet
When you provide a service to a consumer, the law implies that it will be:
- Carried out with reasonable care and skill — to the standard of a competent tradesperson.
- Done within a reasonable time, if you didn't agree a specific deadline.
- For a reasonable price, if no price was fixed in advance.
Anything you said about the work that the customer relied on can also become binding — so don't over-promise.
Materials you supply
If you supply goods as part of the job — a boiler, units, tiles — they must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described. If they're faulty, that's on you to sort with the customer, even if the fault originated with the supplier.
What happens if something's wrong
If your work doesn't meet the standard, the customer's main remedies are:
- Repeat performance — you put the substandard work right at your own cost, within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to them.
- Price reduction — if repeat performance isn't possible or you don't do it, they can claim an appropriate reduction, which could be up to the full amount in serious cases.
How to stay on the right side of it
- Be realistic in what you promise, and put the scope in writing.
- Do the work properly and to a competent standard — the simplest protection there is.
- If a genuine snag comes up, offer to put it right promptly; it's both your obligation and your best defence.
- Keep records and photos, so if a complaint is unfair you can show the work met the standard.