Quick question: I have to get some work done at my mother's house.
Following a leak, she will need a new ceiling, kitchen units, and a
replacement floor slab. The quote we are going with is for
approximately £5,000, and the work should last for no more than a
couple of weeks.

I'm going to use the FMB Minor Works contract. Effectively there is a
100% retention for up to 21 days by virtue of the time period for
final payment on receipt of the invoice in the contract, and in that
time we should be able to find out if the kitchen is fitted properly
and all the services work, but the big imponderable is the floor slab.
A badly-laid slab may not be evident for months if not years, but I
doubt I could keep the 33% that part of the quote represents for that
length of time. So what is a fair retention I should go for, and for
how long?
--
Hugo Nebula
"If no-one on the internet wants a piece of this,
just how far from the pack have you strayed"?

Hugo Nebula wrote:
Quick question: I have to get some work done at my mother's house.
Following a leak, she will need a new ceiling, kitchen units, and a
replacement floor slab. The quote we are going with is for
approximately £5,000, and the work should last for no more than a
couple of weeks.

I'm going to use the FMB Minor Works contract. Effectively there is a
100% retention for up to 21 days by virtue of the time period for
final payment on receipt of the invoice in the contract, and in that
time we should be able to find out if the kitchen is fitted properly
and all the services work, but the big imponderable is the floor slab.
A badly-laid slab may not be evident for months if not years, but I
doubt I could keep the 33% that part of the quote represents for that
length of time. So what is a fair retention I should go for, and for
how long?

If the slab is bad, you will have to rip the whole lot out and start
again, which is less 'snagging' than 'insurance' IMHO :-)

Only real way is to watch the slab being laid I reckon.

Hugo Nebula abuse@localhost wrote:

Quick question: I have to get some work done at my mother's house.
Following a leak, she will need a new ceiling, kitchen units, and a
replacement floor slab. The quote we are going with is for
approximately £5,000, and the work should last for no more than a
couple of weeks.

I'm going to use the FMB Minor Works contract. Effectively there is a
100% retention for up to 21 days by virtue of the time period for
final payment on receipt of the invoice in the contract, and in that
time we should be able to find out if the kitchen is fitted properly
and all the services work, but the big imponderable is the floor slab.
A badly-laid slab may not be evident for months if not years, but I
doubt I could keep the 33% that part of the quote represents for that
length of time. So what is a fair retention I should go for, and for
how long?


For large contracts, the accepted standard is a 10% retention for 12
months. For a small job such as this, the 10% retention would be
reasonable, but perhaps for a shorter period. Small builders need their
cash flow.

Did you ask the bidders to quote on the basis that you would be using
the FMB Minor Works contract? Did they know you intended to impose a
retention? If not, expect at least some raised eyebrows when you try to
impose it, and perhaps a withdrawn bid.