Practical answers to construction-dispute questions.
Detailed guidance for directors, commercial managers, contractors, subcontractors and project teams dealing with payment, adjudication, final accounts, evidence and enforcement.
Specific answers, written for live commercial problems.
Each article gives a direct answer first, then explains the mechanics, documents and decisions that matter. The content is attributed to Chris Hough, whose background combines engineering, construction law, adjudication and dispute resolution.
Adjudication enforcement: when financial risk will not justify a stay
A new TCC decision explains why concerns about a developer SPV or a contractor’s ability to pay need proper evidence before an adjudication judgment can be stayed.
Read the articlePayment / insolvencyConstruction payment claims and winding-up petitions: lessons from Amber v Ilyrian
A new High Court judgment explains why a defective payment application, limitation and a serious cross-claim can prevent a winding-up petition—even where another debt is due.
Read the articleBuilding safety / proposed legislationNew cladding-remediation Bill: what construction businesses should watch
A Bill introduced on 14 October proposes new remediation duties, a medium-rise building register and changes to construction-product liability. None of these proposals is yet law.
Read the articleBuilding safety / disputesHistoric building defects: when an earlier time-barred claim does not prevent further proceedings
Taylor Wimpey v Taylor Woodrow examines historic building defects, extended DPA limitation periods and whether an earlier time-barred claim prevents a different claimant proceeding.
Read the articleBuilding safetyGateway 2 approval times: what the latest BSR figures mean for construction projects
New BSR data shows higher application volumes, median approval times of 23–32 weeks across key categories and new assurance checks before rejection.
Read the articleLitigationThe TCC has moved into the Business and Property Division: what businesses need to know
The TCC remains the specialist construction court, but its High Court division, document headings, CE-File terminology and some enforcement procedure changed on 1 October.
Read the articleHealth & safetyWorking near overhead power lines: lessons from a fatal HSE prosecution
A fatal HSE prosecution shows why work near overhead lines needs specific planning, suitable equipment, safe clearances and effective supervision.
Read the articleBuilding safetySecond staircases from 30 September 2026: what project teams should check now
The new Approved Document B second-staircase threshold is now in effect, subject to transitional arrangements for qualifying projects.
Read the articleBuilding safetyBuilding Safety Levy from 1 October 2026: what project teams need to know
Which residential schemes are caught, who pays, how pre-1 October applications are treated, and why the levy can affect completion.
Read the articlePayment lawRetentions ban and the Commercial Payments Bill: what contractors should do now
What the Bill proposes, where it stands, and practical steps for contractors now.
Read the articleAdjudicationCan you recover your costs of an adjudication?
Why each side usually bears its own legal costs and what the leading TCC authorities mean in practice.
Read the articleAdjudicationKeeping small construction adjudications proportionate
How capped-fee low-value procedures can control the adjudicator’s fees on smaller claims.
Read the articleAdjudicationReceived a Notice of Adjudication: what should you do in the first 24 hours?
The first day after a Notice of Adjudication is about control: establish the timetable, identify the dispute and contract, preserve jurisdiction positions, and organise the small set of documents that will drive the response.
Read the articlePaymentPayment notices and pay less notices: a commercial manager’s checklist
Payment disputes are often decided by the interaction between the contract, the statutory notice regime and the documents actually served. Reconstructing the payment cycle accurately is the starting point.
Read the articleFinal accountWhy construction final accounts stall — and how to turn them into a defined dispute
Final accounts often remain unresolved because the parties are negotiating one headline number while disagreeing about several legally and evidentially different issues underneath it.
Read the articleEvidenceHow to build a construction dispute chronology that is actually useful
A useful chronology is not a list of every project email. It links each important event to the contract, source evidence and the time or money issue it affects.
Read the articleDefectsConstruction defects claims: preserving technical and remedial evidence
Defects disputes become harder when the physical condition is changed before it has been properly recorded. Evidence preservation should therefore be part of the remedial plan, not an afterthought.
Read the articleEnforcementAdjudication decision unpaid: what happens next?
An adjudicator’s decision is intended to be complied with now, even though the underlying dispute may later be finally determined. If payment does not follow, the court has a deliberately expedited enforcement procedure.
Read the articlePractical tools to use when a dispute goes live.
Download the PDF guides for your project file, commercial team or referral conversation.
Received a Notice of Adjudication? The First 24 Hours
A seven-page immediate response guide for parties facing a compressed adjudication timetable.
Download PDFPayment · PDFConstruction Payment Dispute Checklist
An eight-page checklist covering the contract, payment cycle, notices, evidence and dispute-resolution options.
Download PDFChris Hough MSc, CEng, FICE
Chris qualified as a solicitor in 1990 after working as a Chartered Civil and Structural Engineer. His construction-law career has included contentious and non-contentious work in the UK and internationally, together with appointments as adjudicator.
Chris Hough’s profileGeneral information only
These articles explain general legal and procedural issues. They are not a substitute for advice on a particular contract or dispute. Adjudication, payment-notice and court deadlines can be short.
Discuss the dispute with HQ Law
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