1 in 4
homeowners had a problem with their most recent repair, maintenance or improvement job
Opinium survey of 5,000 UK adults, 13 February to 4 March 2026
Source: Citizens Advice, press release, 7 July 2026.
Verified at source
Statistics
UK renovation payment statistics, with sources
Every figure on this page carries its publisher, its date and how we checked it. Quote them with the original source.
How to read this page
Verified at source means we read the figure on the publisher’s own page. Reported figure means the original release is no longer online and the number was read in named news coverage, which we link. Figures that circulate without a primary source, including an annual loss of £3.5bn, a £15,000 average dispute and a six to twelve month resolution time, are left out on purpose: we could not find where any of them came from.
Figures may be quoted with their original source. If you cite this page, please link to it. First published 3 November 2026; figures are re-checked when a source publishes a new wave, and changes are noted at the bottom.
Homeowners and building work
How often home improvement goes wrong, what it costs, and how long the courts take when it does.
£750
average lost by the 1.7 million homeowners who had to pay to fix earlier work, or were overcharged, in the previous 18 months
Same Citizens Advice research, Opinium, 5,000 UK adults
Source: Citizens Advice, press release, 7 July 2026.
Verified at source
41 weeks
median time for a small claim to reach trial in the county court, England and Wales
Civil Justice Statistics Quarterly, April to June 2026
Source: Ministry of Justice, 3 September 2026.
Verified at source
Builders and late payment
How widespread late payment is for the trades, and what it costs the economy.
68%
of people working in the trades were chasing at least one late payment
Censuswide survey of 500 people working in the UK trades, for Direct Line business insurance, 21 to 25 November 2025
Source: Direct Line business insurance survey, January 2026.
Read in news coverage, as the original release is not online: Scottish Financial News, 15 January 2026; Credit Connect, 20 January 2026.
Reported figure
£2,023
average amount owed to a trades business in late payments
Same Direct Line survey, Censuswide, 500 people working in the trades
Source: Direct Line business insurance survey, January 2026.
Read in news coverage, as the original release is not online: Credit Connect, 20 January 2026.
Reported figure
£11bn
what late payment costs the UK economy each year, closing 38 businesses a day
Government figure given in the announcement of its late payment plan
Source: Department for Business and Trade, press release, 30 July 2025.
Verified at source
Published deposit guidance
What consumer bodies and trade marketplaces say about the size of a deposit. These are guidance figures, not survey results; our deposit checker uses them.
25%
the most Citizens Advice says to agree to as a deposit: "aim to push it down as much as possible, and don’t agree to more than 25%"
Source: Citizens Advice, Before you get work done on your home, read 3 November 2026.
Verified at source
10%
the point above which Checkatrade says to "be extra cautious of paying anything over 10% of the project value"
Source: Checkatrade, hiring guides: deposits, page last updated 5 March 2025, read 3 November 2026.
Verified at source
5% to 20%
the range MyBuilder describes as "fairly common", noting there is no industry standard for deposits
Source: MyBuilder, Dealing with deposits, read 3 November 2026.
Verified at source
Legal thresholds
The figures written into UK law that decide what protection applies.
Over £100, up to £30,000
the purchase price range covered by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, which makes a credit card provider jointly liable for a breach of contract
Source: Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 75, in force.
Verified at source
£10,000
the upper limit of the small claims track in England and Wales, the route designed to be used without a solicitor
Source: GOV.UK, Make a court claim for money, current guidance.
Verified at source
8% above base rate
statutory interest a business can charge another business on an overdue invoice, plus fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100 per invoice depending on its size
Source: GOV.UK, Late commercial payments: charging interest and debt recovery, current guidance.
Verified at source
Renopay fees
Our own published figures, from the Master Platform Agreement, Schedule 1.
£60
what a homeowner pays on a £6,000 stage: 1% per milestone, inclusive of VAT, charged when the stage is funded
Source: Renopay terms, Schedule 1, current version.
Verified at source
£72
what a builder pays on a £6,000 stage: 1% per milestone plus VAT, deducted from the payout. No subscription, no setup fee
Source: Renopay terms, Schedule 1, current version.
Verified at source
Changelog
3 November 2026: first published with 14 figures from 11 sources.
The figures describe the problem. Funded stages are the answer.
Each stage funded before it starts, held securely, released when the work is approved.