When to use this guide
- Agreeing a construction contract or subcontract and checking its payment terms.
- Preparing payment applications, payment notices or pay-less notices.
- Considering adjudication, non-payment remedies or a proposed suspension.
What to check
Use these prompts with the responsible project team. Ticking a box does not certify compliance.
You can tick these prompts while reviewing the project.
Keep these records
- Contract terms, variations and scope records relevant to statutory applicability.
- Applications, valuations, notices and reliable proof of service.
- Payment ledger, dispute correspondence and contemporaneous supporting records.
Common mistakes
- Treating an informal disagreement over valuation as a valid pay-less notice.
- Assuming every domestic building contract has the same statutory adjudication entitlement as a commercial subcontract.
When to get specialist help
Get construction-law advice urgently on disputed notices, imminent payment deadlines, suspension or adjudication; this guide does not calculate an entitlement from incomplete facts.
Scope and edition
Sources reviewed 17 October 2026. The 2009 Act and related commencement arrangements materially amended Part II. England is the focus; contract date, operations and exclusions affect application. JCT and NEC are contract forms, not this statute.
Use the official source to check the current text, amendments not yet incorporated, commencement and project-specific transition. A published future edition is not automatically the rule applying to your work.
Official sources
- Construction Act 1996 — current Part IIQualifying contracts, adjudication, payment and exclusions; use revised text.https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/53/part/II
- Scheme for Construction Contracts — revised legislationEngland/Wales Scheme provisions and amendments that can supplement non-compliant terms.https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/649/contents
Source links lead to external official websites. We provide original explanatory notes and do not reproduce paid standards.
About this library
Independent, plain-English reference notes by Saeed Azarshab. The library covers the 42 subjects listed here; it is not every law affecting construction, an official government publication or a project-specific compliance decision. Building Regulations, Approved Documents, workplace safety duties and planning permissions have different roles.
Editorial source review: . Check the current official text, commencement dates, outstanding amendments and transitional arrangements before relying on a requirement. Publication date is not necessarily the date a rule applies. A relevant competent professional or authority must resolve project-specific questions.
Sources and lawful reuse
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated. These are original practical summaries, with links to the official material. No government endorsement is implied. We do not host copies of proprietary BS, ISO or Eurocode standards, third-party diagrams or publisher layouts. Check each source’s rights notice before reuse.
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