Builder asking for money early: what should you check before paying?
Ask what the extra or earlier payment will fund, what work has been completed and what the contract says before transferring money. A request can reflect a genuine change in procurement or an emerging cash problem. The right response depends on the evidence, not the tone of the request.
Separate three different requests
Mobilisation money may be needed for identifiable orders, scaffold or initial labour. A stage payment should relate to the agreed progress and valuation. An extra cost may be a variation requiring a scope and price decision. Mixing these into an informal “send another £5,000” makes it hard to see what has already been paid for and what remains.
Check the numbers
Find the agreed contract sum, stage schedule and any deposit or advance arrangements.
List payments already made and the work or materials each covered.
Record the physical progress, outstanding work, defects and committed orders.
Ask for a written breakdown of the new request and any invoice or supplier evidence relevant to it.
Calculate the realistic cost to finish, including remaining trades, materials and known risks.
If the amount paid would leave too little money against the work left, you have an exposure even if the builder is friendly and the project appears busy. Check who owns off-site materials, where they are stored and how they are identified before treating an advance as secured.
Agree a workable route
Builders should not be expected to finance large early steel and scaffold orders indefinitely. Equally, a homeowner should understand where advance funds go and how they count against the contract. A written revised payment plan can set out the specific procurement, delivery evidence, stage valuation and dates. Check any contract requirements before changing terms. Our guides on payment schedules, deposits and variations explain those mechanisms.
If the explanation does not add up
Keep the conversation in writing, preserve records and avoid making a hasty new promise. Do not assume insolvency from one request, but take repeated unexplained advances, missed suppliers or absent workers seriously. If work has stopped, see what to do when a builder leaves the job. For a contract dispute or threatened legal action, obtain qualified legal advice.
Build Advocate can independently assess the project documents, payments, progress and sensible next steps. See the current services and prices.
