Running a building business is challenging enough without spending time chasing overdue invoices or dealing with disputed final payments.
In this on-demand webinar, Hayley Lorimer, FMB’s Director of Membership Services, is joined by Maria Coulter, founder of Construction Coach and a Chartered Quantity Surveyor, for a practical discussion on the payment challenges facing today's SME building companies.
Rather than a formal presentation, this webinar brings together real experiences from FMB members, expert insight and practical discussion around why payment disputes happen and how builders are adapting their processes to reduce the risk.
Looking for practical steps to deal with late or non-paying clients? Read our guide, How to get paid as a builder: dealing with late and non-paying clients, then return to this webinar to hear how experienced builders have applied many of those principles in real situations.
Why talking about late payments matters
Late payment isn't just an administrative problem. It can affect cashflow, profitability and the day-to-day running of a building business.
During the webinar, Hayley explains that FMB advisers are hearing from increasing numbers of members who are struggling to recover payments, particularly towards the end of projects.
As she explains: 'We know that they are increasingly finding that it's sometimes difficult to get payments out of their clients, particularly final payments.'
Instead of focusing on legal theory, the conversation explores the commercial reality facing many SME builders today.
Learn from other builders' experiences
One of the strengths of this webinar is hearing directly from builders who have faced difficult payment situations.
Members discuss experiences including:
- Pursuing unpaid invoices after specialist subcontract work had been completed
- Clients withholding final payments because of disputed snagging items
- How paperwork and invoice timings affected the outcome of court proceedings
- The lessons they have taken into future projects after resolving payment disputes.
These conversations provide valuable insight into the situations many building companies encounter, and the practical changes they have made as a result.
Topics covered
During the discussion, Maria Coulter and FMB members explore topics including:
- Reducing the risk of late and disputed payments
- Payment stages and final accounts
- Documenting variations and additional work
- Setting expectations with domestic clients
- Contracts and project documentation
- Managing client communication throughout a project
- Dispute resolution and mediation
- Technology and project management systems.
At the FMB, we see how building businesses work better when they learn from each other - our webinar examines how experienced builders approach these challenges in practice. As Maria says during the discussion: 'Let's look at how do you make sure this doesn't happen again?'
Expert perspective
Maria Coulter brings more than two decades of construction industry experience to the discussion.
A Chartered Quantity Surveyor and former Project Manager, Maria founded Construction Coach after seeing first-hand how commercial pressures affected construction businesses during the recession. Today, she works closely with SME builders to help them strengthen the commercial side of their businesses and has delivered coaching programmes for FMB members.
Throughout the webinar, Maria responds to the situations raised by members, offering practical observations informed by both her technical background and her experience working with construction businesses.
How the FMB supports members
Alongside the discussion, Hayley explains the practical support available to FMB members when payment problems arise.
The webinar references:
- The FMB suite of building contracts
- Legal advice through the FMB helpline
- Template documents and guidance available in our member document library
- The FMB dispute resolution service - offering a route to mediation before formal legal action.
These resources are designed to complement good business processes and help members resolve disputes as efficiently as possible.
Who should watch?
This webinar is particularly relevant if you:
- Carry out domestic building, renovation or extension projects
- Regularly manage staged payments or final accounts
- Want to learn from the experiences of other building companies
- Are reviewing your contracts or payment processes
- Want to understand the support available to FMB members if payment disputes arise.
Watch the webinar in full
No two payment disputes are the same, but many begin with familiar challenges.
This webinar combines expert insight from Maria Coulter with honest discussion from FMB members who have experienced payment disputes themselves. Their experiences provide practical context that complements our written guidance and highlights the importance of strong contracts, clear communication and consistent project processes.
If you've read our guide to dealing with late and non-paying clients, this webinar is the next step, bringing those themes to life through real conversations and practical examples from builders across the industry.
