2 min read
Proving work was done to the agreed specification
A client claims the finished work doesn't match what was agreed. Proving otherwise depends entirely on what you recorded before it was covered up or signed off.
Specification disputes are some of the most frustrating a contractor can face, because they often come down to two people remembering the same conversation differently, months after it happened. The client thinks they asked for one thing, you're certain you delivered what was agreed, and by the time it becomes a disagreement, the only evidence left is whatever was written down at the time, if anything was.
The starting point for protecting yourself is the specification document itself, however informal. A quote or estimate that lists materials, finishes and methods in enough detail to be checked against later is worth far more than a vague price for "kitchen refurbishment." Where a spec is detailed from the outset, most disputes never get off the ground, because there's a clear document both sides can point to.
The gap usually opens up around changes made after that original spec was agreed, which is most jobs. A tile gets substituted because the original was out of stock. A finish gets upgraded halfway through. None of these are problems in themselves, but if they're not recorded at the point they happen, the finished work can end up looking, to the client, like a deviation from what they were promised, even when every change was reasonable and arguably an improvement.
Photos are the other half of this. A photo of a specific material or product on site before installation, ideally showing packaging or a batch reference, is strong evidence of what was used. Combined with a photo of the completed work, it becomes very difficult for a client to credibly argue that a different, lower standard product was substituted without them knowing, which is a common and damaging accusation to face without evidence either way.
None of this needs to slow the job down. A photo of the material before it goes in, a one-line note when a spec changes, both take seconds and both live far better in a system organised by job than in a phone's camera roll where they're impossible to find six months later when they're needed.