Debt recovery for builders, contractors and suppliers.
In construction, you’ve usually paid for the labour and materials long before the client pays you. When a main contractor, developer or homeowner holds back, we recover it, and you only pay if we collect.
In short
- We recover unpaid invoices, progress payments and overdue accounts for builders, subcontractors, trades and building suppliers.
- No recovery, no fee: nothing upfront, and a commission only on what we collect.
- Recovery starts the same business day, with every step visible in your client portal.
- Your paperwork matters: payment certificates, signed variations, site instructions and delivery notes all strengthen the case.
- Standard building contracts such as JBCC, NEC and GCC have their own payment timelines and dispute routes, so check yours first.
Why construction payments go unpaid
- Main contractors paying subcontractors only once they’ve been paid themselves.
- Disputes over variations or extra work that was never confirmed in writing.
- Retention money held back long after the job is finished.
- Developers or homeowners running out of money partway through a project.
- Building suppliers extending credit to contractors who then stop paying.
Get your paperwork in order
- The contract or accepted quote, and the payment terms in it.
- Invoices and any interim payment certificates.
- Signed variation orders and site instructions for extra work.
- Delivery notes, signed job cards and progress photos.
- Emails or WhatsApp messages where the client accepts the work or promises to pay.
The stronger the paper trail, the harder it is for a debtor to stall. Even if you don’t have everything, send us what you have.
Things specific to construction
- Retention: a percentage of each payment, often around 5 to 10%, that the client holds back until completion. Diarise the release dates in your contract and claim retention as soon as it falls due.
- Standard contracts: JBCC, NEC and GCC contracts set out when payment certificates must be issued and paid, and usually provide for adjudication, which can resolve a payment dispute faster than court.
- Builder’s lien: if you’re still in possession of the site, you may be able to hold on to it until you’re paid. That right is generally lost once you hand the site over, so take legal advice before relying on it.
- Suppliers: if you sell materials on account, a signed credit application with a director’s suretyship gives you far more security when a contractor stops paying.
How we recover it
Send us the invoice or payment certificate and the debtor’s details. We open the case the same business day and follow a structured sequence: professional reminders, direct calls to whoever approves payment, and a formal letter of demand if they keep stalling. Where the debtor genuinely can’t pay in one go, we agree a written payment plan and follow up on every instalment.
You see every step in your portal, so you can keep running jobs instead of chasing money. We work with contractors and suppliers across South Africa.
What it costs
There is nothing to pay upfront, no monthly fee for recovery and no charge if we recover nothing. We earn a commission on what we actually collect: typically around 12% on invoices under R25,000 and around 15% on invoices of R25,000 or more. The exact rate is agreed when we review your case, before any work starts.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. If you’ve done the work and invoiced for it, we can chase the main contractor for payment. Your contract, especially any clause about when you get paid, will shape the approach, so send it along with the invoice.
Yes. Unpaid trade accounts are a common case. A signed credit application, statements and delivery notes make recovery much more straightforward.
Then it’s a dispute, and we’ll tell you honestly whether it can be recovered as it stands. Photos, sign-offs and messages accepting the work all help.
Check your contract for when retention is due, often at practical and then final completion, and invoice for it on time. If it isn’t released when it falls due, treat it like any other overdue amount.
Hand us the invoice. We’ll take it from here.
No recovery, no fee, and a live view of every step in your client portal. Based in Cape Town, working nationwide.