Client Signed Off on the Renovation — Then Refused to Pay Three Months Later
A renovation contractor completed a residential project and received a signed completion confirmation. Three months later, the client refused to pay the final instalment, claiming defects. After filing with the Small Claims Tribunal, the full outstanding balance was recovered.
Recovered in full — Won — Full Amount Recovered
- FiledDay 0
- Hearing—
- RulingDay 60
AGAINST THE OTHERSAcross 9 published illustrative cases the median is 75 days and HK$22,000. This one ran 60 days, about 15 days under that median.
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Background
Our client was a small renovation contractor who completed a living room and master bedroom refurbishment at a private residential flat in Tsuen Wan. The total contract value was HK$48,000, with a final instalment of HK$24,000 due upon completion.
After the work was finished, the client personally inspected the flat and signed a completion confirmation form, stating the work was satisfactory. Three months later, when the contractor followed up on the outstanding payment, the client suddenly claimed the wall paint was "bubbling and peeling" and refused to pay.
The contractor revisited the flat and found the peeling was clearly caused by the client's own furniture being dragged against the walls — entirely unrelated to the painting work. The client refused any negotiation.
How We Helped
When the contractor came to us, they already had the signed completion form and before-and-after photos from the job. Their concern was that if the client challenged workmanship quality at the hearing, they wouldn't know how to respond effectively.
We helped the contractor:
- Organise the documentation: Contract, quotation, signed completion form, and before-and-after photos of the painted walls
- Analyse the client's position: Photos clearly showed the peeling was at furniture contact points, inconsistent with paint failure
- Prepare the claim form: Setting out the contract terms, signed completion record, and timeline of the client's refusal to pay
- Hearing preparation: Helping the contractor present the facts simply and clearly, and prepare for challenges to workmanship quality
Outcome
At the hearing, the client alleged the paintwork did not meet industry standards but could not produce any independent assessment report or written evidence to support this claim. The Adjudicator considered the signed completion confirmation and the photographic evidence, and ruled in the contractor's favour — ordering the client to pay the full outstanding amount of HK$24,000.
The contractor told us: "I knew I was in the right, but I didn't know where to start. Having the documents organised properly made the whole process much less stressful."
Key Takeaway
A signed completion confirmation is one of the strongest pieces of evidence a contractor can hold. Even if a client later disputes quality, a contemporaneous sign-off puts the burden on them to explain the change of position — which is difficult to do convincingly months after the fact.
This is an illustrative case, adapted from the kinds of matter the Hong Kong Small Claims Tribunal hears. It is not the record of an identifiable client, and no outcome shown here is a promise about yours.