A practical escalation path when rework doesn't happen after an audit — what to document, who to loop in, and when to get legal advice.
An audit report is only useful if it's used. Before any conversation gets heated, make sure every flagged item is dated, photographed and tied to a specific clause in your contract, drawing or BOQ — a report that says "the tiling is uneven" is weaker than one that says "tile lippage exceeds 2mm across bedroom 2, against the flatness tolerance in your interior contract."
Send the report (or the specific flagged items) to your contractor in writing — email is enough — with a reasonable, named deadline for rework. Verbal agreements to "sort it out" are easy to forget once the next milestone payment is due. A written request also becomes evidence if the situation escalates.
If you have an architect or independent project manager on the job, they can often resolve disputes faster than a direct owner-contractor confrontation, since they sit inside the professional relationship your contractor also has to maintain.
Many construction contracts link milestone payments to work being complete and to specification. If yours does, a documented, unresolved defect list is a reasonable basis to hold the relevant portion of a payment until re-inspection confirms the fix — this is exactly why a re-verification visit exists as part of an audit.
If a contractor refuses to engage after a written request and a reasonable deadline, or the value in dispute is significant, it's worth a short consultation with a lawyer experienced in construction or consumer contracts before you take further action. This guide is general information, not legal advice — the right next step depends on your specific contract and jurisdiction.
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