You hired a contractor. They started the work — maybe got 30%, 50%, 70% of the way through. Then they stopped showing up, stopped returning calls, or are dragging out completion indefinitely while you have already paid most of the money. The job sits half-done. Every day costs you.
Australian law gives you a clear escalation path. The first formal step is a Notice to Remedy Breach.
What the law says
Under the Australian Consumer Law, every service supplied by a business to a consumer carries non-excludable guarantees:
- Provided with due care and skill
- Fit for purpose — achieves the result you contracted
- Provided within a reasonable time if no time was specified
A contractor who has stopped working before the job is complete is in breach of the “reasonable time” guarantee at minimum, and usually the “fit for purpose” guarantee as well. The contract law overlay says the same thing: failing to perform a substantial obligation is a repudiation that entitles you to terminate and recover damages.
Why a Notice to Remedy Breach is the right opening move
For incomplete-work disputes, a Notice to Remedy Breach is stronger than a generic complaint or demand letter because it does three things at once:
- Identifies the specific breach (the work not completed, the timeline missed, the guarantees not met)
- Demands completion within a clear, reasonable timeframe (typically 14–28 days)
- States the consequence if the deadline is missed — termination of the contract and a claim for the cost of getting another contractor to finish, or a refund of amounts paid that exceed the value of the work actually delivered
A formal notice can prompt a contractor to return to the job, because the alternative — termination and a quantified damages claim — can cost them their margin twice over.
Ready to put it in writing?
Answer 3 quick questions to check you have the details your document needs, and see your next step.
1. Who did the work?
2. How much is at stake?
3. Do you have it in writing?
Your result is ready. Where should we send it?
What the Notice covers
- The contract (date, scope, price, payments made)
- The work completed vs the work outstanding
- The specific breach (timeline, scope, quality)
- The remedy demanded (complete the work) and the deadline
- The fallback — termination plus damages — if the deadline is not met
- Reference to the relevant ACL provisions and any state licensing scheme
What if they still do not finish
If the deadline passes without completion, the next steps:
- Get two quotes from other contractors to complete the work
- Engage a replacement contractor to finish
- Send a Final Demand — $49 for the cost difference plus refund of any overpayment
- If still unpaid, lodge a Tribunal Application — $97 — with your state’s tribunal or court (the right one depends on your state and the type of work)
- If the contractor is licensed (builder, electrician, plumber), lodge a parallel complaint with the licensing authority
The flat fee
The wizard asks about the contract, what is done, what is outstanding, the deadline you want, and the trade or industry. Our Programmatic Algorithms draft the notice citing the right ACL provisions and the relevant state licensing scheme, and send it to the contractor.
Contractor didn’t finish? Send the notice now.
Tell us about the contract and what was not done. We draft a formal Notice to Remedy Breach citing Australian Consumer Law and send it to the contractor. Done in about 5 minutes.
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Next step
Do not wait for the contractor to come back of their own accord — every additional day shifts negotiating power away from you. Send the formal notice now and the recovery options stay open.
What happens when you put the builder on formal notice
Same problem. What a prepared case looks like.