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 for
- 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
Most contractors return to the job once a formal notice arrives, because the alternative — termination and a quantified damages claim — costs them their margin twice over.
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 ($79) for the cost difference plus refund of any overpayment
- If still unpaid, lodge a tribunal application ($79) — your state tribunal has jurisdiction up to $25,000–$100,000 depending on state
- If the contractor is licensed (builder, electrician, plumber), lodge a parallel complaint with the licensing authority
The flat fee
Claim Done’s Notice to Remedy Breach is $79. The wizard asks about the contract, what is done, what is outstanding, the deadline you want, and the trade or industry. The AI drafts the notice citing the right ACL provisions and the relevant state licensing scheme, and sends it to the contractor on your behalf.
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.