Protected stage payments for building work
A better way to commit the money. A fairer way to get paid.
Assurr brings the work, the money and the agreement together. Before each stage begins, the homeowner puts the money in place. The contractor can see it's there. And both sides know what has to happen for it to be released.
Single-storey rear extension
Illustrative project · £61,850
Project money
Stage 04 · Roof and windows
Awaiting review£14,000
Funding in place
The contractor has submitted the finished stage with its evidence.
Building work asks both sides to commit before the work, or the payment, has happened.
For the homeowner
“What if I pay, and the work doesn't get done?”
You're committing money to work that hasn't happened yet. You want to know what you're paying for, that the money won't be released before the work it's for, and that there's a clear process if something isn't right.
For the contractor
“What if I do the work, and don't get paid?”
You're committing your time, labour, materials and cash before the payment arrives. You want to know the money is there, what you've agreed to deliver, and that payment won't become another negotiation once the work is done.
Neither side should have to carry all the risk.
The Assurr difference
Confidence to commit, on both sides.
Before work begins, the homeowner puts the money for the agreed stage in place through regulated third-party payment infrastructure.
The contractor can see that the funding is there, rather than relying on a promise of future payment. The homeowner knows the money hasn't simply been handed over, and that its release follows the agreed conditions.
Both sides know what's expected. Both know where they stand.
Fund the stage. Complete the work. Release payment as agreed.
Groundworks and foundations · Stage 01
Funding in place£9,000
Committed to this agreed stage
Illustrative project
When homeowners pay in advance, they risk their money before the work is done. When contractors work before being paid, they risk their time, materials and livelihood.
Assurr offers a better balance. The money is put in place before each agreed stage begins, but only released under the agreed conditions.
Paid before the work
The homeowner carries the risk.
Before the stage: Paid to the contractor
The work and After the work: Work still to be delivered
Paid after the work
The contractor carries the risk.
Before the stage and The work: Funds not set aside
After the work: Payment becomes due
With Assurr
Neither side carries it alone.
Before the stage and The work: Stage funded and in place
After the work: Released under the agreed conditions
Every stage carries its own scope, funding, evidence and payment status, so both sides can see what's been agreed, what's in place and what's been paid.
Set out what needs doing, what it costs and what counts as complete.
Stage 1 · Groundworks and foundations
£9,000
Not yet fundedIllustrative project · Stage 1
The homeowner puts the money in place before the stage starts, through regulated third-party payment infrastructure. Both sides can see it.
Stage 1 · Groundworks and foundations
£9,000
FundedIllustrative project · Stage 1
The contractor does the work and submits it with the evidence the agreement asks for.
Stage 1 · Groundworks and foundations
£9,000
Awaiting reviewFootings dug
Excavation inspection
Building control
Concrete pour
Illustrative project · Stage 1
The homeowner reviews the stage within the period the agreement sets, accepts it, and its payment is released.
Stage 1 · Groundworks and foundations
£9,000
ReleasedIllustrative project · Stage 1
Questions and changes are a normal part of building work, not a failure. If something needs attention, it's raised against the specific work, alongside the agreement and the evidence.
Both sides can agree what needs putting right. The homeowner can accept the rest of the stage, so the payment for the unaffected work can be released while the remaining item is resolved.
Once it's settled, the agreed payment rules apply.
Ask a question
Either side can ask. Most things are settled here.
Agree what happens next
Put an item right, accept the rest, or agree a change. Whatever's agreed is recorded.
Take it further, only if needed
Help to settle it comes first, and a formal dispute only by choice. Where the standard of the work is in question, an independent expert decides.
An illustrative project in the demo, seen from either side.
Most questions don't need to become disputes.
If one part of a stage isn't right, the homeowner can accept the rest and ask for that part to be put right, with the reason recorded.
The payment for the accepted work is released. The item goes back to the contractor, and its payment follows once it's put right and accepted.
Illustrative stage · Stage 5
First fix and plaster
£10,000
When it's put right and accepted, the £200 is released too.
For homeowners
Know what each stage covers, what's been funded, and what has to happen before it's released. Ask about anything that isn't right, and keep a clear record of every decision.
Before you accept a stage
For contractors
See that each stage is funded before you commit people and materials. Record what you've delivered and follow a clear payment process. If one item needs putting right, the rest of the stage needn't automatically be held up.
“I use Assurr so the money for each stage is in place before I start. We both know what needs to be done and when payment will be released.”
Regulated third-party payment infrastructure
Clear about who handles the money, what governs its release, and how both sides stay informed.
01 / The money
Project funds are handled through regulated third-party payment infrastructure, not Assurr's operating account.
02 / The decisions
Each stage has clear requirements and review periods. Questions are recorded, and payment follows the agreed process.
03 / The record
The scope, funding, evidence and decisions are kept together, so everyone can see what has happened and what comes next.
The payment provider handles the funds. Assurr connects the process.
Clear responsibilities, without Assurr taking custody of project money.
Assurr brings the agreement, the stage funding, the evidence and every payment decision together in one shared record.
Both sides can see what's due, what's been submitted, what needs a decision, and what happens when something isn't right.
Not Assurr. Once a stage is funded, its money sits within regulated third-party payment infrastructure, not in Assurr's own account, and moves only through the release, refund or resolution route that applies to the project. Assurr is in early development, and the payment provider is still being selected.
No. Each stage is funded as its start approaches, not all at once. The money for a stage is put in place before that stage starts, so the contractor can see it's there without the homeowner handing over the whole project value on day one.
Not under the agreed process. A stage's payment is released when the homeowner accepts the stage, or the part of it that's done. If an early stage covers design, setting up or materials, it's agreed as its own stage rather than hidden inside a vague deposit.
Nobody is left waiting indefinitely. The homeowner has a review period, set in the agreement, to respond to a finished, evidenced stage, and is reminded before it ends. If there's still no response, they're sent a final notice by email, and the stage payment is released once the further days the agreement sets have passed. A query, a request to put something right, an open dispute or a change awaiting acceptance stops the release. It doesn't apply to the final close-out stage, or to a stage still waiting on a certificate or sign-off.
They give a reason, it's recorded, and the stage comes back for rework. Part of a stage can be accepted while the rest is put right. Either side can raise a dispute. Where the question is whether the work meets the agreed standard, an independent expert decides, and the stage's money follows that decision.
Money that hasn't been released doesn't become the contractor's because the project has started. The record shows what was agreed, evidenced, accepted and paid. Any funded amount not yet released follows the cancellation, refund or dispute route that applies to the project.
Pricing hasn't been set. Assurr is in early development, and joining the waitlist is an expression of interest only: it costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Assurr is not an FCA-authorised payment institution. Assurr provides the project, stage, evidence, acceptance and payment-instruction workflow. Regulated payment services are provided through third-party payment infrastructure, so project money does not sit in Assurr's own operating account.
Whether you're planning building work or doing it, Assurr is being built to make the commitment clearer and fairer for both sides. Explore the demo, or join the waitlist to hear when you can use it.