Project Protection · Optional escrow
The builder doesn’t
get paid until you’re
happy with the work.
You fund the project into escrow. The builder draws against signed milestones. If anything goes wrong, an independent mediator steps in. £99 / £199 / £299 — one-off, per project.
Optional. Always your call. Available to any homeowner with an active Compare Builders project — pay any time before the first milestone is due.
01
How it works
Four moments, four releases. You approve every one before the builder is paid.
Agree milestones
Builder and homeowner sign off a milestone schedule — usually 3–6 stages tied to physical progress on site.
Fund the escrow
You pay the project total into a Stripe-held escrow account. Funds are ring-fenced until each milestone is signed.
Approve releases
When the builder reaches a milestone, they request a release. You inspect, you approve, the funds move.
Dispute mediation
If you and the builder disagree, an independent mediator from our panel reviews the evidence and decides.
02
Pick the tier that fits
Same mechanism, three depths of support. Pick the tier that matches your project budget.
£99
Jobs up to £25k
- Milestone-based escrow
- Up to 4 milestone releases
- Email-based dispute mediation
- Stripe-held funds (refundable)
£199
Jobs £25k – £100k
- Milestone-based escrow
- Unlimited milestone releases
- Phone + email mediation
- Stripe-held funds (refundable)
- Snagging hold-back built in
£299
Jobs £100k +
- Milestone-based escrow
- Unlimited milestone releases
- Priority mediation (24h response)
- Stripe-held funds (refundable)
- Snagging + retentions managed
- Independent surveyor referral available
Ready to buy? Sign in to your account and open the project you want protected — the tier picker appears at the top of that page. Project Protection is added per-project, so you pay only for the jobs that need it.
03
Honest questions
What happens if X.
- What if my builder isn't willing to use escrow?
- It's optional for both sides. If your builder objects, talk to them about why — most reputable builders welcome escrow because it protects them from the homeowner-disappears-after-completion risk. If they refuse outright, that's a useful signal.
- Where are the funds actually held?
- In a Stripe-held account ring-fenced for your project. Stripe is regulated by the FCA. We can't release the funds without your milestone approval; if you cancel the project mid-flight, the unreleased balance is refunded to you.
- What is mediation actually?
- An independent reviewer from a panel of UK construction professionals (surveyors, ex-builders, contract specialists) reviews the evidence — photos, written exchanges, the original spec — and decides. Both sides see the decision and the reasoning.
- What's NOT covered?
- Project Protection covers the contract: did the work get done, was it to the spec, was the payment schedule honoured. It does not cover defects discovered years later (use your builder's insurance for that), unauthorised scope changes you signed off verbally (always get a written variation order), or disagreements about taste.
- Can I add this to a project that's already started?
- Yes — as long as no funds have been transferred to the builder outside the escrow yet. The escrow is forward-looking: anything from the moment of purchase is protected.
Project Protection
Lock the money
to the milestones.
Add Project Protection per project — your builder gets paid in stages as each milestone is signed off, not upfront.