Complain about a contractor – when the contractor has made a mistake

Firstly: that the company fixes the fault

You can primarily require the contractor to put the fault right. The contractor must cover all costs associated with correcting the fault. Examples include costs for materials, travel and labour.

The company often needs to come and look at the fault to determine what caused it and what needs to be done.

Secondly: that you receive a price reduction

The price reduction should match the defect, such as what it costs to have the defect fixed by another company.

Is it a cosmetic fault that does not affect the function? In that case, a price reduction that corresponds to the decrease in value caused by the fault may be relevant.

Thirdly: that you can terminate the contract

Terminating the contract means that the work is stopped.

If the entire contract is terminated, the company is not entitled to payment. However, you may need to return materials, provided that this does not cause significant inconvenience or cost for you.

If you benefit from parts of the work that have been carried out, the entire contract is not terminated. In that case, you must pay the contractor for the part of the work that is of use to you.

Even if you want a price reduction or to terminate the contract, the contractor is usually entitled to try to correct the fault.

For you to have the right to make other demands, it is required, for example, that:

• the contractor does not correct the fault within a reasonable time
• the contractor fails to correct the fault
• you have lost confidence in the contractor
• it is clear that the contractor does not have the right competence to correct the fault.

If you believe that the contractor does not have the right competence, for example if the work has not been carried out in a professional manner and there is reason to suspect that they will not do so now either, you can argue for a price reduction or termination so that you can turn to another contractor.

Being dissatisfied is usually not enough. When it comes to loss of confidence, a price reduction may be relevant, and you must be able to show what the loss of confidence is based on. This could, for example, involve the contractor behaving in a disturbing way, being dishonest or otherwise not acting in your interests.

For you to have the right to terminate the contract before the work is completed, there must be, for example, clear defects in the work already carried out. Terminating a contract when the work has already been completed is usually very difficult. In that case, the service must be almost entirely faulty.

The contractor must correct the fault within a reasonable time. What is considered reasonable time varies from case to case. In some cases, the fault must be corrected quickly to prevent it from getting worse or causing other damage. Or the fault may affect your daily life significantly, for example if you cannot use the bathroom.

In other cases, correcting the fault may be less urgent. The season may also mean that the fault cannot be corrected straight away. For example, it may be unsuitable to repaint the facade in winter.

You should not have any extra costs because the service is faulty. The company must cover the cost of correcting the fault. They must also compensate you if you incur additional costs.

You have the right to withhold as much of the payment for the work as corresponds to your claim for compensation.

Examples of additional costs

• Travel costs, for example if you need to travel to and from the company to deal with your complaint
• Loss of income, for example if you need to take time off work to inspect the fault together with the company
• The cost of an assessment by a surveyor or another expert (if it is needed in order to prove the fault)

You must be able to prove your costs

You need to provide evidence of the costs you have incurred in order to receive compensation. This may be receipts, invoices or other statements.

The costs must be reasonable and directly linked to the fault. If you want compensation for loss of income, you must be able to prove it, for example with a statement from your employer.

You cannot claim compensation for the inconvenience or the time you spend making the complaint.

Has the contractor caused damage while carrying out the work? If so, you have the right to claim damages under the Consumer Services Act.

This may involve situations where:

• the object of the work is damaged
• the contractor damages other property, for example by dropping a tool and damaging the floor

Damages are intended to compensate for the damage. You cannot expect compensation that puts you in a better position than before the damage occurred. For example, if there is a scratch on the floor, it is not reasonable to expect the entire floor to be replaced at no cost.

Sometimes the company that caused the damage has the competence to repair it. In that case, you may need to accept that the company repairs the damage instead of giving you financial compensation.

The contractor is obliged to advise you against having work carried out that is of no benefit to you. For example, if the company has installed new roof tiles even though they have seen that the entire roof needs to be repaired.

If the contractor has not advised you against the work, you should generally not have to pay more than for the work they needed to do in order to determine that they ought to advise you against it.

If you believe that there is a fault, you must make a complaint. You do this by notifying the company. You must complain within a reasonable time from when you discovered the fault. Within two months is always considered a reasonable time.

You can complain about faults relating to work carried out on real property, land and buildings for ten years. Other types of work can be complained about for three years.

Work on real property, land and buildings

For work carried out on real property, you have the right to complain about faults for ten years after the work was completed. This includes, for example:

• renovation of a building
• painting
• laying flooring
• drainage work
• roof replacement
• drilling a water well
• installing fibre cables

Other work

For work carried out on movable property, you can generally complain within three years. For example, most repair services come with a three‑year right to complain.

Does the contractor believe that the work is fault‑free? Or that the fault is not caused by their work? For you to be able to make a claim against the company, you need to be able to prove that there is a fault or that the fault is due to their work.

If you cannot show the fault through photos or similar evidence, you can get help from an expert, for example a surveyor. The expert can assess the work and provide a statement. Make sure you receive written documentation from the expert and keep it as evidence.

Contact the contractor again

If you have further evidence that the contractor has made a mistake, contact the contractor again. Remember to contact them in writing, for example by email or text message. Attach a copy of the evidence.

If the contractor still says no or does not respond, you can have your case reviewed, for example by the National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN).

If you and the company cannot reach an agreement, you can file a complaint to the public authority The National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN).

ARN will assess your case and make a recommendation on how to resolve the dispute. Most companies follow ARN’s recommendations.

A normal processing time is approximately six months.

What does it cost to file a complaint with ARN?

It costs SEK 150 to file a complaint with ARN. When you submit your complaint, you can request that the company compensates you for the cost if ARN makes a recommendation in your favour.

Requirements for ARN to consider your case

• The company has either rejected your claims or has not responded within a reasonable time.
• The amount you and the company disagree on exceeds the value limit set by ARN. You cannot include the application fee to ARN.
• You file the complaint within one year from the first time you complained to the company.

Submit a complaint on ARN's website

If you need help with your complaint

Sometimes, the municipal consumer advisors can assist you in making a complaint to ARN.