Blog
Notes on retention
What retention actually costs UK subcontractors, and what to do about it.
11 September 2026
Commercial Payments Bill: What It Means for Construction Retention
The Commercial Payments Bill would ban withholding retention and add automatic penalties, but it's not law yet. The 8% statutory interest it's built on is already claimable today.
Read more30 August 2026
The money you're not chasing is already at risk
Government research puts UK construction retention at £4.5bn at any one time, and 44% of contractors have already lost some of it to insolvency.
Read more30 August 2026
A worked example: how £90,000 in retention can quietly turn into a loss
A typical retention ledger, one main contractor showing early warning signs, and the difference between a system watching and nobody watching at all.
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