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How do I get paid? Dogs. We have a part-time position in accounts looking after them,鈥� says one builder when asked how he chases late payments. Although the idea of setting the dogs on Carillion is clearly a joke, specialist contractors might be forgiven for believing it. Keeping your balance sheet steady is still a near-impossible task.

鈥淚t really is one of the most complicated industries to get paid,鈥� complains Graham Lyle, financial director of M&E firm EIC. 鈥淭here are so many variables, and nothing is ever black and white.鈥�

Walking off site can be unwise 鈥� 鈥淭hey鈥檒l just get someone else,鈥� points out Luke Wessely, managing director of Allen Roofing 鈥� but there are ways of letting a contractor know you鈥檙e unhappy with them ...

1. Keep the scaffolding up

Alan Buchan, director of the Confederation of Roofing Contractors, says one of his members wasn鈥檛 getting paid, so after completing his contractual obligations, he refused to take the scaffolding down. 鈥淗e kept it up for four weeks. The client was livid, furious, but he was perfectly within his rights.鈥�

2. Run a skeleton staff

Buchan says that so long as you鈥檙e performing the works in the contract, you can go as slow as you like: 鈥淵ou can put one man on a big job, and keep him there until payment comes through. He might get a bit lonely, but at least he鈥檒l get paid.鈥�

3. Withhold certificates

Roofing contractors have to issue an insurance certificate when their works are finished. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 give them their insurance until we鈥檙e paid,鈥� says one roofing contractor. 鈥淚f they鈥檙e not giving us our value, why should we give them theirs?鈥�

4. Check their credit

Subcontractors are divided on the politics of asking for a credit check beforehand. Some say its an insult to your employer.

But EIC鈥檚 Graham Lyle disagrees. 鈥淲e would always perform a credit check if we didn鈥檛 know who we were dealing with,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t shows professionalism. I don鈥檛 take it as an insult when people ask it of us.鈥�

5. Get guarantees in writing

Companies should be able to provide a statement from the bank giving security for the contract, or a parent company guarantee. 鈥淲e insist on a written guarantee which will stand up in court,鈥� says one specialist.

6. Ask for cash upfront

If you鈥檙e on a job where most of your work is done before you go on site and you have to order materials, then you could ask about getting payments before you start. Why should your company take the risk for their project?

7. Engine trouble

One interior specialist remembers ringing a client to ask why he hadn鈥檛 been paid, only to be informed by his secretary that he was taking extended leave, and wouldn鈥檛 be back in the country for weeks. But we haven鈥檛 been paid, said the specialist. I鈥檓 sorry, she replied, but there鈥檚 nothing we can do.

鈥淲e still had access to the house,鈥� he says, 鈥渟o we went round and took the engine out of the boiler.鈥� A few weeks later, the enraged client rang to find out why his house was cold and damp, only to be told he鈥檇 have to pay up to get his engine back. 鈥淗e鈥檇 probably have been better off buying a new boiler,鈥� chuckles the specialist.

8. Have your spies out

Call your mates, keep your ear to the ground or pay a visit to other jobs managed by that contractor. 鈥淵ou can tell a lot by visiting the site,鈥� says one specialist. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 quiet and everyone looks downcast, then it鈥檚 probably not great. If it鈥檚 busy and there鈥檚 a lot going on, then it probably is. Simple as that.鈥�

9. Help yourself

Once upon a time it wasn鈥檛 unknown for builders to turn bailiff. One contractor remembers paying an intractable client a visit 15 years ago. 鈥淎nother bloke 鈥� he looked like a brickie 鈥� was coming down the stairs with the company photocopier, and I remember thinking we鈥檙e not going to get a thing,鈥� he says. He and a colleague went into the common room, hoping to find something to swipe. A full-sized pool table stood in the middle of it. They did their best but it wouldn鈥檛 budge so they decided to cut their losses and play a quick game. 鈥淢ost expensive game of pool I鈥檝e ever played,鈥� sighs the contractor.

10. Confront the director

鈥淚t鈥檚 a human industry, and sometimes things take a personal development,鈥� says Allen Roofing鈥檚 Luke Wessely. 鈥淚n that situation, you have to challenge what [the director鈥檚] reasons are, and plead to his better judgement.鈥�

Geoff Dennis, financial director of specialist contractor Lakesmere, agrees: 鈥淚f we ever have an issue with tardiness, I will always get onto their financial director, rather than resorting to adjudication. At the end of the day, if you鈥檙e doing the work properly you should get paid.鈥�

11. Have a dirty protest

A cunning contractor 鈥� who wishes to remain anonymous 鈥� was doing electrical work on a residential project and payments were continually held up. He decided to take action. He bought a bottle of yellow food dye and emptied it into the house鈥檚 water tank, fooling the client into thinking there was something seriously wrong with his water supply. When the truth came out, the client angrily turned on the contractor. 鈥淒o you really think I鈥檓 going to pay you now?鈥� he spluttered. 鈥淵es 鈥� or next time it won鈥檛 just be yellow water,鈥� said the bold subbie.

The cheque arrived the next day.

12. Ask clients to pay directly

鈥淵ou can cut out the middleman if you know the developer,鈥� says Luke Wessely. 鈥淚f you go straight to the source and say 鈥楲isten, these charlies aren鈥檛 paying me鈥�, then that can happen.鈥�

But Martin Burton, accounts manager of heating Sladdens, says that unless your relationship with the client is extremely good, they鈥檙e just as likely to shrug their shoulders: 鈥淚 think they鈥檇 say listen, this isn鈥檛 our problem,鈥� he says. 鈥淵our contract is with them, so get them to pay you.鈥�

13. Take to the streets

鈥淚t was a few years ago now,鈥� recalls Martin Burton, 鈥渂ut once we had to blockade an office with the van. A client wouldn鈥檛 pay up, so we blocked the entrance to the car park.鈥� The contractor shared a car park with several other companies 鈥� a queue of cars built up and the air was soon full with more car horns than on Cup Final day. Eventually, a red-faced accountant with a cheque book came out, and Burton got paid. 鈥淭hose sort of things don鈥檛 happen anymore though,鈥� he hastily adds.

14. Show a bit of muscle

Most of the specialists interviewed for this article remember a time when business would occasionally be sorted out with the aid of a 2脳4, but only one admitted trying anything like it himself. 鈥淚 asked a couple of lads from the local rugby team to pay a visit with me,鈥� recalls one anonymous builder, though he鈥檚 careful to concede that it was only because the client was a 鈥渄irty fella鈥�. 鈥淭hey took one look at these two blokes and paid up,鈥� said the builder.

15. Threaten adjudication

Nine times out of 10, a well-written letter threatening adjudication can prompt the most reticent contractor into coughing up. 鈥淐ompanies realise adjudication costs money on both sides,鈥� says Martin Burton. 鈥淲hy would they want to risk that?鈥�

16. Make a small claim

Getting your case heard in the county court for debts of under 拢5,000 is quick and relatively easy, and you don鈥檛 need a solicitor.

17. Tighten the deadline

You should aim to have a maximum 30-day payment period. Two- and three-month payment cycles increase the risk of falling victim to upstream insolvency. One roofing specialist says there is a large contractor that consistently demands a 60-day extension to the standard 30 days. 鈥淣inety days! No-one should have to deal with that,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e tell them to find someone else. The sad thing is they always do.鈥�