Record the retention on the job
Amount, contract value and the end of the defects liability period — usually 6 to 12 months after practical completion.
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Retentions
Retention is not a late invoice. It is a dated entitlement.
3–5% of everything you build is withheld until long after you have left site, and it is the money most firms quietly write off. Nemexio keeps a separate register with its own release date and its own chase, so it never gets mixed up with day-to-day chasing.
Retention register
£14,750 withheld
Canal Street FlatsRelease Released 12 Sep£2,980Release requested
Harbour YardRelease 2 Jan 2027£7,120100 days left
Mill Lane — Phase 2Release 14 Mar 2027£4,650171 days left
Step by step
How it works
A register with its own clock
Retentions sit outside the overdue list, with a countdown to the release date instead of a days-late counter.
Chase the release, not the invoice
A dedicated letter that asks for release of the withheld sum on the contractual date, and escalates once the defects period has expired.
Nothing silently disappears
Every withheld pound stays visible until it is paid back.
The numbers
Why it matters
Every figure comes from GOV.UK or the legislation itself.
3–5%
Typical cash retention withheld until the end of the defects liability period, usually 6–12 months after practical completion.
Source: Industry standard practice; GOV.UK consultation on retentions reform
8% + base
Statutory interest on late commercial debts, plus £40–£100 fixed compensation per invoice.
Source: Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998
Cash retentions have been under reform pressure for years, which makes an evidenced, dated release request much harder for a payer to ignore.
Questions
Frequently asked
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Statutory references are provided for information. Nemexio is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.