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List each defect separately, with the date you noticed it, a photo, and the contract clause or standard it fails. Then ask for one clear fix and a deadline, and send the letter by a method that proves delivery. A dated, documented letter is what turns a complaint into a warranty claim. This is general information, not legal advice.
Give every defect its own numbered item, and keep each item to three facts: what is wrong, where it is, and when you found it. "The kitchen floor slopes toward the sink" beats "the flooring is bad," because it can be checked. If the contract or the plans specified a material, a finish, or a measurement, quote that line next to the defect. A contractor can debate taste; a contract line that says one thing and work that shows another is much harder to debate.
Photos do real work here. Take wide shots that show the location in the room, then close shots of the defect itself, and keep the original files with their dates. If you print photos to enclose, label each one with the defect number from your list so the reader can match them. LetterAgent letters print on single-sided letter paper with no inserts, so if you have photos to send, describe them in the letter and offer to send them by email, or mail the photo pages as a separate letter.
| Item | What to record | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Defect description | What is wrong, in plain words, one defect per item | Stops the contractor from answering a general complaint with a general denial |
| Location | Room and position, plus a photo reference | Lets the contractor find and verify it on the next visit |
| Date noticed | The day you first saw it | Shows the problem appeared within the warranty or contract period |
| Contract reference | The clause, spec, or plan detail it fails | Ties the defect to a promise, not a preference |
| Fix requested | Repair, replacement, or credit, with a deadline | Gives the contractor one clear action instead of an open argument |
Ask for repair first when the work can be fixed properly, replacement when it cannot, and a credit only when you would rather hire someone else to fix it. Name a deadline for a reply, and a separate date by which the work should be done. Many contracts include a warranty period and a written-notice requirement, and a dated letter is exactly the notice those clauses call for. If your contract says defects must be reported in writing within a certain time, the delivery record from Certified Mail in the US or Registered Mail in Canada proves you met that deadline.
This is the question people most often get wrong. Holding back payment can feel like your only bargaining chip, but many contracts and local lien rules treat unpaid balances as a separate dispute, and a contractor who is unpaid may refuse to return at all. Before you withhold anything, read the payment and dispute clauses in your contract, and consider getting local legal advice. In most cases the stronger move is to pay what is undisputed, state the disputed amount in the letter, and keep the defect claim separate from the payment record.
Send one follow-up letter that refers to the first by date and repeats the deadline. After that, your options depend on where you live: a complaint to the state or provincial licensing board, a consumer protection agency, or a small claims filing are the usual next steps, and each of them will ask for the same file you have already built, the contract, the dated letters, the delivery records, and the photos. That is why the first letter matters so much: it is not just a complaint, it is the opening document of whatever comes next.
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