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Chase a final payment after snagging
Clients sometimes delay final payment over tiny snags. A clear message gets snags fixed and money in. Listing the agreed snags, when each was fixed and the invoice details, with photos, leaves little to argue about.
Time: 3 minutesTool cost: you can start with a free AI tool
Steps
- List the snags the client raised and you agreed, the date each was fixed, and take dated photos.
- Check the amount due against your quote, any agreed extras, and the invoice number and date.
- Example (made up, for illustration only): after repainting a hall, stairs and landing, the client held back the final payment over two scuffs and a missed bit of skirting. Both were fixed on Saturday. The message lists them, attaches the photos, gives the invoice number and amount, and asks for payment by bank transfer by Friday.
- Run the prompt below with the client’s name and address left out.
- Send it with photos of the fixed snags, by the method the client usually uses, and note the date.
- If there is no reply by the date given, follow up once by phone. If they still will not pay, read the options in the UK notes before doing anything else.
The exact prompt
Write a polite message from a [UK] decorator asking for final payment. Under 90 words. Job: [rooms]. Snags agreed: [list], all fixed on [date] (photos attached). Amount due: [£], invoice [number], pay by [method] by [date]. If there's anything else, ask them to tell me by [date]. Friendly but clear. Do not threaten, mention court, interest or charges, or add anything not in my notes.
✓ Check before you send
- Every snag is genuinely fixed, with dated photos.
- The amount matches the invoice.
- The tone fits the client.
- The message gives a date to pay or to raise anything else.
UK notes extra
- England and Wales: GOV.UK says “A mediation service could be quicker and cheaper than going to court.” It also says there is a different process for court claims in Scotland and Northern Ireland. GOV.UK: make a court claim for money.
- England and Wales: before a court claim, the court will expect the parties to have exchanged enough information to understand each other’s position and to try to settle. justice.gov.uk: Practice Direction, Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols (England and Wales).
- UK: for business clients, GOV.UK explains payment terms and what you can do if a business pays late. GOV.UK: late commercial payments, interest and debt recovery.
Last reviewed Oct 2026. Free tools change. If a screen looks different, the steps still apply.Back to top ↑