Your Contractor Has Gone Quiet: What Do You Do First, and in What Order?

It is the fourth day without a reply. The last voice note said the blocks were coming on Monday. Your cousin drove past and says nobody is on site. You have sent the money for the roof, and now the only thing you can see from where you are is a WhatsApp tick that never turns blue. Your contractor has gone quiet, and you are thousands of miles away.

Sources last checked: 2 October 2026, against the official sources listed at the end of this guide. If a fee, form or portal has changed since, tell us and we will correct it.

Here is the order. Stop sending money. Save every record. Get one independent person to the site to record what is there. Send a calm written demand. Then go to the body that can actually act: the regulator if the contractor is registered, the police only if there is fraud, and a civil route such as mediation, small claims or court. Only then decide whether to finish with someone new. Nobody can promise you will get your money back. This order stops the loss growing and gives a lawyer, mediator or regulator a file they can work with.

Step one: stop paying and save everything

Panic makes people send more. A new request often arrives after a silence, with an urgent reason: prices went up, the labourers will leave. Answer it with a request for evidence, not money.

1. Pause every scheduled or standing transfer to the contractor, the relative or anyone collecting on their behalf. Cancel any queued payment with your bank or transfer service.
2. Export the full chat history from WhatsApp or any other app, with media, and save it somewhere the other person cannot reach. Screenshots alone can be challenged; the export keeps dates and order.
3. Download every transfer receipt and bank statement line showing who received money, when and with what reference.
4. Gather the agreement: the signed contract, the bill of quantities, the drawings, any quotation and every variation, even if it is only a message saying “agreed”.
5. Save every photo and video you were sent, as the original files, so the date and location data stay attached.
6. Write a one-page timeline today while your memory is clear: what was agreed, what was paid, what was promised and when the silence began.

Step two: get an independent person to the site

Everything you know about the site came from the person who has gone quiet. Before you accuse anyone, you need a neutral record of what is on the ground today. It is the most useful document you will own.

1. Choose someone with no link to the contractor, the relative or whoever introduced them. A registered quantity surveyor, engineer or builder you instruct and pay directly is best, because they can measure work against your bill of quantities.
2. Check their registration before you instruct them, using the registers named in step four.
3. Give them a written brief: photograph and video every elevation from fixed points, record what stage the work has reached, list materials on site, and note any obvious defects.
4. Ask for a dated written report with their name and registration number, not a phone call.
5. Do not let them negotiate, accuse or remove anything. Their job is to record.

The report lets you compare money paid against work done, which is the core of every route that follows. Our remote build system shows how to keep this kind of record from the start next time.

Step three: send a written demand

A written demand gives the other side a fair, dated chance to respond, and shows any mediator, regulator or judge that you acted reasonably.

1. Write in plain language. State the agreement, what you paid and when, and what the independent report found.
2. Ask for one clear thing: return to site and complete a named stage, or account in writing for the money not yet matched by work.
3. Give a reasonable deadline with a calendar date.
4. Say what you will do if there is no reply, without threats: refer the matter to the regulator, to mediation or to court.
5. Send it by a channel that proves delivery, such as email plus WhatsApp, and courier a printed copy to their last known address if you can.
6. Keep it free of insults. Assume a judge will read it one day.

If the person who has gone quiet is a relative rather than a contractor, the same letter applies, but the tone matters even more. Our guide to talking to family about money back home has wording that keeps the door open.

Step four: find the body that can actually act

A regulator disciplines the professionals it registers; it does not usually order your money back. The police deal with crime, not a contract that went badly. Know which door you are knocking on.

The professional regulator, if the contractor is registered

• Kenya. Section 15 of the National Construction Authority Act 2011 says a person shall not carry on the business of a contractor unless registered by the Board. Under section 22(1), the Board may inquire into a contractor’s conduct on a written complaint alleging unprofessional conduct by a registered person, and section 22(9) lets it caution the contractor, direct action, suspend registration or remove the name from the register. The Authority publishes a complaints process online.
• Nigeria. The Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) runs a public check of registered builders on its portal. Section 16 of the Builders (Registration, etc.) Act sets up a Registered Builders Investigating Panel and a Disciplinary Tribunal. Engineers can be checked on the COREN verification portal using the number on their certificate.
• Ghana. Section 13(1) of the Engineering Council Act 2011 (Act 819) says a person shall not offer engineering services or practise engineering unless registered, and section 17 lets the Board suspend or cancel registration after an enquiry finds professional misconduct. The Architects Registration Council publishes a list of architects and firms in good standing. We could not confirm on an official page that Ghana has a statutory register for building contractors comparable to Kenya’s.

If your contractor is on no register, record that fact. The civil routes below still apply.

The police, only where there is fraud

Late work, poor work and price disputes are civil matters. Fraud is money obtained by a false pretence: a fake contractor, invented purchases, a site that never existed. In Ghana, section 131(1) of the Criminal Offences Act 1960 (Act 29) makes defrauding by false pretences a second-degree felony, and section 132 defines it. In Nigeria, section 1(1) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 covers obtaining property by false pretence with intent to defraud, from a person “in Nigeria or in any other country”. In Kenya, section 313 of the Penal Code covers obtaining by false pretences. A criminal case is about punishment, not debt collection.

Step five: choose a civil route

This is where money disputes are decided. Time limits apply in all three countries, so ask a licensed lawyer there how long you have to bring a claim.

• Mediation first, where the other side will engage. In Ghana, section 63 of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act 2010 (Act 798) lets a party to an agreement, with the other party’s consent, submit a dispute arising from it to mediation, and section 82 says a settlement the parties agree is binding has the same effect as an arbitral award. Section 114 establishes an Alternative Dispute Resolution Centre; a board for it was inaugurated in September 2026, and we could not confirm that it is yet taking cases. In Lagos, the Lagos Multi-Door Courthouse is the judiciary’s ADR centre. In Kenya, rule 5(1) of the Civil Procedure (Court-Annexed Mediation) Rules lets a court refer a case to mediation at any stage before final judgment.
• Small claims, for smaller sums. In Kenya, section 12(1)(a) of the Small Claims Court Act 2016 covers claims relating to a contract for the supply of goods or services, section 12(3) limits the court to one million shillings, and section 12(4) lets the Chief Justice change that limit by Gazette notice, so check the current figure. Section 20 lets you appear in person or through a duly authorised representative, and section 23 allows filing by electronic means. In Lagos, the Lagos judiciary set up small claims courts in its magisterial districts; the 2023 Practice Direction covers a liquidated money demand not exceeding ₦5,000,000, excluding interest and costs (Article 2(1)(d)). Abia and Imo publish similar small claims rules.
• The ordinary courts, for larger or complex claims. In Ghana, section 64 of Act 798 lets a court refer a pending case to mediation at any stage. Which court hears your claim depends on the amount, so ask your lawyer.

Step six: decide whether to finish with someone new

The building still needs a roof. A new contractor is often right, but bringing one in carelessly can destroy the evidence your claim depends on.

1. Do not let new work start until the independent report is in your hands.
2. Ask a lawyer whether your agreement must be formally ended first, and how. Ending it the wrong way can weaken your claim.
3. Have the new contractor’s quantity surveyor price the remaining work against the original bill of quantities, so the gap is on paper.
4. Vet the new contractor through the same registers as above, and check one claim they make about past work. Our guide on vetting the person who runs it shows how.
5. Rebuild the payment structure: stage payments released only against evidence, with a supervisor who is not the builder. See how to structure build money.

What a wrong answer sounds like

When a build stalls, the same lines come up. Most people saying them believe them, which is why they are dangerous.

• “Just send the balance and I’ll finish everything.” This is a red flag because it asks you to put money in before the trust is back. Reply: “I will pay against a completed stage, confirmed by my surveyor.”
• “Cement went up, I need extra before I can continue.” The request names a need, not a milestone. Reply: “Send me the supplier’s written quote and the revised bill of quantities, and we will agree a variation in writing.”
• “Don’t involve outsiders, it will shame the family.” This asks you to keep things private when outside eyes are your only protection. Reply: “The surveyor is there to protect everyone, including you.”
• “Report it to the police and they will get your money back.” The police investigate crime; they do not settle contract disputes. Reply: “I will ask a lawyer whether this is fraud or a civil claim first.”
• “I know someone at the court who can speed it up.” Any payment that bypasses the official process puts you at risk. Reply: “I will only use the registry and the official fees.”
• “Let’s just start again with my other guy.” Starting again before the site is recorded wipes out your evidence. Reply: “Nothing moves until the independent report is done.”

Country notes: Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya

• Ghana. Mediation has a statutory footing in Act 798. We could not confirm a dedicated small claims court, or a register of building contractors, on an official page.
• Nigeria. Courts are run state by state. Lagos, Abia and Imo publish small claims rules; check the rules of the state where the site is.
• Kenya. The most complete set of tools: a national contractor register with an inquiry process, a Small Claims Court and court-annexed mediation rules.

More country guides are on the Building Back Home hub.

Frequently asked questions

Should I call the police when my contractor stops answering?

Only if you have evidence of fraud, meaning money obtained by a false pretence such as a fake identity, invented purchases or a project that never existed. Each country makes that a criminal offence: section 131 of Ghana’s Criminal Offences Act 1960 (Act 29), section 1(1) of Nigeria’s Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006, and section 313 of Kenya’s Penal Code. Late, poor or abandoned work under a genuine agreement is usually a civil matter for mediation or the courts. Ask a licensed lawyer which it is before you report.

Can I use a small claims court from abroad?

Possibly. In Kenya, section 20 of the Small Claims Court Act 2016 lets a party appear in person or, if unable to, through a duly authorised representative, and section 23 allows a statement of claim to be lodged electronically; the court’s limit is set in section 12(3), and the Chief Justice can change it under section 12(4). In Lagos, the small claims Practice Direction covers liquidated money demands up to the limit in Article 2(1)(d) and sets out who may represent a party in Article 11. Check the current rules with the court registry before you file.

Will a regulator get my money back?

Do not count on it. Regulators discipline the people they register. Kenya’s National Construction Authority, for example, can caution a contractor, direct action, suspend registration or remove the contractor from the register under section 22(9) of its Act, and Nigeria’s Builders (Registration, etc.) Act sets up an investigating panel and a disciplinary tribunal under section 16. A complaint creates an official record. Getting money back is a matter for negotiation, mediation or a court, and nobody can promise it.

Education, not legal, financial or tax advice. Verify locally and use licensed professionals.