A new booking from a builder who has not paid for months
A builder rings for a scaffold next week. He is a regular, friendly, always busy. The person taking the call books it in. What they cannot see is that his account has several invoices well overdue, and three of his scaffolds are still standing on hire, adding extension charges every week.
By the time the owner notices, the balance has grown, and chasing it has become awkward because the builder is still a customer.
Why overdue accounts keep growing
Scaffold hire is a form of credit: the kit is on the builder's job, earning charges they have not paid. The people who book jobs and the people who chase money are different, and the booking side rarely sees the account.
- Account balances are in the accounts package, not where bookings are taken.
- Standing scaffolds on hire are not shown with the balance.
- Account limits exist informally, if at all.
- Chasing is done at month end in a batch.
- Nobody decides, case by case, whether to keep working for a slow payer.
What it costs
Bad debts, occasionally, and slow payment much more often. Kit tied up on sites for customers who may never pay for its hire. Cash flow squeezed while you pay wages, fuel and suppliers. And uncomfortable conversations that start too late.
There is also a yard cost. Kit standing on a site for a customer who is not paying is kit you cannot send to a customer who would. If boards are short, you may end up cross-hiring to serve good customers while slow payers hold your own stock.
Deciding to keep working for a builder who is behind can be the right call. It should be a decision, not something that happens because nobody looked.
The account checks we build
- The booking screen shows the customer's account: balance, overdue amount, days overdue and scaffolds currently on hire with their running charges, drawn from your accounts package and hire records.
- Account limits and rules your business sets, such as a balance limit or an overdue period, are applied automatically.
- Bookings from customers outside those rules are flagged and routed to a named person, who approves, holds or asks for payment first. The decision is recorded.
- Customers with overdue balances receive reminders on a schedule you set, including a list of scaffolds on hire and their charges.
- Standing scaffolds for overdue customers are highlighted, so you can decide whether to ask for off-hire.
- Payment links are included in reminders through Stripe, GoCardless or your bank details.
- A weekly report shows overdue accounts with their hire exposure.
| Seen at booking | Comes from |
|---|---|
| Balance and overdue | Your accounts package |
| Scaffolds on hire | Your hire records |
| Weekly hire running | Your hire records |
| Account rules | Limits your business sets |
| Last decision made | Recorded approvals |
Credit decisions stay with you. The checks make sure they are made with the account in view.
After the checks are in
Nobody books a job for a builder who is well behind without someone deciding to. Reminders go out consistently and show the builder their exposure. Hire on overdue accounts is visible. And conversations about payment happen earlier, when they are easier.
Is this happening in your business?
- Jobs are booked without checking the account.
- Some builders owe for months while booking more work.
- You do not know your hire exposure to each customer.
- Chasing happens only at month end.