The First Week: Building the Recovery File and Securing the Project

Build a master chronology

List the contract date, HBCF certificate, commencement, progress claims, variations, key inspections, disputes, last substantial work, external-administration event and insurer notification. Link each date to a document rather than relying on memory.

A clear chronology helps the insurer, replacement builder, solicitor, certifier and lender understand the same project history. It also highlights missing records early.

Reconcile money and work

Prepare a payment ledger showing every amount paid, date, recipient, invoice and contractual basis. Separate the deposit, progress claims, variations, direct supplier payments and any preliminary design agreement. Compare the claimed stages with the physical work visible on site.

Do not assume the bank's payment history is complete. Include credit-card payments, transfers to related entities, cash receipts and payments made directly to subcontractors at the builder's request.

Stabilise the building

Arrange qualified advice for unsafe excavations, temporary bracing, incomplete roofs, exposed electrical work, water entry and unsecured openings. Develop a written temporary-protection scope with inspection intervals, especially during wet or windy weather.

Record moisture, mould, corrosion, contamination and material deterioration at the outset. This provides a baseline if the condition worsens while the claim and replacement contract are being organised.

Open the external communication channels

Notify the administrator or liquidator of the contract, site address, amounts paid, materials believed to be on site and any urgent access issues. Ask how to lodge a proof of debt. Inform the certifier, lender and relevant consultants of the cessation.

Create one correspondence address and one document register for the project. When different family members send separate versions to the insurer, important answers can be lost or contradicted.

Practical takeaway: By the end of the first week, the owner should have a secured site, dated baseline, money ledger, project chronology and a single controlled evidence file.

How ARK Houses can help

ARK Houses can turn the first week's documents and site observations into a usable chronology, payment ledger, condition record and preliminary scope. This gives the owner a single construction file instead of separate, inconsistent accounts from each participant.

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