Client-Supplied Materials: Who Eats the Cost When the Tiles Turn Up Cracked?

Every builder has had the conversation. The client beams, says they’ve already sourced the tiles, the boiler, the oak beams or the fancy brass taps, and asks you to “just fit them”. It sounds simple. It rarely is.

The moment materials bought by someone else land on your site, you inherit a messy mix of custody, inspection and blame. Get the paperwork right and it is a perfectly workable arrangement. Get it wrong and you can spend weeks explaining why a cracked pallet of porcelain isn’t your responsibility.

Start With the Paper, Not the Pallets

A client-supplied materials clause is not legal decoration. It is the map for who does what when things go sideways. Whether you use a standard form or your own terms, the clause needs to be specific. “Client to supply finishes” is not enough.

Set out a schedule of client-supplied items: what they are, who is buying them, the agreed delivery window, where they will be delivered, who will receive them and who will check them. State clearly that the client carries the risk of late delivery, incorrect specification, damage before installation and defects that a reasonable inspection would not reveal. Add that any delay caused by client-supplied items is a client risk event, with time and cost implications recorded properly.

If the client wants you to handle storage or installation, price it. A handling charge, a storage allowance or a management fee is not being awkward. It reflects real time, real space and real risk. If the client pushes back, ask them which part of their shopping list they want you to insure, store and inspect for free.

This is not legal advice, by the way. If the job is big enough to matter, get the wording checked by someone who does construction contracts for a living.

Delivery Is a Handover, Not a Favour

A common trap is the helpful site worker who signs for a pallet because the driver is in a hurry. That signature can become evidence that you accepted the goods. If you are not the nominated receiver, don’t sign. If you are, sign only after checking the delivery note against what has actually arrived.

Count the boxes. Look for crushed corners, wet packaging, missing straps and pallets that have clearly been re-stacked. Photograph the delivery note and the pallet before it moves. If the driver won’t wait, note the condition on the paperwork and email the client the same day. A site diary entry is useful; a dated photo with a location tag is better.

Make it clear in the contract who pays for a failed delivery, a re-delivery or a wasted trip. Drivers charge for waiting, and those charges should not quietly disappear into your preliminaries.

Storage: The Quiet Cost Centre

Client-supplied materials still take up space. They still need to be kept dry, secure and out of the way of the next trade. If a client supplies kitchen units eight weeks before the kitchen is ready, that is not storage; that is a site management problem with your name on it unless you have agreed otherwise.

Agree a delivery window that matches the programme. If the client delivers early, charge for storage or refuse the delivery. Keep client materials in a labelled, separate bay. Do not mix them with your own stock, because when a box goes missing you want to know exactly which pile it came from.

Check what the manufacturer requires. Some finishes need a dry, heated space. Some tiles need to be kept flat. Some engineered products warp if they are stacked badly. If you are storing them, you are taking on a duty of care. Price that duty into the job or put the storage risk back on the client.

Insurance and Ownership Are Two Different Questions

Just because the client owns the materials does not mean your insurance automatically covers them. Many contractor policies cover property in your custody or control up to a limit, but the wording matters. A pallet of bespoke tiles can blow through a small limit quickly.

Ring your insurer or broker before you take custody of anything valuable. Ask whether client-supplied materials are covered, what the limit is, whether theft from a locked container is included and what exclusions apply. Then ask the client to confirm their own insurance is in place for the goods while they are on site. Get that in writing, even if it is just an email.

Ownership and risk are not the same thing. The client may own the tiles, but you may be holding the risk while they are in your compound. The contract should say who insures what, from when, and who pays the excess if something goes missing.

Check It Before You Fix It

You are not the manufacturer’s quality inspector, but you are expected to use reasonable skill and care. If a defect is obvious before installation, you should flag it. If you fit it anyway, you can end up owning the problem.

Build a short inspection step into the programme. Check boxes against the order, look for visible damage, and confirm the product matches the specification. If something looks wrong, stop. Send a written notice to the client describing the issue, with photos, and ask for instructions. Do not carry on and hope it will be fine.

If the client tells you to fit it anyway, get that instruction in writing. Confirm that the client accepts the risk and that any remedial work will be a variation. A verbal “just crack on” is not much use when the snagging list arrives.

When It Goes Wrong, Write It Down

Delay and damage need a paper trail. Record the date the materials were due, the date they arrived, what was wrong and what you did about it. Note the labour that stood down, the trips that were wasted and the knock-on effect on other trades. If the contract has a notice period for delay events, follow it. A good record is not a complaint; it is evidence.

Keep the tone factual. “Pallet of tiles arrived at 10:15 on 14 October. Two boxes crushed, one box short. Photographs attached. Client notified by email at 10:40. Fixing crew stood down for two hours” is worth more than a paragraph of frustration.

Price the Admin, Not Just the Labour

Client-supplied materials can work well. They give clients control over finishes and sometimes save them money. But they add admin, storage and risk to your job. Price that in from the start, write the responsibilities down and inspect before you install. Then a cracked tile is the client’s problem to solve, not a hole in your margin.