Where subcontractors stand legally with retentions

摘要

Section 110 of the Construction Act 1996 states that construction contracts must "provide an adequate mechanism for determining what payments become due....and when".rnIf, on reading your contract, you do not have a firm date or cannot ascertain the date when your retentions will be released, the likelihood is that your contract will not have an adequate mechanism.rnUnless there is a requirement in your subcontract obliging the main contractor to inform you of the date of issue of the relevant certificate, you could be in the dark forever as to the timing of your retentions release.