Tendering and contracts
Which building contract should you use for a home project?
Short answer
If you live in the house and will deal with the builder yourself, JCT's Building Contract for a Home Owner/Occupier (HO/B 2021) is written for exactly that. If a consultant will administer the contract for you, JCT's HO/C 2021 (sold with the HO/CA consultancy agreement) is JCT's own choice for a home owner, and the RIBA Domestic Building Contract 2018 is the main alternative written for consumers. JCT's Minor Works Building Contract 2024 (MW 2024) can also be used on a home, though JCT's own flow chart sends home owners to the Home Owner forms.
For larger or more detailed traditional work, JCT's Intermediate Building Contract (IC 2024) adds fuller procedures. Where the contractor is to complete the design, JCT's Design and Build Contract (DB 2024) applies.
Four questions that decide it
1. Do you live in the house, or intend to? A construction contract with a residential occupier is outside Part II of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 (section 106). JCT describes its Home Owner forms as consumer contracts, drafted in clear, simple language to comply with consumer legislation, and they still include adjudication even though the Act does not require it. See payment and retention for homeowners.
2. Will someone administer the contract for you? JCT's HO/B has no contract administrator: you deal with the contractor directly. HO/C is for a home owner who has appointed a consultant to administer the contract on their behalf. Minor Works, Intermediate and the RIBA Domestic Building Contract all assume a contract administrator. See what a contract administrator does.
3. Who designs the building? If your designers complete the design, use a traditional form. If the contractor designs an identified part, JCT's MWD 2024 and ICD 2024 cover that. If the contractor completes the whole design, that is design and build: see traditional or design and build.
4. How detailed does the contract need to be? JCT's practice note says Minor Works suits simple work, and is not suitable where bills of quantities, named specialists or detailed control procedures (including detailed extension of time and loss and expense provisions) are needed. Intermediate is the next step up.
JCT's own flow chart follows the same order. On the traditional branch, once it reaches work for a residential occupier's dwelling, it points to HO/C where a consultant will administer the contract, to the Home Repair and Maintenance Contract for small repairs, and otherwise to HO/B. Minor Works is where it points when the work is not for a residential occupier.
The contracts side by side
Prices are the publishers' own, checked on 29 September 2026. JCT prices are from its Price List 2026 (issue 03) and exclude VAT.
| Contract | Written for | Who administers it | Current edition | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JCT HO/B | A home owner or occupier dealing with the builder directly; small work such as extensions and alterations, for a lump sum including VAT | Nobody; you deal with the contractor | 2021 | £40 + VAT (two copies in the pack) |
| JCT HO/C with HO/CA | A home owner or occupier who has appointed a consultant; HO/CA is the consultant's appointment | The consultant | 2021 | £46 + VAT for the pack |
| JCT HO/RM | Small, straightforward repairs to a home, paid on completion; JCT says the work should not exceed four weeks | Nobody | 2021 | Free download |
| JCT MW 2024 | Simple work designed by or for the client, described by drawings, specification or work schedules | A contract administrator | 2024 | £50 + VAT hardcopy, £100 + VAT On Demand |
| JCT MWD 2024 | As MW, with the contractor designing identified parts | A contract administrator | 2024 | £50 + VAT |
| JCT IC 2024 | Work of simple content needing fairly detailed provisions; can name specialists | A contract administrator and a quantity surveyor | 2024 | £89 + VAT |
| JCT ICD 2024 | As IC, with a contractor's designed portion | A contract administrator and a quantity surveyor | 2024 | £89 + VAT |
| JCT DB 2024 | The contractor completes the design and builds | No independent contract administrator; you, or an agent you appoint | 2024 | £102 + VAT |
| RIBA Domestic Building Contract | Consumer clients: all domestic projects, including renovations, extensions, maintenance and new buildings | A contract administrator; the client can take the role, which the guidance advises only in limited cases | 2018; the publisher says a new edition is being developed | From £35 + VAT paper, from £45 + VAT digital |
| RIBA Concise Building Contract | Business clients: commercial work in the private and public sectors | A contract administrator, as above | 2018 | From £40 + VAT paper, from £50 + VAT digital |
| FMB domestic contracts | Agreements between client and builder for work on a home; versions include a standard contract, one with a defects stage payment or retention, cost plus, and a short form | Client and builder directly | Refreshed suite launched 8 December 2025 | Free to FMB members, as a membership benefit |
| NEC4 Engineering and Construction Short Contract | Straightforward, low-risk work paid against a price list; any level of design | The client, who can delegate | NEC4 | From £62 paperbound |
Points the table does not show
- VAT. JCT's Home Owner forms work on a lump sum that includes VAT, which suits a consumer. See VAT on building work.
- Payment. HO/B and HO/C allow a single payment on completion or agreed instalments. MW 2024 uses interim valuations, payment certificates and a pay less notice, and holds a retention.
- Edition. JCT withdrew its 2016 edition on 31 March 2026. If you are offered a 2016 form, see JCT 2016 withdrawn. The Home Owner contracts are 2021 editions and remain current.
- Amendments. JCT's practice note warns that its contracts are meant to be read as a whole, and that amendments can have unintended results. Amend only with advice.
What this means for you
For most extensions and refurbishments of a home you live in, the realistic choice is between HO/B if you will manage the builder yourself, and HO/C, MW 2024 or the RIBA Domestic Building Contract if a consultant will administer it. Choose the form before tender, so that every contractor prices the same terms.
The free procurement and contract chooser asks these questions in turn. Parallel Architecture recommends and prepares the building contract as part of tender and contract administration.
Sources
- Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, section 106 legislation.gov.uk
- JCT, Deciding on the appropriate JCT contract 2024 (practice note, June 2025), paragraphs 33 and 38 to 55, and the flow chart on page 35 jctltd.co.uk
- JCT, Price List 2026 (issue 03) jctltd.co.uk
- JCT Home Owner Contracts, including HO/RM as a free download corporate.jctltd.co.uk
- JCT, Building Contract and Consultancy Agreement for a Home Owner/Occupier (HO/C and HO/CA) 2021 jctltd.co.uk
- RIBA Domestic Building Contract, publisher's page publisher's page
- RIBA Concise Building Contract, publisher's page publisher's page
- NBS: RIBA Building Contracts 2018, what's new (13 April 2018) thenbs.com
- FMB domestic building contracts fmb.org.uk
- FMB: updated builder contracts launched (8 December 2025) fmb.org.uk
- NEC4: Engineering and Construction Short Contract neccontract.com