What are the Notice periods for a 'Payless Notice' in a JCT Construction contract
A Payless Notice is a method under a JCT Construction contract to deal with quality of works or if you as the Client believe the Contract Administrator has certified the works at more than you believe is correct. Ordinarily the Client is responsible for serving a Payless Notice on the Contractor not the Contract Administrator. There are strict timescales for doing so, i.e, within DAYS of the Contract Administrator's Valuation Certificate because settled caselaw says that payment in full based on the Contract Administrator's Valuation Certificate will be due and otherwise interest will become due on late payment. The pitfalls of a wrong notice are fatal - so a construction solicitor or experienced engineer should prepare such notice as after the Valuation Certificate has become due you cant roll back the clock and serve it again.