How do I request the release of retention?
Find the release trigger in the contract, then write once, citing the trigger, the retention held, the sum now due and the date it falls due, and keep the payment notice rules in view.
Updated: 15 September 2026. By Jack Butler-Kettle, Quantity Surveyor & Claims Consultant.
The answer
Read the contract for the two triggers first, usually half on practical completion and the balance at the end of the rectification period or on the certificate that closes it, because the request has to cite the event the contract actually uses. Then send one letter that states the retention held to date with the cycle-by-cycle figures, the trigger event and its date or certificate, the sum released by it, and the cycle in which it should be paid, with the supporting certificate attached. Under most forms the release falls into the ordinary payment mechanism, so it should appear in the next application and the payer's Payment Notice or Pay Less Notice rules apply to it; a payer who wants to keep holding it must say so in a notice, in time, with a basis. If the trigger is a certificate that has not been issued, the request is for the certificate, which is a different letter to a different person. Keep the register of retention deducted against each cycle, because the first thing a payer disputes is the amount.
Example
The situation
A £640,000 subcontract carries 3 per cent retention, so £19,200 is held. Practical completion is certified at the end of June and the rectification period runs for twelve months from that date.
What happens
- The request goes in on the first day of July, asking for £9,600 in the July application and citing the practical completion certificate.
- The balance of £9,600 is requested on the certificate of making good, twelve months later.
- The July Payment Notice is checked for the £9,600.
The retention in figures
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Subcontract sum | £640,000 |
| Retention held at 3 per cent | £19,200 |
| Requested at practical completion | £9,600 |
| Requested on making good | £9,600 |
The outcome
If the July Payment Notice omits the £9,600 with no reason, the omission is a notice question, not a valuation one.
The Retention Recovery Sweep finds every release that has fallen due and has not been paid.