The notice must separate certified-but-unpaid bills from disputed quantities, and demand release of retention after the defect period. Material suppliers with Udyam registration use MSME Samadhaan; contractors go by notice, settlement and a civil or summary suit, or arbitration if the work order provides for it.
Construction, contractors and building materials in Mumbai
Mumbai is India’s largest B2B market and its dues are the most varied: garment exporters in Dharavi and Andheri, chemical traders in Masjid Bunder, agencies and consultants billing corporates in BKC and Lower Parel. Cheque-based payments are still common in trading, so Section 138 is a frequent route, and arbitration clauses in corporate contracts often decide where a dispute is heard.
Running account bills certified against measurement books, 10% retention held for months, and payment tied to the developer’s own collections.
Proof to collect
Typically work orders, RA bills and measurement sheets, site engineer certifications, delivery challans for materials, and emails about retention and defects.
- Avoid: uncertified RA bills
- Avoid: retention never formally claimed
- Avoid: extra work done on verbal instruction
- Avoid: materials delivered to site without a signed challan
Forums in Mumbai
| Route | Forum |
|---|---|
| Section 138 (cheque bounce) | Metropolitan Magistrate courts (Esplanade, Mazgaon, Andheri, Bandra, Kurla and others) for Section 138 complaints |
| Summary suit / recovery suit | City Civil Court and the Bombay High Court Commercial Division for high-value recovery suits. |
| MSME Samadhaan | Maharashtra Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Councils (regional councils for Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Amravati regions) (detail) |
| Arbitration | As per the contract clause |
How FundRaksha works for construction, contractors and building materials suppliers in Mumbai
- Free assessment of the documents your trade produces.
- Notice within 24 hours, itemising invoices, disputed and undisputed amounts and interest.
- Negotiation and documented settlement.
- Filing in Mumbai or before the Council if needed.
30% on recovery, nothing upfront.