Paylio - A safety net for home improvement

Aim

A safer way to pay for all building work, protecting homeowners and tradespeople from start to finish.

About Paylio

https://paylio.co.uk

Every year, UK homeowners lose almost 3 billion pounds to rogue tradespeople.

But at the same time, tradespeople across the UK are owed an estimated 3.5 billion pounds in unpaid and overdue invoices.

What if we could eliminate one of the biggest causes of conflict between homeowners and tradespeople in the UK?

This isn't about bad builders or bad customers, it's about a system that is built on trust alone and it’s fundamentally broken, because that trust is abused.

For most building projects, thousands of pounds change hands, or are laid out up front with little or no protection for either side.

- Customers worry about losing their money

- Tradespeople worry about not getting paid 

When things go wrong, disputes become stressful, costly, and sometimes impossible to resolve.

👋 My name is Mike and this is exactly why I created Paylio. 

I’ve spent most of my life building, fixing, and renovating homes. I grew up learning from my dad, an engineer, and over the years I’ve personally taken on everything from small DIY projects to full house renovations.

Like many people, I’ve worked with all kinds of trades. Some brilliant. Some… not so much.

I’ve experienced the frustration firsthand:

• Jobs left unfinished.
• Costs suddenly increasing.
• Poor quality work.
• Tradespeople disappearing halfway through.

It’s stressful and extremely common in the UK. How many times have you heard or read about this happening? Nearly everone you speak to that owns a home, has experienced this in some way. 

So in 2015, I started my own building company to make a difference. High standards, honest work, doing the job properly. I wanted to show this could be done better. 

Then I saw the other side of the problem...

• Customers changing requirements mid-job.
• Disputes over pricing.
• Payments delayed, or not made at all.
• Disputes raised to avoid paying.
• Arguing couples!

That’s when it became clear....

This isn’t a one-sided problem. The whole system is completely broken.

💡 What We’re Building at Paylio

Paylio is a simple, secure way for customers and tradespeople to work together with confidence.

Before the job starts:

• Everything is clearly agreed and documented
• The customer deposits funds securely into Paylio (Staged payments or full)

During the job:

• Payment is held securely, not by either side (UK regulated payment provider) 
• The customer knows their money is safe until the job is completed to the agreed stand
• The tradeperson knows the money is available once they've completed the job

After the job:

• Funds are released fairly, based on the agreed work
• Disputes are resolved quickly , reviewing what was agreed with advice from qualified professionals. 

- No chasing.
- No uncertainty.
- No unnecessary stress.

Paylio takes the stress away from both sides and stops people losing money unfairly.

❗ Why This Matters

There is no protection in the UK to help in this process. Customers AND tradespeople lose out every single day because the industry is fundamentally broken. The only protection is a complicated and protracted small claims process, costing more money and causing more stress. 

This only happens once it's all gone wrong.  

• Right now, most platforms stop helping once a job begins.
• They might introduce you to a tradesperson, but after that, you’re on your own.
• Verification and assurance gained from this platforms is low in value and doesn't help once the job has started.
• That’s why these problems happen.
• Paylio stays with you throughout the entire job, providing a safety net from start to finish.

If you want to help transform the way customers and tradespeople work together, I’d love you to join me on this journey and become part of the future of Paylio.

Thank you for your support.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 22nd August 2026 at 10:19am