Issue legal notice to company to complete the project on revised completion date 

2) Register the dispute via the National Consumer Helpline (call 1915 or WhatsApp [deleted]) or via the e-Jagriti Portal to initiate pre-litigation mediation. [

3) If the legal notice and mediation yield no results, file a formal complaint before the local District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (if the total claim falls under ₹50 lakh) to seek compensation for mental harassment, financial loss, and transit/rental costs.

You can change the contractor on sending email or letter which is convenient to you and take possession of the apartment. You can file complaint before the consumer court for deficiency of service and refund of money. First you have to issue legal Notice and you can procced for filling complaint.   

You can take legal action for deficiency in service, breach, and harassment through consumer redressal commission.

Under the Consumer Protection Act, "deficiency in service" includes any fault, imperfection, or inadequacy in the quality, nature, and manner of performance..

A contractor cannot abruptly invoke a global crisis to escape liability unless it is explicitly written into your signed contract as a Force Majeure (Act of God) clause. Furthermore, since they made repeated commitments during 2026 while these global situations were already known, they cannot use it as a sudden excuse now.

You do not need to ask for a refund to file a consumer case.

You can ask for the cost of temporary accommodation, packers and movers, or storage units because you have to vacate your rented flat.

If a party breaches a contract, the aggrieved party is entitled to receive compensation for any loss or damage that naturally arose from the breach.

You have a right to minimize your losses. If they refuse to work or drastically delay it, you can document the current state of the apartment (take extensive photos/videos), officially terminate the contract via email due to breach, hire a third party, and sue the original company to recover the cost difference.

Send a formal email stating that their failure to provide end-to-end service and adhere to the committed timeline (backed by your attached WhatsApp/email screenshots) constitutes a material breach. Give them 48 hours to agree to your second option (completing partial work so you can transition).This notice will officially state that you are terminating the contract due to breach, holding them liable for your temporary housing costs, and demanding compensation for mental harassment.

Check your original signed agreement for an Arbitration Clause. Some interior firms sneak a clause stating that all disputes must go to a private arbitrator instead of a consumer court. Even if it exists, consumer courts in India often override arbitration clauses in matters of clear "deficiency of service," but it is vital to know if it's there.

Company delay in replying strengthens your case 

2) take photos of work done till now and also a video recording 

3) don’t engage another contractor 

4) wait till July end for completion of work 

5) issuing legal notice would further delay the work 

You can  hire another contractor and recover the cost even before approaching consumer commission, but you may have to issue a legal notice intimating him about the termination of the contract for the reasons you rely upon. Under section 73 of the Indian Contract Act (Breach of Contract). If a party breaches a contract, the aggrieved party is entitled to receive compensation for any loss or damage that naturally arose from the breach.

This is a textbook material alteration of the contract and a partial repudiation (refusal to perform). You hired them specifically for an "end-to-end" scope. Backing out because their "designer is unable to design certain parts" is an admission of incompetence and a direct breach of the core agreement. It completely destroys their defense and proves deficiency in service.

Send a formal email stating that their failure to provide end-to-end service and adhere to the committed timeline (backed by your attached WhatsApp/email screenshots) constitutes a material breach. Giver them 48 hours ultimatum. 

If they ignore the ultimatum or refuse, have a lawyer send a formal Legal Notice. This notice will officially state that you are terminating the contract due to breach, holding them liable for your temporary housing costs, and demanding compensation for mental harassment.

If they remain stubborn, file a formal consumer complaint at your local District Consumer Commission via the e-Daakhil portal. You can represent yourself, though engaging a consumer lawyer is highly recommended to claim maximum compensation.

Given that today is already late June, and they have not even started the physical work, the reality is that they cannot mathematically complete an end-to-end interior project by the end of July. Do not wait until the end of July. If you wait, you will simply lose another month of your timeline, increasing your own financial burden for rent and temporary housing.

In contract law, you are dealing with what is known as an Anticipatory Breach of Contract (under Section 39 of the Indian Contract Act). Because they have clearly shown through their delays, excuses, and lack of action that they are unlikely to perform their side of the contract, you do not have to wait until the final deadline to declare a breach.

You must put an end to their indefinite stalling. Send a formal email today giving them a strict, non-negotiable deadline (e.g., 48 hours) to do two things:

1. Provide a definitive "Yes" or "No" in writing regarding whether they are executing the agreed end-to-end scope.

2. Provide a concrete date (within the next 3-4 days) when materials and workers will actually arrive on site.

If they fail to provide a concrete answer or fail to start the work by your given deadline, you are entirely legally justified to formally terminate the contract due to their non-performance. Once terminated, you are free to hire another vendor.

A non-refundable clause only applies if the customer cancels the project for personal reasons. Because they are the ones refusing to start the work and changing the scope, their non-refundable policy is legally completely void. You are legally entitled to a 100% refund of your advance payment, plus compensation for the delay, mental harassment, and the cost difference of hiring a new contractor.

If they reply with more excuses or stay silent, send a final email stating the contract is officially terminated due to their breach.

Hire an advocate to send a formal legal notice demanding the immediate refund of your advance payment, along with damages for your extended rent and mental agony.

Give them deadline in writing as to to confirm date of completion of work within period of 7 days 

if they fail then terminate the contract and engage another contractor 

Dear Sir/Madam,

Yes, you can take legal action for deficiency in service, delay, breach of agreed scope, and unfair trade practice.

Since the work has not even started, give the company a final written notice by email/WhatsApp giving a short deadline to confirm and start work, failing which you will engage another contractor at their risk and cost.

After that, you may appoint another contractor to avoid further loss, but preserve all proof, quotations, bills, payment records, and communications.

You can file a consumer complaint seeking compensation for delay, extra cost, rent/moving loss, mental harassment, and litigation expenses. Their refusal to do the agreed end-to-end work will strengthen your case.

Advocate Saurabh Agrawal

From the facts stated by you, your case appears to have become stronger because the issue is no longer merely one of delay in completion. According to your latest clarification, the company has not even commenced the work and has repeatedly postponed taking a final decision despite having accepted approximately ₹6,00,000 from you and having represented that the project would be completed within a specified timeline. Their subsequent communication that they are unable to undertake the project on an end-to-end basis, despite having accepted the assignment on that basis, may amount to a deficiency in service and breach of contractual obligations under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

In these circumstances, you should not remain indefinitely bound by their repeated assurances of "one more day" or "we will update you tomorrow." Before engaging another contractor, it would be prudent to send one final written communication by email clearly recording the entire sequence of events, referring to their repeated commitments, the fact that no work has commenced, the prejudice caused to you due to your commitment to vacate your rented premises, and calling upon them to confirm within a reasonable period (for example, 48 to 72 hours) whether they will immediately commence and complete the work as agreed. The communication should also state that if they fail to provide a firm commitment or commence the work within the stipulated period, you shall be constrained to engage another contractor at their risk and cost, without prejudice to your right to claim compensation, additional expenses, and other consequential losses.

If they still fail to respond or continue postponing their decision, you would be justified in engaging another contractor to avoid further loss and hardship. Doing so should not, by itself, weaken your legal claim, particularly where you have acted reasonably to mitigate your losses. In fact, consumer fora generally expect an aggrieved consumer to take reasonable steps to minimise the damage rather than allow losses to accumulate. However, you should preserve all documentary evidence, including the agreement, payment receipts, WhatsApp messages, emails, photographs of the site, quotations from the new contractor, invoices, and records showing the additional expenditure incurred due to the original company's default.

The company's repeated failure to provide a final decision, despite multiple follow-ups over several days, coupled with its refusal to honour the agreed scope of work and repeated postponement of the completion schedule, would certainly support your contention that there has been a continuing deficiency in service and unfair conduct causing inconvenience, financial loss, and mental harassment.

After issuing the final written notice and allowing a reasonable opportunity to respond, if there is still no satisfactory action from their side, you may proceed with another contractor and thereafter initiate proceedings before the appropriate Consumer Commission seeking compensation for the additional costs incurred, delay, mental harassment, and any other losses that can be substantiated by evidence. This course of action strikes an appropriate balance between protecting your legal rights and ensuring that you are able to move into your apartment without suffering further avoidable delays.

Yes after final written reminder it’s better to issue legal notice and file case against them in consumer court or civil court depending on the facts above