Defend a Claim (Respondent)
If you have either paid the amount due, or that you do not have anything owing to the claimant, you may defend your claim. To defend your claim, you must bring all the relevant materials such as a receipt(s), documents and so forth, proving the amount paid or any other relevant evidence (e.g photos of completed work, etc) on the date of the Consultation. The Registrar will then evaluate as to whether a claim could be sustained or not. Hence, your attendance is crucial on the date of your Consultation.
Counterclaim
A counterclaim may amount to a defence. Hence, If you have a counterclaim against the claimant on the same subject matter, you should file your claim before any Order is made by the Registrar or heard by the Adjudicator, whichever is earlier. Filing is made in any of the two ways mentioned earlier.