Quote or estimate: say which
Citizens Advice tells householders that a quote is a fixed price, while an estimate is only a rough guess, so the final bill can be higher. Once you have quoted, you cannot charge more unless the customer asks for extra work, you explain that extra work is needed and they agree to pay for it, or you made a genuine mistake writing down or working out the price.
In Scotland, Citizens Advice says a quote becomes a binding agreement once the customer says yes, written down or not. Where no price was fixed at all, a consumer pays a reasonable price for the work, and no more.
Sources: Citizens Advice, Citizens Advice Scotland, Consumer Rights Act 2015 s.51
What customers are told to look for
Citizens Advice tells householders to look for these on a builder’s quote. A quote that shows all six answers their questions before they ask:
- a fixed total price, not just a day rate
- a breakdown of all the work and materials
- a separate price for each material and each part of the work
- how long the price is valid
- whether VAT is included
- when the price can go up, for example only for extra work they agree
Source: Citizens Advice
Deposits and stage payments
Citizens Advice tells customers not to pay everything upfront, to keep any deposit as low as possible and never above 25%, and to pay in stages tied to agreed points in the work. That is advice, not law, but a quote asking for more than 25% upfront will meet resistance.
Write the stages into the terms, for example 20% to start, 40% at an agreed point and the balance on completion.
Source: Citizens Advice
Quotes agreed in the customer’s home
If the customer agrees your quote at their home rather than at your premises, they can cancel within 14 days, starting the day after they say yes. You must give them the cancellation information. Not giving it is a criminal offence, and the cancellation period is extended to 14 days from when they do receive it, up to a year in total.
You must not start within the 14 days unless the customer expressly asks you to, and for a contract agreed at their home that request has to be made on a durable medium. If they then cancel, they pay a proportionate amount for the work done, or nothing if you never gave the cancellation information.
These rules do not apply to jobs of £42 or less, and there is no automatic cooling-off for specially made items or for urgent repairs or maintenance the customer called you in for. The PDF from this page does not include a cancellation notice, so give the cancellation information alongside it.
Sources: Citizens Advice: cancelling building work, Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, reg 19, reg 36, reg 7
Validity, exclusions and surprises
Give the quote a valid-until date: this template sets 30 days, and you can change it under Number and dates. Say what is not included, such as making good or planting, and price likely surprises per unit, for example “replacing rotten joists, per joist”, so they are agreed before anyone finds one.
Say whether the price includes VAT, and if you are not VAT registered, say that no VAT is charged. When the work is done, switch the document to Invoice at the top: the customer, the lines and your details carry over.
Builder estimates in the US
In the US, “estimate” is the everyday word and US rules apply: your licence number on bids in California, Florida and Arizona, and, for sales of $25 or more made at the customer’s home, the FTC Cooling-Off Rule’s right to cancel until midnight of the third business day, with exceptions for emergencies and for repairs the customer asked for. Use the contractor estimate template or the construction estimate template.
Sources: CSLB advertising guidelines, Florida s.489.119, A.R.S. 32-1124, FTC Cooling-Off Rule
Rules checked against the official sources linked above on 19 October 2026. Example prices are illustrative. This is general guidance, not legal or tax advice.