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Getting and comparing builders' quotes

A written quote is what you will hold the builder to, so get it right before you say yes. Asking more than one builder shows you whether a price is fair and what each builder has left out.

Write a brief first

A brief is your own description of the job. It means every builder prices the same thing. Citizens Advice suggests writing down "a clear and detailed description of exactly what you want done", and the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) suggests giving every builder the same information. A useful brief covers:

  • The work. What you want done, part by part or room by room, and what the finished result should be.
  • Your choices so far. The materials and finishes you have chosen, and the ones you haven't decided yet.
  • The paperwork. Any drawings, and any planning permission or building control papers.
  • Timing. When you would like the work done, and any dates that can't move.
  • Your home. Access, parking, where materials can go, and whether you will be living there during the work.
  • Who does what. Anything you are buying yourself, and any other trades you are using.

For a bigger project, the HomeOwners Alliance (HOA) says detailed drawings help you compare quotes like for like. The Project Brief and Scope of Works is a form for writing your brief down.

Ask for three written, itemised quotes

The main consumer bodies give the same advice:

  • Citizens Advice: "Try to get written quotes from at least 3 different traders before you decide on one."
  • FMB: "We recommend getting detailed written quotes from at least three builders."
  • HOA: "Get at least 3 quotes before hiring a builder." It adds that you may need to approach five builders to get three.
  • Which?: "Get quotes from at least three traders to compare prices."

Itemised means the price is split into parts, with labour and materials shown, rather than one figure for the lot. Some traders charge for a quote, so ask first.

Quote or estimate?

Citizens Advice's guidance is that a quote is a fixed price, while an estimate is a rough guess, so with an estimate you might end up paying more. It also says that once you say yes to a quote, it is binding whether or not it is written down.

The law doesn't turn on the heading at the top of the page. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 says:

  • Section 50. What the builder says or writes about the work becomes a term of the contract if you take it into account when deciding. That is subject to anything that qualified it, said or written at the same time.
  • Section 51. Where the contract doesn't fix a price or say how it will be worked out, you must pay "a reasonable price for the service, and no more".

So ask for a fixed total, and read the small print for anything that makes it less fixed.

A day rate. If a builder will only price by the day, Citizens Advice warns the job could be strung out. Ask for these in writing:

  • how long the job will take
  • how many hours make a working day
  • a promise to ask you before working any extra days

Your quote checklist

Use this for every quote. It combines guidance from Citizens Advice and the FMB into one list.

Who

  • The builder's name or business name, address and phone number.

What

  • Every part of your brief, with nothing missing.
  • Each part priced separately, with labour and materials shown.
  • The easily forgotten items included, or clearly excluded:
  • skip hire and taking waste away
  • making good (repairing plaster, floors and other surfaces disturbed by the work, ready for decorating)
  • Anything else that is excluded, in writing.

How much

  • One total you will actually pay, with VAT shown.
  • Any provisional sums, listed separately (see below).
  • The payment stages and any deposit.

When

  • The start date and how long the work will take.

What if

  • How extra or changed work will be priced and agreed before it is done.
  • How long the price stands, and anything that could change it.

Comparing quotes side by side

Lay the quotes out together and look at three things for each builder.

The price

  1. The total you will pay, including VAT.
  2. How much of that total is provisional sums.
  3. The payment schedule and any deposit. See deposits and stage payments.

The job

  1. Whether the quote prices everything in your brief.
  2. What is excluded.
  3. The start date and how long the work will take.
  4. How long the price holds.

The builder

  1. Whether you have seen the insurance and spoken to past customers. See before you hire a builder.
  2. Whether a written contract will follow.

Don't just take the cheapest. A much lower price can mean something has been left out, or that the builder is pricing a different job. The FMB suggests finding out why and comparing the detail behind the total.

The total price, including VAT

The law says you must be told the total price before you are bound. The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 require "the total price … inclusive of taxes". Where the price can't reasonably be worked out in advance, they require the way it will be calculated instead. This is in Schedule 1 for on-premises contracts and Schedule 2 for off-premises contracts; see "What you must be told before you're bound" below for which is which.

Ask each builder for the figure you will actually pay, because a price "plus VAT" is harder to compare. Which? Trusted Traders says: "Alarm bells should sound if any building contractor offers cash or VAT-free deals."

Provisional sums

A provisional sum is an allowance in the price for work that can't be priced yet, such as ground conditions nobody has seen or fittings you haven't chosen. When the real cost is known, it replaces the allowance, so the final bill can go up or down.

The HOA suggests listing provisional sums in the contract. For each one, ask:

  • what it covers
  • how the real cost will be worked out
  • whether you will see the invoice

Then add them up. The more of a quote that is provisional sums, the less it tells you about the final bill.

How long the price holds

A quote should say how long the price is valid for. On accepted quotes, Citizens Advice's guidance is that a trader "can't charge you more if their costs have gone up since they did the quote". Note the date on each quote. If you accept after it has run out, ask the builder to confirm the price in writing first.

What you must be told before you're bound

The 2013 Regulations set out what a builder must tell you before you are bound by a contract. Which set of rules applies depends on how the contract was made, and that isn't always obvious. The Regulations don't apply to building a new building, or to converting a building into a substantially new one (regulation 6).

Off-premises contracts (regulations 5 and 10). A contract is off-premises if:

  • it is agreed while you and the builder are together somewhere that isn't the builder's business premises, such as your home;
  • you make the builder an offer in that situation; or
  • it is agreed at the builder's premises, or by phone or email, immediately after the builder spoke to you in person away from their premises.

For these, the builder must give you the Schedule 2 information "on paper or, if the consumer agrees, on another durable medium" (for example, email). Where you have a right to cancel, they must also give you a cancellation form. Schedule 2 includes:

  • the conditions, time limit and procedure for cancelling
  • the conditions of any deposit
  • any out-of-court complaint scheme the builder belongs to

Other contracts (on-premises, regulation 9). The law calls any contract that is neither off-premises nor a distance contract "on-premises". A distance contract is broadly one made through a trader's organised system for selling at a distance, without meeting in person at any point up to and including the moment the contract is made. For on-premises contracts, the builder must give or make available the Schedule 1 information, unless it is already clear from the context. It doesn't have to be in writing. Schedule 1 covers:

  • what the work is
  • who the builder is, with their address and phone number
  • the total price including taxes
  • where it applies, how payment and the work will be arranged, and when the work will be done

Not sure which applies? Take a common example: the builder quoted at your home, and you said yes by email a few days later. Whether that counts as off-premises can depend on the facts, so ask Citizens Advice before you rely on a right to cancel. Your right to cancel building work explains the rules and the exceptions.

Common questions

The builder won't put a quote in writing. Citizens Advice says to be wary: "It's a sign they might be unreliable."

Can the price go up after I accept?

  • The general rule. Citizens Advice says a trader can't charge more than they quoted unless there's a good reason. Its examples include extra work you asked for, and extra work they told you was needed that you agreed to pay for.
  • Mistakes in the quote. Citizens Advice's page on problems with building work says a price mistake generally counts only if it was obvious. It adds: "So long as it wasn't obvious to you when you got the quote, you have a legal right to get the work done for the price in the quote."
  • If the builder says the quote was wrong, get advice before you agree to pay more.

Agree any change in writing before the work is done. The Changes and Extra Costs Record keeps each one.

Should I tell builders my budget? The FMB suggests being open about it, as a good builder may suggest other ways to meet your priorities.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

This guide is written for England and Wales. The 2013 Regulations and the Consumer Rights Act 2015 also apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Consumer advice there comes from Advice Direct Scotland (0808 164 6000) and Consumerline (0300 123 6262).

General information, not advice

This guide is general information about the law in England and Wales. It is not advice on your own situation. For a large or complicated job, or a contract you are unsure about, speak to Citizens Advice or a solicitor. What our documents can and cannot promise.

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