Not really diy question but related to fencing tradesman asking for advance

Usually,they will ask for advance payment of 10 percent from total bill but not necessarily and definitely not 3 weeks in advance.

No I don't think that's a good idea at all because all good trades people will have building accounts where as they can take goods an pay in 5/6 weeks from time of purchase an definitely not 3 weeks in advance

This isnt the usual thing to do we always have payment after the job if its a big job then he may need somthing for materials but i wouldnt take that 3 weeks before.

I usually take a deposit of the materials , but only when placed on order with my supplier and delivery is direct to the house / customer a quotation in writing shows the intent to do work and in a small claims court the promise to carry out work will go a long way , As a small business its a hard thing to decide on , not all the customers in the world would pay their bills after they received fence. H S Jackson at Stowting are one of the biggest fencing companies and always take material cost unless you have a credit account , generally a deposit must be taken on anything being specifically manufactured for your self such as a custom gate as it would be hard to fit into some other property and the manufacturer would carry out work and never get paid without the deposit if cancelled , if you don't feel comfortable with the team you are working with follow your instinct and walk away

Unless it's a big job ie 20+ panals, 500 deposit is way too much. As a rule I don't take any payment until the job is completed, and most tradesmen I know work the same.

If it’s a large job, normally we take a 10% deposit when we start. All small jobs are payment on completion. Cheers Dan

Never pay anything up front is my advice. My customers always pay in full upon completion or make a part payment on the 5th day (usually a Friday) if it's a bigger job we're doing. I've heard of so many people paying deposits and the work not getting completed.