Is a 50% deposit (with no contract) normal for a re-wire?

This is a bit like highway robbery. We want 50% to ‘book you in’ but we don’t offer contracts? On a rewire, the materials are a lot less than the Labour, it’s certainly not 50% of the total job. Ask them for a material and Labour split and pay them for the materials up front and it won’t be 50% of the total you are paying, see if they go for that. Personally, I would expect a customer to walk away if I asked for half the job price. By not offering you a contract they can come and go as they please and are not constrained by time taken to do the job. All of the above it appears, you are not in agreement with...except the overall price. Remember that it is cheaper for a reason, and now you have just found out why.

A contract protects both you and the contractor, so I am surprised that they dont offer such protection. Perhaps you could get a quick contract drawn up using some online services and present it to them. If they refuse your contract, which will protect both parties, you'll have your answer.

hi if you are going to have the work done you will need to see that there qualifications are up to date and that they are covered liability you also need a contract to cover you on your insurance