My carpenter has asked for money up front

Can be normal. The vat reg just shows his declared annual turnover is less than 80 k ish threshold. Half up front may mean he needs help with costs if materials etc. He may be strapped for cash himself. If you trust him and his feedback is good I don’t see an issue

Hi, Usually, there should be 25% upfront, then 50% during the job and outstanding after the job is complete. Hope it helps. Regars, Sebastian

What is not being vat registered to do with it? 50% is a bit much imo. 30% is normal for a bigger job but as it’s a days work with £100 Materials, which he still has to get btw before he starts, he is taking the chance that you will pay up at the end. If you are not happy with the terms you don’t have to accept him.

Typically the carpenters I’ve worked with charge for materials before starting the work but usually labour after the work has been completed

Hello yes its normal with most tradesman me included

I think it depends on the carpenter, 50% is quite a lot, I usually just charge for materials up front and then my fee once the job is done, especially if it’s just a days work, but some people do charge a bit more up front, usually only 25% in my experience

Unfortunately we have to ask for deposits to cover materials as the stories you hear of people not getting paid and people have their own out goings without having to risk becoming into debt. If we don’t get a deposit we won’t do the job. We have lost a few jobs but we could have lost a lot more if we weren’t paid for the job and did the work.

Hello. If I can't use a trade account with a supplier and have to pay for materials before the job starts, I always ask for the whole materials covered whether it be 50% or 80% unless the materials are less than £50. I had a customer have some work done, I paid for materials( over £2000) and they were unable to pay at the end of the job because of cash flow problems and I had to foot the bill until it they could sort it. I ask for this via bank transfer and provide a receipt for every deposit with a signature. This way you have a paper trail and indication where your money has gone if something bad was to happen and you want to claim your money back.

Hi, in this age of recession, it has now become the norm to ask for a deposit in advance. I rarely get asked why anymore, but once i have spoken to the client, i will be able to allay their concerns.At the end of the day, it comes down to mutual trust & respect. If you can`t trust me with a deposit, why should i trust you with the balance....? The only time i (rarely) make an exception, is when it would be labour only, maybe a days work, with cash on completion. Hope this helps, Chris.

I normally ask for 20% upfront and remainder on completion if a job requiring a large number of materials, just within driveways i had one lady commit verbally and then cancel on the morning after buying all the materials. Have a look further into it first, check reviews online i.e social media, google, search engines ect.

Hi there, each tradesman has their own way of running the business, I would say yes and pay him whatever they ask specially on a smaller jobs, this is only a common sense, NO TRADESMAN WOULD RISK THEIR BUSINESS NAME AND RECOGNITION UNDER TREAT FOR ONE PAYMENT!! Some jobs we pay more towards material than labour and vies versa, also as everyone mentioned here, you can check their profile before making any payments. Good luck

I don't ask for any monies up front. A verbal contact is binding and the customer would still be liable for the cost of materials. If your unhappy giving cash for materials this would tell me you don't trust the trades person. In this case why not purchase the materials yourself directly

its really a matter of trust, you don't know him and he doesn't know you ,although its only a small job he still has to get materials fill his van get himself & his tools to the job, do the job without any guaranteed of getting paid at the end of it, some customers are very slow payers putting of paying for months yet we all still have to eat and pay our bills, he is cutting down the risk. the choice is really up to you, do you trust him to do a good job properly or do you continue to look around till you find someone who will do it and get paid at the end. for one day jobs I personally don't take any deposit,but they tend to be the ones that are slow payers customers are like everyone else some are good some are bad good luck Alex

Hi Good Tradesman shouldn’t really be asking for money up front unless it’s a large job and materials are expensive. Ie, boiler install or paying for expensive boiler parts.

you do not have to be vat registered up to a certain turnover,yes if you are buying materials i always get money up front, is it a mater of trusting him,but he has to trust you will pay balance once job is done.

It is normal for some tradesmen to ask for the cost of materials up front unless they get a contract for you both to sign confirming that the materials remain the property of the tradesmen until payment is made. I hope this gives you some clarity.

Not usual for a trader to ask for half the money up front on a days work. Some do ask customer to pay for materials. Either he is short of cash or he doesn’t trust you

It can be a normal process for some firms to charge upfront. As I small business I constantly have to pay for materials and wait to be paid, so I understand why. Personally I would check his reviews, if they are good then I would pay but only materials. The rest paid on day of completion if work okay. Hope this helps