Is it normal practice for the customer to pay for scaffolding hire costs in advance?
Anonymous user 22/09/2025 - 8.12 AM
I am hiring a builder who is a sole trader to do some repointing on my house, it's mainly the chimney & will need scaffold.
I dont know him but he was recommended by someone local (who I also dont know well but has been in an allied trade for decades).
The builder seems genuine & has been very considerate, & polite/professional/reliable so far, turning up when said he would etc. My partner & I both liked him, I dont trust easily but I felt I trusted him.
We have agreed the quote & work is planned to commence in 3 wks.
But a couple of days ago he contacted me to let me know he'll be asking for 'part payment' close to the start date in order to pay for the costs of 'scaffolding etc'.
I went into a panic feeling very uncomfortable as this wasnt mentioned before, either at the initial consult, on the quote, or when we spoke to arrange the date. I'm terrified of being ripped off & you hear such horror stories.
But now I'm thinking that perhaps this is standard practice? Particularly with him being a sole trader, he likely doesnt have big cash reserves/credit & I'm guessing some clients are bad at paying. so perhaps it seems fair enough.
So I just wanted to check with some other people in the trade please - that this is normal practice to be asked to pay for scaffold costs (& as he said 'scaffold costs etc' I'm guessing maybe for some of the materials too) just before the work starts?
Are you a tradesperson and able to answer this question?
Asking for a modest deposit is standard practice if a large amount of materials or equipment is needed (scaffolding etc) if the client cancels the job at the last minute it can leave the builder at a financial loss, before hiring a builder ask for reviews and photos of previous work, a deposit can be a sign of trust between the two parties, Chris CJM construction and structural
Hi
it is perfectly normal for a customer to pay a deposit on a job that will come to several thousands of pounds and will require expensive materials like scaffolding and a lot of manual labour to complete.
If you don’t feel comfortable suggest the idea of a contract with a payment schedule that will protect both yourself the customer and the builder and give you some peace of mind.
Answered16 August 2025
2
Anonymous user
We always take a deposit, usually 10% upon booking a job mainly due to being messed around so often in the past! I understand you reservations with the bad rep some builders get but as long as he isnt asking for full payment before completion then its quite standard practice. We always leave a minimum of 20% until the job is completed
It’s definitely standard procedure to ask for a initial payment before hand, as you say you built trust on meeting tradesmen as he is also putting trust in to yourself to make payments etc
It’s very important that all aspects related to a project are explained to the client in advance. Cost for putting up a scaffold should already be included in the builders estimate; not something that is mentioned to a client at the last minute. A reasonable deposit like anything between 5% to 8% of the build cost should be acceptable to clients but clients need to make sure that they are dealing with an accredited builder and not someone off the street cause there are a LOT of dodgy builders out there. Accreditation with the FMB and TrustMark should be a minimum. Clients should always check a builders credit history and if your hired builder ticks all the boxes then giving a deposit should not be a worry.
Answered11 August 2025
1
Anonymous user
It’s very common theses days to ask for payment upfront for materials etc. I’m a sole trader it’s only the big job mainly I get a part payment upfront, theses day the sad thing it is very hard to trust both parties, but then it does help the builder being registered, good feedback, etc and having a good relationship from the start between the customer and builder
Hi there . All my work involves a deposit of some kind as a commitment by the customer . This is stated on the quote and all recurring payments are also on the quote until work is completed .
When there’s scaffolding involved, this is normally paid for by the builder as soon as it is erected .
The whole point is there is commitment on both sides as the work proceeds
Asking for a deposit all depends on the size of the job if it’s over 5 k then yes maybe but a reliable company with professionalism should be able to pay for a scaffold or atleast have a decent relationship with a scaffolder to be able to pay. At the end of the job if they are steuggling
Hi I’m Chris from CDPS.
I generally ask for around 30% deposit before a job starts to help with costs as materials and equipment, along with wages are costly. Other times I set a payment plan up with the customer, depending how big the job is and how long it takes. Everything is put in an email so the customer knows exactly what is happening throughout there job. With materials etc being so expensive now, you can’t expect the contractor to pay everything out on big projects that may take a month long to do the job from start to finish. As long as everything is written down it gives the customer faith in the contractor and vice versa.
Chris
Hello there, this definitely a standard practice for traders to do, it’s just like a deposit invade the customer ever cancels the job. This helps stop the over all financial loss. Thank you I hope this helps
