Upfront payment

40% is a lot! A deposit is definitely something we have always done,we ask for a 25% booking deposit and remainder on completion,we state in our quotes and on our 1st initial meeting,I belive its fair and a lot of companies around here are the same.

If it is a reputable company they usually don't ask for any money up front, some times the might ask for a deposit on a big job but this should be stated on their quotation

No company should ask for 40% upfront it’s unprofessional so please be careful with these sort of companies and do your research

hi there i set up my buisness in 2008 after being employed in the construction industry for 24 years prior for various companies. since setting up the buisness I have never once asked for a percentage up front to start any job big or small . if they are a reputable buisness they should have enough cash flow behind them to start the job. I usually got about 2 to 3 weeks into the job before I start asking for stage payments.

40% upfront should never happen on any job A clear and precise payment structure should always be agreed to between company and client.never pay upfront unless it clearly states deposit again

I think normally 25% is good enough for a deposit but most of the times we'd never ask for a deposit as we fund the full project ourselves to give to customers a good experience the way we look at it if we do a good job we've got nothing to lose. If we feel that the customer is not a true homeowner and don't live at the property or is a landlord with renters then we would ask for a small deposit. But if we're working for a true homeowner we wouldn't want the deposit we believe we do good work we shouldn't need a deposit. I would imagine if a builder had no experience they would need a deposit to fund the work. There are a lot of builders with no experience who gives good builders a bad name definitely customers should do the research check id and always pay into business accounts or by card. That's my advice im Michael Connors from Best Result Paving and Landscaping.

Occasionally. Depending on job size I’ll ask for the money to cover materials.

Definitely not, a small deposit (5-10%) is appropriate depending on the job to book your slot in the work schedule, this avoids time wasters who cancel the job just before your due to start.

10% is a standard start fee . It depends on the size of the contract . 40 % seems a large deposit .

Not really ideal but depends on the size of the job

Hi 25% is reasonable 40% to me is a red flag 👍👍

Hi, most reputable companies will ask for a booking deposit. This is normally to cover the work that goes into the job before the work commences (planning and ordering of materials etc). This will also secure your booking on the desired dates. This deposit us always stated on the quote and normally anywhere from 10-25%. There should then be a clear outlined payment structure on the quote and a signed small works (or similar) contract.

No, I wouldn’t. Possibly a 10% deposit on something like an extension (which is a substantial amount of money to start planning for, e.g the drainage, plant et cet). Another I use to do with extensions is a payment plan. E.g. so much after the footings, superstructure, roof finishes et cetra. But a simplistic job such as re-skimming a room, cutting a tree down or something like that you would expect an agreed price of which you would get at the end of the job.

If your uncomfortable paying the deposit to your builder you can always ask what it’s for and if your still unhappy you can always pay the builders merchants directly. Although it’s not always necessary to lay out 40% of your job as a deposit, communicate with your builder 👍🏼

Some contractors will ask for a down payment to cover costs of materials , this isn’t unusual , some may have had bad paying customers that have not paid their material , or sometimes labour costs too . Just make sure to get a quote on record of costings thst suits both client and contractor.

I agree with all the statements .At the start of any job payment terms should be ageeed .When i take on large jobs i ask for what is ok to pay with the customer.