The short answer: a good quote has ten parts: your details, a quote number and valid-until date, the customer and job address, a one-line summary, a numbered scope a stranger could tick off, what's not included, what the price assumes, an itemised price with VAT stated, payment terms (deposit, stages, when the balance is due), and how to accept. Call it a quote only if the price is fixed; if it could change, call it an estimate and give an upper limit. If you agree the job in a homeowner's house and it's over £42, they usually have 14 days to cancel, and you must tell them so.
Jump to: Quote maker · The ten parts · Quote or estimate? · Vague vs specific · Exclusions by trade · Deposits and payment · Homeowners' 14 days · VAT · Worked example · Using AI · FAQ
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Fill in what you know, pick the exclusions that fit, and it writes the quote, adds up the price, and flags vague wording, missing terms and the cancellation rules. Everything stays in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
The checker spots common problems; it can't know your job. Read the quote through before you send it, and check the price yourself.
The ten parts of a good quote
| Part | What to write | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Your details | Business name, phone, email, address. VAT number if registered; trade registration (Gas Safe, NICEIC) if relevant. | Looks professional and tells them who they're dealing with. |
| 2. Number, date, valid until | "Q-0042, 27 October 2026, valid until 26 November 2026." 30 days is common; shorter if material prices are moving. | Stops a customer accepting a six-month-old price. |
| 3. Customer and job address | Full name and the address where the work is. | Matters when the payer and the property differ (landlords, family). |
| 4. The job in a sentence | What they'll end up with: "Two new bedroom radiators with thermostatic valves." | The customer reads this first. |
| 5. What's included | Numbered lines with quantities, sizes, specs and where. Include prep, protection, waste removal and clean-up if you do them. | The line that settles most "I thought you were doing..." arguments. |
| 6. Not included | Five sharp exclusions for this job beat twenty generic ones. | Customers assume. This is where you correct them, in advance. |
| 7. Assumptions | What the price relies on: access, existing condition, parking, power and water on site. | If an assumption turns out wrong, you've already said the price may change. |
| 8. Price | Labour, materials and other costs (skip, hire, disposal) as lines, then the total. Say whether VAT is added, included or not charged. | Itemising helps them compare like with like, and shows where the money goes. |
| 9. Payment terms | Deposit (amount and what it's for), stage payments tied to things they can see, and when the balance is due. How to pay. | Unpaid invoices start with unclear terms (see our late payment guide). |
| 10. Changes, guarantee, how to accept | "Changes agreed in writing with a price before we do them." What you guarantee and for how long. "Reply 'I accept' or sign below." | A written "yes" is your contract. A text counts. |
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, anything you say or write to a homeowner about the work that they rely on when deciding can become part of the contract (section 50). That cuts both ways: a vague quote binds you to whatever they reasonably understood, and a clear one protects you. If no price is agreed at all, the customer only has to pay a "reasonable price" (section 51), which is a recipe for an argument.
Quote or estimate: which should you call it?
| Quote | Estimate | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Fixed for the work described | A best guess that can change |
| Use it when | You can see everything: a boiler swap like for like, painting a room, fitting a supplied kitchen | You can't see what's behind walls, under floors or in the roof: rewiring an old house, a leak you haven't traced, stripping a roof |
| How to word it | "QUOTE. Total £2,450 including VAT." | "ESTIMATE. Estimated £1,800–£2,300. We'll call you before going over £2,300." |
| If the job grows | You absorb it, unless it's outside the scope, an exclusion, or an assumption that proved wrong | You explain, agree the new figure in writing, then carry on |
Customers (and courts) tend to treat a "quote" as a fixed price, so don't call something a quote if it isn't. Words like "approx" or "around" in a quote muddle it: the quote maker flags them. A common middle way: quote the part you can see, and add a priced extra or an estimate for the part you can't ("if the joists need replacing, £85 per joist, we'll show you first").
Vague vs specific: scope lines that stop arguments
| Vague (the argument waiting to happen) | Specific (a stranger could tick it off) |
|---|---|
| New kitchen lights | Supply and fit 8 fire-rated LED downlights (warm white) in the kitchen ceiling, wired to the existing switch |
| Fix leak etc. | Trace and repair the leak on the hot water pipe under the bathroom floor, lift and refit up to 3 floorboards |
| Paint living room | Two coats of customer-supplied emulsion on walls only (ceiling and woodwork not included), fill minor cracks, protect floor and furniture |
| Patio as discussed | Lay 18 m² of 600 x 600 mm grey sandstone on a full mortar bed over 100 mm MOT type 1, falls away from the house, pointed with brush-in compound |
| Make good after | Make good plaster around the new socket boxes to a ready-to-paint finish (painting not included) |
| Rubbish removed as required | Remove all waste from the job; one 6-yard skip included |
The test: if you were off sick and another tradesperson turned up with only this quote, would they do the same job you priced? If not, add the detail.
Exclusions you might forget, by trade
Pick only the ones that fit this job. The quote maker suggests these when you choose your trade.
- Every trade: redecoration after the work, moving furniture, hidden problems found once opened up (say you'll stop, show them and price it first), out-of-hours work, permit and building control fees.
- Plumbing and heating: system flush or powerflush, radiator valves or pipework not listed, upgrading the gas supply, boxing in pipes.
- Electrical: remedial work found during testing, plastering and painting after chasing, fittings or appliances not listed.
- Building: structural engineer, architect or party wall surveyor fees, unexpected ground conditions, hazardous waste.
- Roofing: rotten timbers found once stripped, scaffolding beyond the stated period, gutters and fascias unless listed.
- Decorating: paint supply, filling beyond minor cracks, wallpaper stripping, ceilings and woodwork unless listed.
- Landscaping: waste soil beyond the amount stated, rubble or buried services, aftercare and watering after handover.
Deposits, stage payments and when the balance is due
- Deposit: say what it's for. Covering materials you're ordering for this job is easy to justify; a large deposit with no reason puts customers off, and homeowners are wary of paying most of a job upfront. The quote maker warns above 50% for homeowners.
- Stage payments for bigger jobs, tied to something the customer can see: "£2,000 when the first fix is complete", not "£2,000 in week 2". You're never more than one stage out of pocket.
- Balance: give a number of days and how to pay. Homeowners: on completion or within 7 days is common. Businesses: 30 days is usual, and if they pay late you can add statutory interest and compensation (calculator).
- Late fees for homeowners only work if they're in the quote or terms before work starts, and reasonable. You can't add one afterwards.
Homeowners' 14 days to cancel (the bit most trades miss)
The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 apply when you do work for a homeowner (a "consumer") and the contract is agreed away from your business premises, which usually means at their kitchen table after a site visit. They also generally apply to contracts agreed entirely by phone, email or online, if that's how you normally take work.
| Rule | What it means for your quote |
|---|---|
| 14 days to cancel | For a service contract, the customer can cancel within 14 days of agreeing, without a reason (reg 30). |
| Tell them, in writing | Give them the cancellation information and a cancellation form. If you don't, the 14 days can stretch by up to 12 months (reg 31), and they could cancel after the work is done. |
| Starting within 14 days | Only if they ask you to, expressly, and for an off-premises contract in a "durable medium" (an email or text is fine). If they then cancel, they pay a proportionate amount for the work done so far (reg 36). |
| £42 or less | Off-premises contracts where the customer pays £42 or less are outside these rules (reg 7(4)). |
| Urgent repairs | No right to cancel where the customer asked you to visit to do urgent repairs or maintenance (reg 28(1)(e)). Take care if you add non-urgent extras on the same visit. |
| Business customers | These rules don't apply. |
Business Companion (the trading standards guidance site) has plain-English guidance and the model cancellation form. When the customer is a homeowner and you pick "at their home", the quote maker adds a "Your right to cancel" section to the quote; attach the form with it.
VAT on a quote
- Not registered? Don't add VAT, and say "No VAT: we're not VAT registered", so the customer doesn't wonder whether it'll be added later. You must register if your taxable turnover goes over £90,000 in a rolling 12 months (gov.uk).
- Registered? Show the subtotal, VAT at 20% and the total, or say clearly "all prices include VAT". Homeowners compare the bottom line, so show it with VAT.
- Energy-saving materials: installing things like heat pumps, solar panels and insulation in homes is zero-rated until 31 March 2027, then 5% (HMRC notice 708/6). Check the notice for what qualifies.
A worked example
A plumber has looked at two cold bedroom radiators for a homeowner and agreed the job at the house. This is what the quote maker writes from the example placeholders (with the redecoration and powerflush exclusions ticked):
Hale Plumbing & Heating · 07700 900123 QUOTE No. Q-0042 Date: 27 October 2026 Valid until: 26 November 2026 For: Sam Patel Job address: 12 Elm Road, Leeds 1. The job Replace two bedroom radiators 2. What's included 1. Drain down and refill the heating system, add inhibitor 2. Supply and fit two 600 x 1000 mm double panel radiators in both bedrooms 3. Fit new thermostatic radiator valves to both 4. Remove old radiators and take them away 3. Not included - Redecoration after the work (we make good to a ready-to-paint finish only) - System flush or powerflush 4. This price assumes - Existing pipework is 15 mm copper in good condition - Parking on the drive 5. Price Labour, 1 day £320.00 Radiators, valves and inhibitor £286.40 TOTAL £606.40 No VAT: we're not VAT registered. 6. Payment Full amount: due within 7 days of completion. Bank transfer to [sort code, account number, reference]. 7. Changes and extra work Any change to the work above will be agreed in writing, with a price, before we do it. 8. Your right to cancel You can cancel this contract within 14 days of accepting it, without giving a reason. See the attached cancellation information and form. If you'd like us to start within the 14 days, please tell us in writing. If you then cancel, you'll pay for the work done up to that point. 9. To go ahead Reply to this quote (Q-0042) saying "I accept", or sign below. This quote is valid until 26 November 2026. Signed: ____________________ Date: __________
And the message to send with it:
Hi Sam, thanks for showing me the job. Here's my quote (Q-0042) for the job we discussed: £606.40. It lists what's included and what isn't, so there are no surprises. It's valid until 26 November 2026. Any questions, just ask. To go ahead, reply "I accept".
Using ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude to write quotes
AI is good at turning rough site notes or a voice note into a tidy quote. It's bad at prices: it will happily invent a labour rate or a material cost. So give it your numbers and tell it not to make any up. A prompt that works:
Write a quote for a homeowner from my notes below. UK, I'm not VAT registered. Use these sections: the job, what's included (numbered, specific), not included, this price assumes, price (itemised, my figures only), payment, changes and extra work, how to accept. Valid 30 days. Do NOT invent prices, sizes or specs: if something's missing, write [?]. Then list anything vague a customer could argue about. Notes: [paste your notes or voice-note transcript] Prices: [labour, materials, other]
Leave out the customer's phone number and anything they wouldn't want shared; you can add those after.
Get a quote written from your site notes in a minute. Our free Trades Skills include quote-builder for ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude: paste your notes or a voice-note transcript and it writes the full quote, suggests exclusions for your trade, checks the sums, and asks for any price it doesn't have rather than guessing. It also checks a quote you've already written. Set-up takes about 3 minutes, no coding.
Trades Skills Pro adds the next steps: change-order (price and confirm extra work mid-job), customer-terms (plain-English terms and conditions to attach), job-handover, complaint-handler and price-rise.
FAQ
Is a quote legally binding in the UK?
Once the customer accepts it, it's a contract, and a "quote" is generally treated as a fixed price for the work described. An estimate is a best guess that can change, which is why it should say so and give an upper limit.
How long should a quote be valid for?
30 days is common. Use a shorter period if material prices are moving, and say what happens after: "after this date we'll re-check prices before confirming".
Can I charge for a quote?
Yes, if you tell the customer before the visit. Some trades charge for detailed quotes or surveys and refund the fee if the customer goes ahead. Say so when they book.
What if I find something unexpected once I start?
That's what the "hidden problems" exclusion and the changes clause are for. Stop, show the customer, give them a price in writing, and only carry on once they agree. Our Pro change-order skill writes that message.
Do I have to give homeowners a cancellation form?
If you agree the contract away from your business premises (usually at their home) and it's over £42, yes: give them the cancellation information and a cancellation form. If you don't, they can cancel for up to 12 months longer. Urgent repairs they called you out for are an exception.
Should I show VAT separately?
If you're VAT registered, show the subtotal, VAT and total, or say clearly that prices include VAT. If you're not registered, say so on the quote.
Sources, checked 27 October 2026: Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 regs 7, 28, 30, 31 and 36; Consumer Rights Act 2015 ss. 50–51; gov.uk VAT registration; HMRC notice 708/6. Scotland and Northern Ireland follow the same consumer contract rules. This page is general information, not legal advice. For a big or unusual job, check with your trade association or a solicitor.