How to Write Terms and Conditions for a Quote
A quote without terms is just a number, it doesn't say what happens if the customer cancels after you've ordered materials, what your payment terms actually are, or what's covered if something goes wrong later. A short, clear terms section prevents more disputes than almost anything else you can add to a quote, and it doesn't need to be complicated or written by a solicitor.
Payment terms
State clearly when payment is due: on completion, within a set number of days of invoice, or against the staged schedule if it's a longer job. Also state what happens if payment is late, whether that's a simple note that late payment may incur a fee, or just that work on any further jobs won't proceed until outstanding invoices are settled. Vague payment terms are one of the most common causes of slow-paying customers.
Cancellation
Cover what happens if the customer cancels after accepting the quote, particularly once materials have been ordered or a start date has been booked. A fair approach is: full refund of any deposit if cancelled before materials are ordered, but the cost of any materials already ordered or committed is non-refundable. This protects you from being left holding a bespoke kitchen unit or ordered boiler with no job to fit it to.
Materials price changes
If a quote is valid for several weeks, material prices can genuinely move in that time, particularly on volatile items like timber or copper pipe. A simple clause stating that quoted material prices are based on current supplier costs and may be revised if there's a significant change before work starts protects you without needing to reprice every job at the point of acceptance.
What's included and excluded
This isn't strictly a "terms" item but belongs in the same section: a short, explicit list of what's not covered by the quoted price, waste disposal, making good to decoration, parking or access charges, whatever's genuinely likely to come up for your trade. Naming exclusions here prevents them becoming arguments later.
Warranty or guarantee
State what you're actually offering on your own workmanship: a specific period (12 months is common for many trades), what it covers (defects in your work) and what it doesn't (issues caused by others, normal wear, or problems with materials the customer supplied themselves). Be honest and specific rather than vague, a real, limited guarantee is more credible than an unqualified "guaranteed" with no detail behind it.
How the customer accepts
State plainly what counts as acceptance: a signature, a reply email, or a deposit payment. This matters because a dispute is much harder to resolve in your favour if there's no clear record that the customer actually agreed to the quote and its terms before you started work.
Quotes with terms built in
TradeQuoteKit's free quote generator includes a notes and terms section on every document, ready for your own wording.
Open the quote generatorQuote terms and conditions FAQs
Do I need a solicitor to write terms and conditions for my quotes?
For most domestic trade jobs, no. Plain, clear terms covering payment, cancellation, material price changes and warranty cover the situations that actually come up. A solicitor is worth it for larger commercial contracts or if you want terms reviewed for a specific legal concern, but it's not a prerequisite to start using proper terms.
Should terms and conditions go on every quote, even small jobs?
A short version, yes. Even a small job benefits from a few lines covering payment terms and what happens if it's cancelled after materials are ordered. Save the longer version for bigger jobs where more can go wrong.
What happens if a customer never formally accepts the quote but I start work anyway?
This is a common and risky situation, since without clear acceptance it's harder to point to what was agreed if a dispute arises. Get some form of acceptance before starting, even just a reply email or text saying "yes go ahead" referencing the quote, so there's a record.
Can I change my terms and conditions after a customer has accepted a quote?
Not unilaterally for that job. The terms in place when the customer accepted are what you're both bound by. If something needs to change, that's a variation to agree separately, not a rewrite of the original terms.