TradeLinkers
A quote is a fixed price for a defined job: once the customer accepts it, you're generally held to it unless the work changes. An estimate is your best guess at the cost, and the final bill can differ, but it should stay reasonable. Call the document what it is and spell out what's included.
What’s the difference between a quote and an estimate?
A quote is a promise to do a defined job for a set price. An estimate is your best guess at what the job will cost. That’s how Citizens Advice explains it to homeowners, and it’s the line customers will hold you to if the final bill comes in higher than the paperwork.
In law, what matters most is what you actually said and wrote, not just the word at the top of the page. Under section 50 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, things you say or write to a consumer about the service become part of the contract if they take them into account when deciding to go ahead. And if the contract doesn’t fix a price at all, section 51 says the customer must pay a reasonable price, no more.
| Quote | Estimate | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A fixed price for a defined job | Your best guess at the cost |
| Final bill | The quoted price, unless the job changes and the customer agrees | Can differ, but should be reasonable |
| Use it when | You can see and measure everything | There are things you can’t know until you start |
| Your risk | Overruns come out of your pocket | The customer can dispute a bill much higher than expected |
Is a quote legally binding?
Once the customer accepts it, generally yes. Citizens Advice tells homeowners that a trader can’t charge more than the quote unless there’s a good reason, such as extra work the customer agreed to. Your own costs going up since you quoted isn’t one of those reasons.
Citizens Advice also tells homeowners that once they say yes to a quote, it’s a binding agreement whether it’s written down or not. Two consequences worth knowing:
- Mistakes are usually yours. If you made an error in the quote that wasn’t obvious to the customer, Citizens Advice says they can generally insist on the quoted price.
- Extras need agreement. You can charge more if you told the customer extra work was needed and they agreed to pay for it.
How a court would treat a particular document depends on its wording and the facts, so if a big job turns into a dispute, get advice.
When should you give an estimate instead?
Give an estimate when you can’t price the job honestly without opening it up: finding a fault, hidden pipework or cabling, rot under a floor, a roof you can’t fully see. Say why it’s an estimate, what it assumes, and when you’ll come back to the customer if the cost moves.
Three ways to handle unknowns:
- An estimate with stated assumptions. “Based on the existing pipework being in usable condition. If it needs replacing we’ll stop and price it before carrying on.”
- A fixed quote with exclusions. Fix the price for what you can see, and list what isn’t included.
- A fixed part plus agreed rates. Quote the main job, with a set rate for anything extra that you’ll only do with the customer’s OK.
If you work on a day rate, Citizens Advice suggests homeowners get in writing how many days it will take, how many hours count as a day, and when you need their go-ahead to work more days. Putting that on the estimate yourself saves the conversation.
What should a quote include?
Enough that a stranger could read it and know exactly what’s being done, for how much, and on what terms. Citizens Advice tells homeowners to look for a fixed total price, a breakdown of work and materials, how long the price is valid, whether VAT is included, and when the price can go up.
A complete quote has:
- your business name, address and contact details, and the customer’s
- the job address, if different
- a reference number and the date
- a clear description of the work, broken into lines for labour and materials
- what’s not included (making good, decorating, skip hire, disposal)
- any assumptions the price depends on
- the total, and whether it includes VAT (if you’re not VAT registered, there’s no VAT to show)
- how long the price is valid for
- when you can start and roughly how long it will take
- payment terms, including any deposit and stage payments
- how changes and extra work will be agreed and priced
If you agree the job in the customer’s home, they’ll usually have a 14-day right to cancel, and you need to give them the cancellation information. The deposit guide explains how that works.
Timing matters too. If your quote doesn’t say when the work will be done, section 52 of the Consumer Rights Act says it must be done within a reasonable time.
How long should a quote stay valid?
As long as you’re happy to hold the price, and no longer. Citizens Advice tells homeowners to check how long a quoted price is valid, so write an actual date on it: “Valid until 18 November 2026”. Pick a shorter period if your material prices move quickly.
When a quote runs out and the customer comes back, check your costs and either confirm the price in writing or send a new quote. Don’t quietly charge a different figure on the invoice.
How should you handle extra work and changes?
Agree it before you do it, and get it in writing. A message saying “Rotten joist found, replacing it is £180 extra, OK to go ahead?” and a reply of “Yes” protects you both. Without it, you may struggle to get paid for extras on a fixed quote.
Good habits:
- stop and tell the customer as soon as you find something
- give a price for the extra, not “it’ll be a bit more”
- get a yes by text, email or a revised quote before carrying on
- add the extra as its own line on the invoice, so the original quote and the change are both clear
Worked example: fencing job
Made-up figures for illustration. A customer wants 8 fence panels replaced. You can see the panels, but not whether the concrete posts are sound.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Remove and dispose of 8 old panels | £120 |
| Supply and fit 8 new panels (fixed price) | £760 |
| Fixed quote total | £880 |
| Not included: replacing any cracked posts. If needed, £65 per post supplied and fitted, only with your agreement. |
On the day, one post is cracked. You show the customer, they agree by text, and the invoice reads £880 plus one post at £65, £945 in total. No surprise, no argument.
How does TradeLinkers handle quotes and estimates?
In TradeLinkers these are called estimates, numbered EST-0001 upwards. Each one has a valid-until date (30 days by default, which you can change) and is emailed with the PDF attached. If you’re giving a fixed price, say so in the line descriptions, for example “Fixed price”.
The customer gets an Accept this estimate button: they type their name and tap Accept or Decline, with no login, and you get an email with the answer. They can also accept in their customer portal. You can ask for a deposit as a percentage, and once the work’s done the estimate becomes the invoice in one tap, with the same lines. See quotes and estimates, or try the free quote template.
Sources
- Citizens Advice: Before you get work done on your home
- Citizens Advice: Problem with building work, decorating or home improvements
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 50: information about the trader or service is binding
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 51: reasonable price to be paid for a service
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 52: service to be performed within a reasonable time
This guide is general information for UK sole traders and small firms, not tax or legal advice. Rules change; check the source or ask an accountant for your own situation.
