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Newbie
Posted: 08 August 2023 16:50:10(UTC)
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Can someone in the forum let me know if it actually is a legal requirement for tradespeople to provide paperwork and thus a "written quote" for any works being done.
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Taltunes
Posted: 08 August 2023 17:00:27(UTC)
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Newbie;275706 wrote:
Can someone in the forum let me know if it actually is a legal requirement for tradespeople to provide paperwork and thus a "written quote" for any works being done.


I doubt very much that it is a legal requirement but at the same time I would have thought that any reputable tradespeople would have no problem with supplying paperwork.
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Newbie on 09/08/2023(UTC)
ANDREW FOSTER
Posted: 08 August 2023 18:25:01(UTC)
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Newbie;275706 wrote:
Can someone in the forum let me know if it actually is a legal requirement for tradespeople to provide paperwork and thus a "written quote" for any works being done.


No it isn't....

And if they do it will say "E & O.E" on it somewhere....
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Newbie on 09/08/2023(UTC)
Newbie
Posted: 09 August 2023 08:55:51(UTC)
#4

Joined: 31/01/2012(UTC)
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I also did not think it was not until I read the following

"Two people have been arrested on suspicion of fraud relating to work carried out on a victim’s property.

On Friday 28 July, two tradesmen visited a home in Bishop’s Stortford offering to clean the victim’s driveway and roof. They offered to complete the work at an agreed cost per metre, however before fully completing the work the men demanded the victim pay more than £4,000 in cash.

The victim visited their bank to withdraw the cash, but due to the size of the cash withdrawal the bank activated the Banking Protocol and alerted the police. Officers attended the victim’s address and questioned the traders, finding that they had not provided paperwork for their quote, which is a legal requirement."

I have paid a lot of tradespeople on verbal contracts and goodwill without ever thinking it was a legal requirement. In fact our Gardener, household cleaning, window cleaners etc have all been paid for over a decade with no written quotation or paperwork in place. As far as I am aware and concerned they are not your despicable grifters.
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Taltunes
Posted: 09 August 2023 09:24:25(UTC)
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Newbie;275761 wrote:
I also did not think it was not until I read the following

"Two people have been arrested on suspicion of fraud relating to work carried out on a victim’s property.

On Friday 28 July, two tradesmen visited a home in Bishop’s Stortford offering to clean the victim’s driveway and roof. They offered to complete the work at an agreed cost per metre, however before fully completing the work the men demanded the victim pay more than £4,000 in cash.

The victim visited their bank to withdraw the cash, but due to the size of the cash withdrawal the bank activated the Banking Protocol and alerted the police. Officers attended the victim’s address and questioned the traders, finding that they had not provided paperwork for their quote, which is a legal requirement."

I have paid a lot of tradespeople on verbal contracts and goodwill without ever thinking it was a legal requirement. In fact our Gardener, household cleaning, window cleaners etc have all been paid for over a decade with no written quotation or paperwork in place. As far as I am aware and concerned they are not your despicable grifters.


I’m surprised but perhaps a difference is that normally your gardener, cleaner, window cleaner etc wouldn’t quote for the work as such although it depends on the nature of what they are doing.

There are lots of obscure bits of legislation on the books however some dating back decades if not hundreds of years.
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Newbie on 09/08/2023(UTC)
Taltunes
Posted: 09 August 2023 09:56:38(UTC)
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I can’t post a link but I found a document online called trading standards explained by Kent county council.

It doesn’t entirely support your quote.

Quotations are not required for small amounts or in emergency situations e.g. burst pipes.

If I have read it correctly in certain circumstances however if there has not been a quotation given a cancellation notice has to be given. It may be in your example the crime was actually not giving a cancellation notice instead of not giving a quotation

I’m impressed that the police, not trading standards, were aware of the law although maybe they took someone from trading standards along with them. Trading standards officers are harder to find than police officers though as I think I’m correct in saying they are council employees and numbers have been pared to the bone with all the cutbacks in council spending.
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Newbie on 10/08/2023(UTC)
SF100
Posted: 10 August 2023 20:22:31(UTC)
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Wouldn't expect it to be a legal requirement.
As far as I'm concerned, a contract can be entered into verbally, handshake etc.
But surely it helps both parties if there's written quote & acceptance thereof.
Contract Lawyer would be needed to decipher that one, ching ching.

Personally would never entertain cold callers.
Was also told never to use a tradesmen who doesn't advertise home phone number, address etc. though that's getting harder to achieve.

As for regular workers such as cleaners, gardeners et al, aren't they deemed to be your employees, and that opens up a whole raft of HSE & welfare liabilities. Not to mention whether your home insurance comes to the rescue if they inadvertently say, burn your house down ..... Check they have indemnity (or liability??) insurance themselves...

If the window cleaner falls off his ladder & breaks his neck whilst on your property, you could be in for an unpleasant surprise (me too, cos I hate cleaning windows)
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Newbie on 10/08/2023(UTC)
Thrugelmir
Posted: 10 August 2023 20:32:28(UTC)
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Newbie;275761 wrote:
however before fully completing the work the men demanded the victim pay more than £4,000 in cash.



In such circumstances a written quote that also provides the traders terms of trade. Would seem appropriate. Likewise written acceptance on the part of the consumer.
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Newbie on 10/08/2023(UTC)
Ian Eccles
Posted: 28 August 2023 11:38:00(UTC)
#9

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It is not a legal requirement but a sensible one, BUT once you have accepted a quote it is binding between you and the tradesperson.
This is the case for both written and verbal quotes, although you should always have a written quote.
A quote is an undertaking from a tradesperson to carry out work for a fixed price, it is different to an estimate.
Three quotes are the norm, on big jobs you may have to pay for the quote.
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Newbie on 28/08/2023(UTC), Taltunes on 02/09/2023(UTC)
MarkSp
Posted: 02 September 2023 12:47:36(UTC)
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There is something slightly askew here

How a contract is formed isn't usually a matter for the plods

There must have been something else that suggested it was a fraud or demanding money with menaces...that sort of thing.
If there was no quote and no evidence of work being done for example, the "tradespeople" wouldn't be able to prove they weren't just forcing someone to hand over money.
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John Bran on 23/09/2023(UTC), Newbie on 23/09/2023(UTC)
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