01/10/2025
A word about the oh so controversial 'never pay anything up front!', from a tradesman's point of view. Sorry it's so long but I want to explain properly because it's such a regular debate.
When we accept a job, that means booking out a period of time to do it, during which we cannot accept other work. Meanwhile we just have to hope that the client prepares the job properly, as discussed, to be ready on the agreed start date. Quite often this doesn't happen – electrics/plumbing are not done, rooms are not cleared out and still full of furniture etc. What does that mean for us?
Well it's time wasted. Sometimes you can use that time to get ahead with other work but not always. Today, for example, the job was to put up a new plasterboard ceiling. Upon arrival the client had not repaired the roof which had, given the current weather conditions, leaked all over the place. You can't put up a plasterboard ceiling when the roof leaks because the next rain will blow the plasterboard and destroy the new ceiling. Unfortunately today there's no way to get ahead on other work because our other jobs are either not yet ready or are outside work which need to dry after this week's rain before anything can be done. So today is wasted. We price for the job rather than a daily rate – this is usually best for the client as they avoid tradesmen dragging out a job on and on to get paid for extra days – so we don't get paid for today (but still have to pay our staff who turned up to work). Furthermore, the next job is delayed because we can't finish this job on time. The job after that may then also be delayed and so on unless we manage to make up time unexpectedly somewhere else. We are busy and have to work to tight time margins to fit everything in so this is not always possible. Of course then there are the occasions you turn up to work as arranged and the client says they're sorry but they forgot about it and can no longer afford to get it done...
Imagine that this happens regularly, for various different reasons, and you can see how hard it becomes both to stick to deadlines and earn decent money.
Next is the cost of materials. These are bought in advance, as a special order if necessary. On the current job, partway through the client was at least honest and came to us to say there had been a delay on his money transfer somehow so he wouldn't have the funds available to pay on schedule as agreed. He's a nice chap so we accepted this and agreed to carry on and wait for the money. At least he gave advance warning. Not everyone does, they just let you finish and then say they're sorry but they don't have the money yet.
The previous job hasn't been paid yet because the client, despite expressing complete satisfaction and happiness with the work done, when asked for the payment upon completion said that “it's not much money, you can't be that desperate. I'll do it when I'm ready”... Despite various reminders, he hasn't yet paid up.
In order to make some use out of today, we are buying materials for the next job and loading them out ready to go, to try and mitigate some of the delays caused by the current job.
Therefore that's three jobs we are currently financing – we've paid for materials and we've paid our staff. We have not yet been paid for our work of the last few weeks.
A bit earlier this year, we had completed work and the client was satisfied. He hadn't yet paid because he was ill, and he then sadly died. He owed us thousands – and this doesn't just mean not getting paid for our labour, it means being directly out of pocket for the materials we bought and paying our staff for their work.
Meanwhile we also have the associated business running costs of paying autonomo, the van, tools and equipment, accountant, insurances etc.
So when you object to paying a deposit when booking in work, please bear all this in mind. If we commit time and money to planned work, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the client to do the same. It's not about ripping anyone off. Yes, there are dishonest 'cowboy' tradesmen, but there are also 'cowboy customers'. If you have any doubts about the integrity of your tradesmen then you shouldn't be employing them in the first place. Do proper research on the people you are hiring and be prepared to pay 21% IVA on the job, that's how you make it legal. If you want receipts, facturas and guarantees I'm afraid you'll have to pay the extra. That's not a tradesman making money on you, it's simply complying with legal obligations. We don't keep that 21%, we have to pass it on to the government. Without written quotations, contracts, receipts, facturas etc. you have no legal recourse should you get ripped off.
