How to write a quote that does not get argued about

The eight things every quote needs

1. Your business name and contact — a phone number they can reply to.
2. The customer and the site address, even if it is the same house you are standing in.
3. Each item on its own line, with a quantity and a unit price. "Labour 6 hrs × 65" is checkable; "works: 390" is not.
4. A subtotal, then any discount, then tax at the rate you decide, then the total.
5. A validity window. "Quote valid 14 days" is normal and protects you from a customer accepting a three-month-old number.
6. What is not included. The exclusions line nobody writes and everybody needs.
7. Your assumptions. What you saw, or assumed, when you priced it.
8. What happens next. Deposit to schedule, balance on completion — in plain words.

Exclusions: the sentence that saves the job

Every trade has one thing customers assume is included and you never priced. Name it. Examples that work:

• Painting: "Price assumes small furniture is moved. Making good after hidden damp is not included."
• Handyman: "Assumes existing frames and wiring are sound. Anything hidden is confirmed before extra work starts."
• Cleaning: "Supplies included. Inside cupboards, garages and balconies are not included unless listed."
• Landscaping: "Green waste removal included. Irrigation repair quoted after inspection."
• Detailing: "Price assumes normal soiling. Heavy pet hair or biohazard recovery is quoted separately."

That last point matters most: word the exclusion as "quoted separately", not "not included". It keeps the work available instead of turning it into a refusal.

Deposit wording that people actually pay

A deposit is normal; a vague deposit request reads like a scam. Be specific about the amount, what it buys, and when the balance is due:

"50% deposit to schedule the date. Balance due on completion, same day. Deposit is refundable if you cancel more than 48 hours before the start time."

Two details do the work: naming what the deposit secures (the date), and saying what happens if plans change. Vague terms invite negotiation; clear terms mostly just get paid.

Quote or estimate? Decide before you write

If you have seen the whole job and it is straightforward, send a quote and hold the price. If anything is hidden — behind plaster, under a floor, inside an old frame — send an estimate and state what would change it. The document type sets the expectation; the wording is what makes it true.

More on that: quote vs estimate vs receipt.

Send it before you leave

A quote sent from the driveway gets a decision while you are still the person standing in front of them. One sent that evening gets "let me think about it". This is the single highest-return habit in a solo service business: quote on site, in writing, with the exclusions stated, within a few minutes of finishing the walkthrough.

Save the lines you use most so the second quote takes ninety seconds instead of ten minutes. That is the whole difference between quoting every job and quoting only the ones you get round to.