Exclusions and assumptions on a quote: wording to copy

Exclusions list the work and costs your price does not cover, such as decorating, skips or building control fees. Assumptions list what your price relies on, such as clear access, sound joists or a working water supply. Put both on every quote in plain words, keep them specific to the job, and never use them to dodge the basic duty to do the work with reasonable care and skill.

What's the difference between an exclusion and an assumption?

An exclusion is out of scope: you won't do it, or it isn't in this price. An assumption is a condition: the price holds as long as it's true. "Skip hire is excluded" means the client arranges it. "We have assumed the existing joists are sound" means that if they aren't, repairing them costs extra.

Both matter for the same reason. Section 50 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 makes what you tell a householder about the service part of the contract if they rely on it. Your quote is that information. If it says nothing about decorating, a client can fairly assume a finished room.

What exclusions should go on a quote?

The ones a reasonable client might otherwise assume are included. For most domestic work that means finishes, fees, waste, and anything another trade normally does.

WHAT THIS QUOTE DOESN'T INCLUDE
- Decorating of new or disturbed surfaces. New plaster is left ready for mist coat.
- Building control, planning and party wall fees, and any surveyor or engineer fees.
- Structural calculations and drawings, unless listed in the scope above.
- Skip hire and permits for skips on the road. Delete if included
- Removal of asbestos-containing materials. If we find suspected asbestos, we will stop work in that area and arrange testing at extra cost.
- Floor coverings, kitchen and sanitaryware supply, unless listed in the scope above.
- Electrical work outside the circuits listed, and any upgrade to the consumer unit or supply.
- Making good of damage caused by others.

WHAT THIS PRICE ASSUMES
- Clear access to the work area and parking for one van within 50 metres.
- Use of water, electricity and a toilet on site at no charge.
- Existing joists / walls / roof timbers are sound. Any repair needed will be priced as a variation before work continues.
- No hidden services or obstructions in walls / floors / ground other than those shown or pointed out.
- Work carried out in one continuous visit, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
- Material prices held until date. After that, materials will be repriced at current merchant prices.

If anything here proves wrong, we'll tell you in writing, with a price, before doing any extra work.

Trim it for each job. A bathroom refit needs the sanitaryware and tiling lines; an EICR remedial quote needs none of them. A short list the client reads beats a long one they skip.

How do exclusions work on commercial and tender quotes?

On commercial work, exclusions and qualifications do more work, because there's less room to agree changes later. One electrical contractor we spoke to, running about ten commercial jobs at once, kept a standard exclusions document in Word and wanted it attached to every price-per-point quote without retyping it. That's the right instinct: one reviewed master list, trimmed per job.

On tenders, check the tender rules first. Some clients treat a bid with qualifications as non-compliant. Our guide to tender qualifications and exclusions covers how to qualify a bid without getting it thrown out.

What can't you exclude on a consumer quote?

You can't exclude or limit your liability for doing the work with reasonable care and skill. Section 57 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 makes any such term non-binding on the consumer. A line like "no responsibility accepted for workmanship" is worthless and makes the rest of the quote look less trustworthy.

The safe pattern is to make the price and scope plain and prominent. Section 64 says terms setting out the main subject matter and the price can't be challenged as unfair only if they're transparent and prominent. Burying a big exclusion in small print on page four doesn't meet that test. Put exclusions directly under the price, in the same size text. If you're writing standard terms for the first time, a solicitor can check them once and you can reuse them.

How do you present options without scaring the client?

Give each option its own total, and say plainly that they're alternatives. One builder and roofer we spoke to sent a multi-option quote and the client "nearly had a heart attack" at the combined total, because they read every option as part of one price. Clear exclusions and clear options do the same job: they stop the client imagining a number you never quoted. Our guide to quotes with options shows a layout that works.

Common questions