Forum Discussion

Boxed2Built's avatar
Boxed2Built
Contributor 2
8 days ago

Payment Nightmare: Should Contractors Require a Deposit Before Starting a Job?

I recently had a job where the customer tried to pay in various formats and payment was never able to go through. I ended up leaving and hoping they would pay at a later date. Thankfully they did pay a few days later. How do others go about this potential issue? 

I have thought it may be a good idea to require a small deposit to make sure payment is able to be made before the job is started.

1 Reply

  • HUGEHomePros's avatar
    HUGEHomePros
    Jobber Ambassador

    ALWAYS take a deposit and ALWAYS require a credit card be on file. You also need to have in your contracts that if they don't pay after a certain amount of time you will charge the credit card on file. This needs to be on the quote that they sign. This is a non negotiable. Nothing gives me less energy than chasing down someone for a few hundred dollars. 

    For bigger jobs, arrange the time that you are going to do the final walk through and take payment. Before that, make sure to schedule your time to do your prefinal walkthrough where you can get your punch list.