Trades Guide · Quoting

Are quotes legally binding in the UK? WhatsApp quotes included.

The Back Office  ·  8 min read  ·  Last updated 21 October 2026

The short answer: Yes. Once a customer says yes to a quote, it’s a binding agreement, whether it’s a PDF, a text or a WhatsApp message. An estimate isn’t a fixed price and can move. And for work agreed in someone’s home, the customer has 14 days to cancel, so you need their written go-ahead before you start inside that window or you may not get paid for it.

This guide isn’t legal advice, and we’re not solicitors. It’s the plain-English version of what the law says, with every claim linked to GOV.UK, Citizens Advice or the legislation itself at the bottom. If real money is on the line, get a solicitor.

What makes a quote binding

Contract law in England and Wales doesn’t care much about paper. It cares about three things: you offered to do a job for a price, they accepted, and both sides are giving something (your work, their money). That’s a contract. It can be made in a kitchen, over the phone, or in a WhatsApp thread.

Citizens Advice puts it to homeowners in one line: “After you say yes to a quote, it’s a binding agreement between you and the trader, whether it’s written down or not.”

Read that from your side. The binding bit cuts both ways. They’re bound to pay your price. You’re bound to do the work for it. If the job grows and you haven’t said in writing what would change the price, you’re the one holding the extra.

Quote vs estimate: the difference that costs you money

These two words are not the same thing, and customers have been told the difference.

A quote is a fixed price. Citizens Advice tells homeowners a trader can only charge more than a quote if the customer asks for extra work, agrees to extra work you flag, or you made a genuine calculation mistake. That’s the full list.

An estimate is a rough price that’s expected to move. Checkatrade’s own guidance to trades describes it as “a rough price for a project which is subject to change.” It gives you room. It also gives the customer a reason to pick the person who gave them a firm number.

The practical answer for most jobs: quote firmly on the work you can see, and put in writing what would change it. “Price assumes existing joists are sound. If they need replacing, that’s agreed with you in writing before we do it.” One line. It keeps the certainty that wins the job and your margin when the floor comes up.

Is a WhatsApp quote legally binding?

Yes. A quote sent by text or WhatsApp is as binding as one on headed paper. The law looks at what was offered and accepted, not the app it was typed in.

That’s not the problem. The problem is what a two-line WhatsApp quote doesn’t say.

“£1,400 for the bathroom” is a contract for a bathroom at £1,400. It doesn’t say what’s in the bathroom. It doesn’t say whether that’s with VAT or without. It doesn’t say when it’s valid until, when they pay, or what happens if the joists are rotten. So when the argument starts, the contract is whatever a court or an ombudsman thinks “the bathroom” reasonably meant. You don’t want that.

A proper quote, sent as a PDF through WhatsApp, carries the things a chat message can’t:

  • A clear description of the work — what’s included, and what isn’t.
  • Materials and labour, itemised — so there’s no “I thought that was in.”
  • VAT, shown or stated — if you’re not registered, say the price has no VAT to add.
  • A validity date — more on that below.
  • What changes the price — hidden damage, extra work, materials you’ve priced as an estimate.
  • Payment terms — deposit, stage payments, when the balance is due.
  • A line for them to accept — a reply saying “yes” to a PDF with all of that on it is the contract you actually want.

Checkatrade’s checklist for a building quote runs to the same things: business details, VAT number if registered, a reference number, the quote date and an expiry date, a description including exclusions, materials with quantities, labour, VAT and the total, terms including payment, and a space for the customer to sign. Send that and you’ve turned a thumbs-up into a document.

How long is a quote valid?

As long as you say it is. If you don’t say, it’s valid for whatever a reasonable person would think, which is an argument you’d rather not have.

Rated People’s guidance to trades suggests keeping quotes valid for 14 days because material prices move. Checkatrade says set an expiry date so the customer knows how long the costs stand for. Citizens Advice tells homeowners a quote should say how long the price is valid and whether it includes VAT, so the customer is expecting a date anyway.

One line does it: “This quote is valid for 14 days.” After that, you re-quote at this month’s prices, not last quarter’s.

The 14-day rule: the one that catches trades out

This is the bit most tradespeople have never been told, and it’s the one that can leave you working for nothing.

When you agree a job with a consumer away from your business premises (in their home, on the phone, over WhatsApp), the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give them a 14-day cancellation period. Citizens Advice tells homeowners it begins “the day after you give the go-ahead for the work to be done.” They can cancel in that window without giving a reason.

Here’s the catch. The regulations say the trader must not begin the work before the end of the cancellation period unless the customer has made an express request for you to start early. For a contract made at their home, that request has to be on a “durable medium” — written down, in other words. A WhatsApp message counts. A nod on the doorstep doesn’t.

And if you start without that written request, or you never told them about their right to cancel, regulation 36(6) says the consumer “bears no cost for supply of the service, in full or in part, in the cancellation period.” Citizens Advice puts it to homeowners more bluntly: if work started without your approval, “you’ll have the right to cancel and get a full refund of all costs.”

It gets worse if you never mention cancellation rights at all. Regulation 31 extends the cancellation period by up to 12 months. A year-long right to cancel, on a job you’ve already finished.

The 14-day window, for work agreed in a customer’s homeAgreed in their home, on the phone or over WhatsApp. The clock starts the day after they say yes.
  1. Day 0They say yesThe quote’s accepted. Your terms should already have told them they can cancel.
  2. Days 1–14Cancellation windowThey can cancel without a reason. Don’t start unless they’ve asked you to in writing — a WhatsApp message counts. Start without it and they may owe you nothing for the work.
  3. Day 15 onWindow closedStart as planned.

Never told them they could cancel? The window runs for up to 12 months longer — on a job you’ve already finished.

So the fix, on every quote to a householder:

  • Tell them they can cancel within 14 days. A short paragraph in your terms.
  • If they want you to start inside the 14 days, get it in writing. “I’d like you to start on Monday 3 November, before the 14-day cancellation period ends. I understand I’ll pay for work done if I cancel.” A WhatsApp reply saying exactly that is fine.
  • Keep the message. It’s the thing you’ll need.

Urgent repairs the customer asked you to come out for, and made-to-measure items, are treated differently, but don’t rely on that. Get the line in writing anyway.

The customer’s side of the deal

Since 2015, every job you do for a consumer has terms written into it by law whether you put them on the quote or not. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 says a service must be performed “with reasonable care and skill.” Where no price was fixed, it has to be a reasonable price. Where no time was fixed, a reasonable time.

Citizens Advice tells customers what they can ask for if that’s not met: a fix, a partial refund, a full refund, completion of the work at your cost, or a goodwill discount. It also tells them that once a refund is agreed, they should get it within 14 days.

None of that is a threat. It’s the standard you already work to. It’s worth knowing what’s in the customer’s head when a job goes sideways, because the trades who come out of a dispute well are the ones whose paperwork says what was agreed.

So we built the paperwork into the chat you already live in

The reason a two-line WhatsApp quote goes out instead of a proper one is time. The proper one means a laptop and a template, or a fiddly app on your phone.

With The Back Office you’re still on the drive. You press and hold in WhatsApp (or Telegram, if that’s your one) and say: “Quote for Dave Holt, 22 Mill Lane. Bathroom refit, supply and fit, £1,400. Existing joists assumed sound, anything extra agreed in writing first. Valid 14 days.” What comes back in under a minute is a branded PDF quote with the work itemised, VAT handled if you’re registered, a reference number, a date, a validity date, your terms (whatever payment terms you work to, plus the cancellation line if you tell Jan to add it), and a line for Dave to accept. He says yes in the chat and that’s your contract, kept. If the joists are rotten, you send the extra through the job card and he taps to approve it before you touch a thing.

Straight with you: Jan drafts, you approve. Nothing reaches a customer until you’ve said so, because it’s your name on it. We keep your quotes, invoices and receipts as tidy digital records so your books are MTD-ready for you or your accountant. We don’t file your return and we’re not HMRC-approved software. £29 a month.

Quotes and the law for tradespeople: quick FAQ

Are quotes legally binding in the UK?

Yes. Once the customer accepts a quote, it’s a binding agreement on both sides, written or not. You’re held to the price; they’re held to pay it.

What is the difference between an estimate and a quotation?

A quote is a fixed price. An estimate is a rough figure that’s expected to change. You can only go above a quote if the customer asks for extra work, agrees to extra work you’ve flagged, or you made a genuine calculation error.

Is a WhatsApp or text message quote binding?

Yes, as binding as a letter. The risk isn’t that it doesn’t count. It’s that a short message leaves out VAT, validity, exclusions and payment terms, so the argument is about what you both meant.

How long is a builder’s quote valid?

For as long as the quote says. The common guidance is 14 days, because material prices move. Put the date on it.

Can a customer cancel after accepting a quote?

If the job was agreed in their home or over the phone, they have 14 days to cancel. If you’ve started inside those 14 days without their written request, you may have to refund everything. Get the early-start request in writing.

Do builders charge for a quote?

Most don’t for straightforward jobs, and customers expect a free quote. If you charge for detailed surveys or designs, say so before you visit.

Can I charge more than my quote if the job turns out bigger?

Only if the customer asks for more, agrees to extra work you’ve flagged, or your quote contained a genuine mistake. Say in the quote what would change the price, and get each extra agreed in writing before you do it.

The quote that protects you isn’t the longest one. It’s the one that says what happens when the floor comes up.

Where these figures come from

Every rule in this guide is linked to its source below, with the date we checked it. Laws change and every job is different. If you’re reading this a long way from the date at the top, or you’re in a real dispute, check the originals and get proper advice.

All sources checked 21 October 2026.

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