Every contractor has bought materials for a job that then went quiet. A deposit is how you stop paying for other people's maybes.
Key takeaways
- A yes without a deposit is a maybe.
- Pick one rule, a percent or a flat amount, and use it on every job.
- Ask at signing, on the same page, not in a second message.
Set one rule
Customers push back on deposits that feel made up on the spot. They rarely push back on a rule. "We take 20 percent at signing on every job" is a rule. Check what your state allows, pick a number and stick to it.
Sign and pay on one page
Replace porch section$4,900
Deposit due at signing20%, your rule$980
Deposit paid. Job is on your day.
Ask at signing
The moment they sign is the moment they are most committed. If the deposit is on the same page as the signature, it is one step. If it is a separate invoice the next day, it is a second decision.
For bigger jobs, bill in stages
Deposit, midpoint and final. Each stage is invoiced when you mark it done, so you are never floating the job.
Koira adds your deposit rule to every estimate and sends progress invoices as the job moves.
