Is an Estimate Legally Binding?
An estimate is normally a best guess rather than a fixed price. Here is the general position, and how to turn it into something firmer.
The short answer
An estimate is usually a best guess. A quote is usually a fixed price.
In general, an estimate is not binding as a fixed price. It is the contractor's informed view of what the work is likely to cost, so the final bill can be higher or lower. A quote is normally a firm price for the work it describes. That said, the label on the paper is not the whole story: what counts is what was actually agreed between you, and what a trader tells you about the price can carry weight if you relied on it when deciding to go ahead.
If you want certainty, ask for a written quote for a clearly defined job. This is general information, not legal advice. For the difference in more depth, see estimate vs quote.
Side by side
How estimates and quotes usually differ
An estimate
- A best guess at the likely cost
- Often given before the job is fully understood
- The final bill can move up or down
- Useful for budgeting and early decisions
- Should still be a genuine, reasonable figure
A quote
- A price for a defined piece of work
- Usually given after a proper look at the job
- Normally fixed unless the work changes
- What most people accept before work starts
- Often valid for a stated period
The general position
What consumer law says, in outline
When a business carries out work for you as a consumer, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies. In outline, the work must be carried out with reasonable care and skill, and where no price has been agreed you are required to pay a reasonable price, not whatever figure is later put in front of you.
The Act also treats information a trader gives you about the service as binding in some circumstances, where you took it into account when deciding to go ahead. So a price given to you, even one described as an estimate, is not meaningless. If the final bill is well above an estimate with no warning and no explanation, it is reasonable to ask why.
How this applies to a particular job depends on the facts and on what was said and written. Citizens Advice publishes free guidance on consumer rights for building work, and GOV.UK links to the legislation itself.
Getting certainty
Turning an estimate into something firmer
Ask for a written quote
Once the contractor has seen the job, ask whether they can give a fixed price rather than an estimate.
Define the job clearly
A fixed price is only as good as the description it is fixed against. Make sure the scope is written down.
Agree how unknowns are handled
Where something can't be priced yet, ask for it to be shown as a clearly marked allowance, with an agreement on how the final figure will be worked out.
Ask to be told before costs rise
Agree that the contractor will speak to you and get your agreement before doing anything that adds to the price.
Keep it in writing
Emails and messages count. See do I need a written contract for building work?
This is general information, not legal advice. If you are in a dispute about a price, Citizens Advice can explain your options, and a solicitor can advise on your particular circumstances. If the price has already moved, see what happens if the price goes up.
In practice
Where you are likely to see each
At an early conversation
A rough figure over the phone or on a first look is almost always an estimate. It helps you decide whether to go further, not what you will pay.
After a site visit
Once the contractor has seen the job properly, you can reasonably ask for a written quote for the defined work.
Where the job has unknowns
A quote can still be fixed for most of the work, with the unknowns shown as clearly marked allowances. See what is a provisional sum?
If you use Mortaro
You receive a written quotation
After the site visit, your contractor prices the work and we prepare it as a written quotation, not an estimate. It names your contractor, sets out the work and the price, and is valid for 30 days. If you have questions about any part of it, ask us before you accept. See how quotations work, or return to the quotes and payments guide.
Straight answers
Questions about estimates
Can a builder charge more than their quote?
Not normally for the same work. The price can change if the work changes or the quote allowed for it. See can a builder change the price after quoting?
What if I was never given a price at all?
Where no price was agreed, the general position under consumer law is that you pay a reasonable price for the work. Agreeing a price in writing first avoids the question.
Is an estimate over the phone worth anything?
It is useful for budgeting, but it is given before the contractor has seen the job, so treat it as a starting point. Ask for a written quote once they have visited.
Start here
Tell us about the work you have in mind
We will confirm we cover your postcode, arrange a site visit with a contractor from our network and send you a written quotation. No charge, no obligation.