What should you check before agreeing extra work?
Before agreeing extra work, compare the proposal with the quote you accepted. Ask what has changed, what work is added or removed, the change in the total price and whether it affects the finish date. The person authorised to decide should give a clear written answer tied to that proposal. Keep the original quote and the change together.
A finding on site, a new preference and unfinished original work are different situations. Start by identifying which one applies. This checklist helps someone commissioning a job decide on a change; it does not turn every request for more money into a valid addition.
Is it an addition, an omission or unfinished work?
| Situation | Question to resolve |
|---|---|
| You request another item | What new work is added, and what is its price? |
| A hidden condition is found | What evidence supports the finding, and which agreed work does it affect? |
| An item seems missing | Was it included, excluded or left unresolved in the accepted quote? |
| The agreed finish is wrong | Is the proposal correcting original work, rather than adding a new preference? |
| You choose a different finish | What original item or cost is removed, and what replaces it? |
| The original price is an estimate | Which allowances or quantities changed, and what does your agreement say? |
Use the accepted scope, photos, messages and recorded exclusions to answer these questions. If there is a disagreement about what was included, resolve that point rather than simply calling the work an “extra”. The initial quote comparison guide covers scope before you choose an offer.
Ask for a change proposal you can actually approve
Request the following in one message or revised document:
- Reference: the job and original quote, plus the change number or revision.
- Reason: the finding or request that led to the proposal, with relevant evidence.
- Scope: what is added, removed or replaced, including materials and making good.
- Money: the extra or reduced price, the new overall total and VAT treatment.
- Timing: the effect on visits, completion and use of the space.
- Decision: who must reply, what remains on hold and any time by which the decision is needed.
Ask about any alternative, such as retaining the original finish or deferring an optional item. A discovery that needs competent safety assessment should be handled by the responsible professional; do not agree a repair method just from a photograph. Establish what work can safely continue and what needs to pause.
A fictional approved addition with checked totals
Fictional worked example: a cupboard repair was agreed for £500 in total. During the job, the person commissioning the work asks for a separate damaged door to be repaired too. The contractor proposes change V1 for an additional £100, making the total £600. Both example totals include any applicable tax; the prices are for this example.
The person arranging the work checks that the second door was outside the original scope, reads what V1 includes and confirms whether the extra repair changes the return visit. They approve V1 in writing. The original £500 quote remains in the record alongside the £100 addition.
If £150 has already been paid toward this job, the balance against the revised £600 total is £450. The amount due now still follows the agreed payment stages. An approved total and an immediate payment request are different facts.
If V1 is later replaced by a £140 proposal, that is a new decision and a £640 total. The earlier reply approving £100 does not approve the revised addition. Ask for the revised scope and total before answering.
Copy a clear approval, question or refusal
Replace the example references and details with the actual job. Use the reply that matches your decision.
Approve the described addition
I approve change V1 for the second cupboard door, as described in your proposal, for an additional £100 and a new total of £600. The agreed return visit is unchanged. Please keep V1 with the original quote and confirm the work and payment stages.
Ask before deciding
Please show which part of the original quote excludes this item, what the proposed repair includes and the revised total. I have not approved the addition. Please tell me what original work can continue while we clarify it.
Decline an optional addition
I do not want the optional second-door repair. Please continue only with the original agreed work where that can safely proceed, and confirm whether declining the addition changes the original plan.
For a rented property or business site, send the proposal to the person who can authorise the change. Tell the resident or site contact about any agreed appointment or use restriction that affects them. Their acknowledgement of an update is not the commercial decision.
Home work and business purchases have different rules
For work bought as a consumer for a home in England, Citizens Advice distinguishes a quote from an estimate and explains when an additional charge can be challenged. Its guidance says extra work and an agreed increase can be a reason for a changed quote, while a rise in the trader’s own costs does not by itself justify charging more. If an unexpected invoice arrives, check the agreement and use that advice route for your situation.
For a business purchase or work commissioned under a property-management arrangement, check the contract, purchase order and agreed change process. Do not assume consumer protections or household cancellation rights apply. Record whose approval is required under that arrangement and clarify responsibility before instructing the work.
Source: Citizens Advice: problems with home improvements (England)
Keep the completion and invoice aligned with the decision
- Keep each approved change beside the original scope; retain replaced proposals as history.
- Check the work summary against the original work plus approved additions and removals.
- Record unfinished items and who is handling them.
- Check the invoice shows the agreed revised total and payments already received.
- Keep a disputed item clearly identified rather than silently treating it as approved.
Use the variation form to organise the change. For more than one person arranging the job, see rented-property repairs or the commercial maintenance brief. If you need another opinion on work outside the original scope, find a relevant tradesperson and explain what has already been agreed.
