Should You Take a Deposit?
Written by James Walker · Last reviewed 16 August 2026
James Walker has 2 degrees in construction (BSc (Hons) Building Surveying · MSc Environmental Design of Buildings) and an extensive background in issue resolution, resolving over £4 billion of consumer issues.
The short answer
- Yes, where you are buying materials or committing time before you start.
- Ask for what you actually need. A deposit that matches your costs is easy to accept.
- Large deposits lose jobs. Homeowners have read about deposit fraud.
- Being able to explain what it covers is worth more than the amount.
- On bespoke goods, invoicing the supplier directly can solve it entirely.
On this page
What a deposit is for
Materials you must buy before arriving, and holding a slot you cannot otherwise fill. Both legitimate.
What it is not for is funding your business generally. That is the distinction customers are increasingly alert to, and the reason a large unexplained deposit reads badly even when your intentions are fine.
How much
Match it to what you actually commit before starting:
| Type of work | Reasonable |
|---|---|
| Labour with few materials, plastering, decorating, damp treatment | None |
| Modest stock materials, rewiring, plumbing, fencing | Around 10% |
| Significant standard materials, bathrooms, boilers, roofing, driveways | 15-20% |
| Made to measure, kitchens, windows, bespoke joinery | 25-30% |
Above 30% on a domestic job, expect resistance, and expect to lose some of those jobs to someone asking for less.
Why the big deposit costs you work
Consumer advice on this has shifted hard in the last few years, and homeowners now arrive having read that a large up-front payment is a warning sign.
So when you ask for 40% or 50%, a proportion of customers will not say no, they will simply go quiet and book someone else. You never find out that was the reason.
The trades winning work in this market are the ones who can answer "why do you need that?" with a specific, checkable answer.
Say what the deposit covers
"The units are made to order and I have to pay for them before delivery, that's what the deposit covers. Everything after that is staged as the work gets done."
That sentence converts. It gives a reason, sets a limit, and signals you are not asking for anything else early.
The alternative on bespoke goods
If the money is genuinely for materials, let the customer pay the supplier directly. They own the goods, you have no cash-flow gap, and the objection disappears completely.
It costs you nothing and removes the single biggest source of hesitation on kitchen, window and joinery work.
Related guides
Common questions
- Is a deposit refundable?
- Depends on what it covered and what you agreed. Say so up front.
- Can I take cash?
- You can, but no record cuts both ways, usually against you.
- What if they refuse any deposit?
- Ask what would make them comfortable. Often it is a smaller amount tied to an invoice.
- Should the deposit be on my invoice?
- Yes, itemised, showing what it covers.