When a job changes, pause long enough to agree what happens next. Explain the extra work, its price and any effect on timing, then keep a written record of the customer’s decision before carrying out the additional scope.
The useful bits
- Separate a newly discovered problem from the work already agreed.
- Get approval from the person authorised to make the decision.
- Carry the agreed change through to the final job record and invoice.
Start with what you found
A small repair can uncover another problem. A decorating job can reveal a surface that needs more preparation. The useful first step is a clear explanation of what has changed, rather than immediately presenting a larger total.
Describe the issue without jargon and distinguish observation from assumption. Where a photograph helps, use one with the customer’s permission and keep unrelated personal details out of it. If further investigation is needed before you can price the work, say so rather than presenting an uncertain amount as settled.
Extra preparation on a decorating job
The agreed job is to repaint a room. After removing the old wallpaper, the decorator finds areas that need more preparation than the original quote included. They explain the extra preparation, its price and the effect on timing. The customer confirms the addition in writing before that extra work starts.
Give the customer something specific to approve
“There may be some extras” is not a useful decision. Explain the proposed work, what it will cost and whether it changes the completion date. If there are practical options, distinguish them clearly rather than making the customer work out what each price includes.
Speak to the person who can authorise the change. The person letting you into a property or opening a shop may not control the budget. Confirm the approval route before you assume that a casual conversation is a decision on behalf of the paying customer.
- What additional work is proposed?
- What price or pricing basis is being agreed?
- What remains outside the scope?
- Does it change access arrangements or completion timing?
- Who is approving it, and how will that approval be recorded?
Write down the agreement while it is fresh
After the conversation, send a short written summary through the customer contact route you normally use. Ask the customer to confirm the proposed change. Keep the response with the relevant job information, so the invoice is not the first written mention of the extra work.
This is a practical working routine, not a substitute for suitable terms or advice about a disputed contract. If the customer does not approve the extra scope, do not treat silence as permission. Agree what can happen next within the original work, taking account of your professional and safety responsibilities.
A short confirmation message
“As discussed, the additional work is [description], for [agreed price]. This changes the completion timing to [timing], and [exclusions] remain outside the job. Please confirm you would like me to proceed.” Use the actual details rather than leaving the customer to infer them.
Make the invoice reflect the same story
At handover, compare the original work and the approved changes with what was completed. Describe the additions clearly on the final paperwork. If something changed again, resolve that with the customer rather than combining several unexplained adjustments into one total.
Tender keeps jobs, customers and paperwork together, giving you a place to follow the work through to invoicing and payment. The useful habit is the same whatever tools you use: explain the change early, agree it clearly and make the records match.
