Customer guide
A useful comparison looks beyond the lowest total. It asks whether the problem, scope, access, materials and responsibility are understood in the same way.
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Property maintenance covers many trades and levels of risk. A contractor may be well suited to one repair and not authorised or equipped for another. Clear boundaries are a sign of responsible working, not a weakness.
1. Describe the same job to each contractor
Comparisons only make sense when each contractor receives similar information. Provide:
- the property location and type;
- the defect and when it appears;
- photographs;
- known history and previous repairs;
- access and occupancy constraints;
- the result you want;
- any deadlines and why they matter.
Avoid asking for a fixed price from one close-up photograph when the cause or extent cannot be known.
2. Read the scope, not just the total
A clear quotation should identify, as appropriate:
- the work included;
- important exclusions and assumptions;
- materials or performance basis;
- access arrangements;
- waste responsibility;
- protection and making good;
- price basis and VAT position;
- payment stages;
- likely timing or dependencies;
- how changes will be agreed.
A shorter quotation can still be clear. The test is whether both parties understand what completion means.
3. Ask how uncertainty will be handled
Some defects cannot be fully exposed before work starts. Ask:
- what is known now;
- what remains provisional;
- what discovery might change the price or programme;
- who can authorise extra work;
- how evidence will be recorded.
Do not accept open-ended permission to perform unspecified extras.
4. Check competence for the actual task
Relevant checks depend on the work. They may include trade experience, product training, appropriate insurance, safe access arrangements or membership of a relevant scheme.
Gas work must be carried out by an appropriately registered Gas Safe engineer. Electrical, structural, asbestos, fire-safety and other specialist work requires the right competence and, where applicable, formal authorisation or certification.
G&M's website does not offer electrical or gas work. Any claim about qualification, scheme membership, insurance, guarantee or manufacturer approval should be supported by current evidence before publication or reliance.
5. Discuss access and safety
Ask how the contractor intends to reach the work and protect occupants, visitors and property. A low quotation that depends on unsuitable ladder use, unprotected roof access or uncontrolled dust is not a like-for-like alternative.
6. Look for practical communication
Good communication includes:
- confirming the problem in plain language;
- setting realistic next steps;
- identifying the person who can authorise changes;
- recording agreed variations;
- explaining delays or access problems;
- providing a useful completion record.
Be cautious of pressure to decide immediately where there is no genuine emergency.
7. Treat photographs and reviews as evidence with limits
Photographs can demonstrate the type and standard of work, but they do not prove the conditions at your property. Reviews can show patterns in communication and delivery, but verify that they relate to the business and service being considered.
8. Understand guarantees and aftercare
Ask:
- what is covered;
- who provides the cover;
- how long it lasts;
- what maintenance conditions apply;
- what is excluded;
- what record you will receive.
A product warranty, installer workmanship commitment and insurance-backed guarantee are not interchangeable.
9. Confirm how personal information is handled
A quote request may include an address, contact details and photographs of an occupied property. Use the contractor's stated contact route and avoid sending alarm codes, unrestricted key instructions or unnecessary personal information.
10. Keep the final record
Retain the agreed quotation, changes, payments and completion information. Landlords and managers should connect the record to the correct property without mislabelling general maintenance as a formal statutory inspection.
A quick comparison checklist
Before appointing, ask:
- Is the scope clear?
- Are exclusions and assumptions visible?
- Is the price basis understood?
- Does the contractor have the right competence?
- Is access credible and safe?
- Is the change-control process clear?
- Are timescales described realistically?
- Is there a sensible completion record?
- Are guarantees and claims evidenced?
- Do you know who to contact?