Landlord Contractor Quote Checklist: Compare the Same Repair

Compare contractor quotes against one written repair brief, not against each other’s headline total. Ask each contractor to state the proposed work, exclusions, access needs, price basis, deliverables and rules for extra work. Resolve material differences before approving a specific version.

This practical checklist is for landlords managing repairs in England. It is not a price guide, contract template or technical diagnosis. The worked example is fictional; actual work needs appropriately competent professionals.

1. Write the problem before prescribing the solution

Start with the tenant’s report: what is affected, where, when it began and what has changed. Attach relevant photographs where safe and appropriate, with the tenant’s personal possessions kept out where possible. Record previous visits and any diagnosis already given by a professional.

Distinguish “water appears under the sink” from “replace the tap”. Prematurely specifying a repair can produce comparable prices for the wrong work. If diagnosis is uncertain, ask for a clearly bounded diagnostic visit first.

Immediate danger is not a quote-shopping exercise. Follow the appropriate emergency guidance and use emergency services or competent emergency assistance where needed. Do not delay necessary safety action while collecting multiple bids.

2. Check competence for the particular job

For gas work, verify the engineer’s current Gas Safe registration and the relevant work categories, not merely a logo on the quote. HSE explains that gas safety checks require a registered engineer competent in that specific area; an unregistered installer cannot simply have their gas work signed off afterwards.

For electrical installation inspection and testing, England’s official guidance requires a qualified person competent for that work. Confirm the inspection scope and report to be supplied; testing and remedial work are different deliverables.

Record the person or business checked, source and date. Separately ask about suitable insurance and who will attend. A directory listing or software profile is not your verification.

3. Copy this contractor quote brief

Send the same brief to each suitable contractor. Leave uncertain fields marked “please confirm” rather than inserting guesses.

• Case: property reference, affected location and reported problem.
• Evidence: relevant photos, previous diagnosis and known limitations.
• Requested outcome: diagnosis, specified repair or replacement proposal.
• Scope: labour, parts, preparation, testing, waste removal and making good.
• Exclusions: concealed damage, access work or other items not included.
• Price basis: fixed quote, estimate or diagnostic fee; VAT position and assumptions.
• Attendance: lead time, likely duration, access needs and disruption.
• Handover: report, relevant certificate, photographs, invoice and warranty terms.
• Changes: approval contact, additional-cost process and emergency escalation.
• Validity: quote reference, version, expiry and payment terms.

Keep contact and access details in the appropriate private channel. A circulated request for prices should not contain alarm codes, keysafe codes or unnecessary tenant information.

4. Make differences visible before choosing

Compare what each offer buys. Is one price labour-only while another includes materials? Does one include removing damaged finishes and reinstating them? Are attendance, parking, waste disposal or repeat visits charged separately? Ask the contractor to explain the commercial basis in writing if “quote” and “estimate” are used interchangeably.

For each material gap, write one clarification question and retain the response beside the revised offer. Do not mentally add invented allowances to make a cheaper figure look complete. If an item remains provisional, show that uncertainty in the decision. Availability and a suitable scope may matter more than a small difference in headline price.

5. Separate approval from an appointment

Name the person authorised to approve the work and the person coordinating access. Where an agent needs landlord approval, identify that dependency before offering the tenant a firm appointment.

Agree arrangements with the occupier using the appropriate notice and access process. A contractor being available does not mean access has been arranged. Confirm the date or window, attendee, expected disruption and contact route. Share only the information needed for the visit and record changes promptly.

Approval should identify the exact quote version, agreed scope and price basis. “Please sort it” leaves too much uncertain.

6. Agree how variations will be handled

Ask for proposed extra work to be explained before non-emergency additions begin: what was found, why the original scope changes, cost effect, timing effect and available options. Keep the explanation and approval with the original quote.

Agree an escalation contact if the approver is unavailable, including how urgent safety findings are communicated. Approval controls must not be used to delay necessary emergency action. If additional work has already happened, record the actual circumstances and resolve the commercial position; do not create a retrospective record suggesting advance approval existed.

7. Worked example: two prices, different jobs

Fictional example—not a customer result or price benchmark. A tenant reports a recurring kitchen leak. Contractor A offers a seal replacement but excludes opening the boxing and reinstatement. Contractor B quotes for a diagnostic visit, with any repair priced afterwards.

Neither offer is automatically better: they describe different work. The landlord asks what evidence supports the seal diagnosis and what the diagnostic visit will deliver. After clarification, they approve a bounded investigation, coordinate access and wait for the findings before authorising a repair. The useful outcome is an understandable decision, not an invented saving.

8. Define completion before the visit

List the handover records expected for this job. These may include the diagnosis, work description, relevant certification, agreed photographs and an itemised invoice. Confirm where any further action is recorded and who owns it.

Ask the tenant whether the reported symptom is resolved, without treating their response as technical certification. If it returns, connect the follow-up to the original case. An invoice, an attended appointment and a satisfactorily resolved repair are different facts; preserve that distinction in your records.

9. Common mistakes and questions

• Comparing unlike work: clarify scope before comparing totals.
• Approving an obsolete quote: identify the accepted version.
• Forgetting reinstatement: say who leaves the room usable.
• Closing on attendance: check the outcome and outstanding evidence.

Do I always need three quotes?

This checklist sets no universal number. Consider urgency, job size and any contractual, insurer or organisational requirements. Multiple prices are useful only when their scope is understandable; they should not obstruct necessary urgent action.

Should I approve a quote with exclusions?

Exclusions are not automatically a problem. Identify who will handle them, their likely effect and whether another decision is needed before work starts.

What can Tendmere help with?

The repair workspace helps organise case records and conversations. It does not make an unsuitable contractor competent or approve a commercial decision for you. Use the heating repair timeline for a more detailed case-record checklist, and the manual compliance calendar for applicable inspection dates—not as a contractor booking or quote-comparison service.