Guide
Before starting any job, get five things in writing: the scope of work, the price and payment schedule, a change-order rule, the deadlines, and what happens if either side walks away.
Updated September 9, 2026
Arguments on small jobs usually start with something nobody wrote down, not with something written badly. Five short lines cover the gaps that cause most of them: what you are doing, what you get paid and when, how changes get priced, when it is done, and what happens if someone quits. Each one can be a single sentence you send before you pick up a tool.
The scope is the list of work you are responsible for, and by implication the work you are not responsible for. Vague scope is the most common source of "I thought that was included." Name the areas, the materials, who supplies what, and what is excluded.
Paste-ready example: "Scope: remove and replace the kitchen backsplash (approx. 40 sq ft) with client-supplied tile, including demo, thinset, grout and cleanup. Painting, electrical and plumbing are not included."
The price line states the total, whether tax is included, and when each payment is due. A schedule tied to milestones works for both sides: the client pays for work they can see, and you are not carrying the whole job on your own money.
Paste-ready example: "Price: $3,200 plus tax. 30% ($960) due before start, 40% due when tile is set, 30% due on completion and walkthrough. Payment by e-transfer within 2 days of each invoice."
A change-order rule says how extra work gets approved and priced before it happens. Without one, every "while you're here, can you also" turns into a dispute at the final invoice. The rule can be one sentence: nothing outside the scope starts until both sides confirm the price in writing.
Paste-ready example: "Changes: any work outside the scope above is quoted separately and starts only after you confirm the quote in writing. Extra hours are billed at $65 per hour plus materials."
Deadlines cover the start date, the expected completion date, and what counts as an acceptable delay. Weather, back-ordered materials and client-side holdups happen, so say how they move the date instead of pretending they will not.
Paste-ready example: "Timeline: start Monday, June 8; expected completion Friday, June 12. Delays caused by material back-orders or client changes push the completion date by the same number of working days."
The exit line says what is owed if the job stops early, in either direction. It covers work completed so far, materials already bought, and any deposit. Writing this down while everyone is friendly is much easier than negotiating it during a walk-out.
Paste-ready example: "If either of us ends the job early, the client pays for work completed and materials purchased to that date, and any unused deposit is refunded within 7 days."
A text message with these five lines is a real improvement over a handshake. It shows what was discussed and roughly when. Keep sending them; they beat silence every time.
A text message has three weaknesses as a record. Either side can delete their copy, edit a screenshot, or claim the wording changed in a later message. The timestamp lives on a phone that one party controls. And nothing in a text proves who was holding the phone when it was sent.
A signed record closes those gaps. Both parties are identified, both sign the same final text, and the signed version is fingerprinted so that any later change is detectable. That is the difference between "here is what I remember" and "here is what we both signed."
TrustChain takes the same five lines you would text and turns them into a tamper-evident record. The steps:
After signing, either party can download their own record, certificate and PDF on any plan. Anyone with the public verification link can check the record without creating an account.
What TrustChain does not do is decide who is right. The fingerprint, timestamps, identity checks and Polygon anchor are verifiable anywhere. Whether the agreement is enforceable depends on where you and your client are and what you agreed, so a local professional is the right person to ask about that. TrustChain makes the record of the deal hard to dispute; it does not chase the money.
Start on the free plan at trustchain.biz: one protected agreement per month, no card required.
Whether a text exchange counts as a written agreement depends on where you are and what the messages say, so ask a local lawyer or your trade association. A text is still worth sending: it records what was discussed and roughly when. A signed, identity-verified record removes most of the argument about what was agreed and by whom.
TrustChain makes no claim of enforceability in any particular place. The fingerprint, timestamps, identity checks and Polygon anchor are verifiable anywhere; whether the agreement is enforceable depends on where the parties are and what they agreed, which is a question for a local professional.
Yes. Both parties verify identity with a photo ID and a selfie before signing, which takes about two minutes each, and an unverified account cannot sign. The other party receives the invitation by email.
The free plan includes one protected agreement per month, encrypted negotiation, the keccak256 fingerprint, a private registry and the public verification link, with no card required. An anchor can be added for $1, and Pro ($19/month) includes 20 anchors per month while Elite ($49/month) includes 100.
The free plan covers one protected agreement a month: both identities verified, the signed text fingerprinted, a public verification link. No card needed.