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Template

Small renovation or repair job agreement

A small renovation or repair job agreement needs five things in writing: the scope with what is not included, the price and when each payment is due, how changes are quoted and approved, the start and finish dates, and what is owed if either side stops early. This free template gives you all five as one text message, as a full one-page form and as optional clauses for materials, permits and the final walkthrough.

Updated Oct 11, 2026

Pip, the TrustChain guide, holding up a blank card

Pip explains

Line 3 is the one people skip. Write down how extras get priced before anyone asks for one.

I'm a guide, not a lawyer, so this isn't legal advice.

Short form

One message. Send it and keep the reply.

The short form, as one message
Scope: [WORK DESCRIPTION]. [TOTAL PRICE] [PLUS TAX / TAX INCLUDED], [DEPOSIT AMOUNT] before I start, the rest on completion. Anything outside that gets quoted in writing first. Start [START DATE], done by [FINISH DATE]. If either of us stops early, you pay for work done and materials bought, and any unused deposit comes back within [NUMBER] days. Reply yes if that's the deal.

Fill in five details

Each field fills one bracket in the text above. The grey text is an example, taken from the filled example further down.

0 of 5

Two brackets stay for you to finish in the text: keep plus tax or tax included, and write how many days you have to return an unused deposit.

This builder runs in your browser and sends nothing to us. Agreements you create on TrustChain are stored on TrustChain's servers.

How to use it

  1. Fill in the brackets. Fill in every bracket. Where a bracket shows choices split by a slash, keep one. Write money as numbers and dates as dates.
  2. Send the short form. Send the short form as one message to the other person.
  3. Keep the reply. Keep their reply, so you both have the same words to come back to.
  4. Or create it on TrustChain. Or create it as an agreement on TrustChain and invite the other person to sign the same text.

Full form

Fill in every [BRACKET]. Where a bracket shows choices split by a slash, keep one. Write money as numbers and dates as dates. Delete any optional clause you do not need.

Client:
[CLIENT NAME], [CLIENT PHONE OR EMAIL]
Tradesperson:
[TRADESPERSON NAME], [BUSINESS NAME IF ANY], [TRADESPERSON PHONE OR EMAIL]
Date agreed:
[DATE AGREED]

  1. 1. What we're doing

    I will [WORK DESCRIPTION] at [SITE ADDRESS]. Materials are supplied by [WHO SUPPLIES MATERIALS]. Included: [INCLUDED ITEMS]. Not included: [EXCLUDED ITEMS].

  2. 2. Price and payment

    The price is [TOTAL PRICE] [PLUS TAX / TAX INCLUDED]. It is [A FIXED PRICE / AN ESTIMATE THAT CAN CHANGE BY UP TO AMOUNT]. [DEPOSIT AMOUNT] is due before the start, [MILESTONE PAYMENT] when [MILESTONE], and [FINAL PAYMENT] on completion and walkthrough. Payment is by [PAYMENT METHOD] within [NUMBER] days of each invoice.

  3. 3. Changes

    Any work outside the scope above is quoted separately. It starts only after you confirm the quote in writing. Extra hours are [HOURLY RATE] per hour plus materials. Each change is written down as its own note. This text is not edited.

  4. 4. Dates

    Start [START DATE]. Expected completion [FINISH DATE]. Delays from [DELAY CAUSES, FOR EXAMPLE WEATHER OR LATE MATERIALS] push the completion date by the same number of working days. I will tell you [HOW SOON] when that happens.

  5. 5. If someone walks

    If either of us ends the job early, you pay for work completed and materials bought up to that date. Any unused deposit is refunded within [NUMBER] days.

Agreed

  • [CLIENT NAME], [DATE]
  • [TRADESPERSON NAME], [DATE]

Each of us keeps a copy.

Optional clauses

Add any that fit, above "Agreed". Each one stands alone.

Often added

  • Materials as a range. Materials on top: [MATERIALS LIST], about [LOW AMOUNT] to [HIGH AMOUNT], at cost with receipts.
  • Allowance. [ITEM] allowance: [AMOUNT]. If your pick costs more, you pay the difference at cost before I order. If it costs less, it comes off the final invoice.
  • Permits. [WHO APPLIES] applies for the permit and books inspections. The fee, about [PERMIT FEE], is billed [HOW].
  • Defining done. After the walkthrough I send one list. I finish it by [DATE], and the final invoice is due when it is done. New items after [DATE] are a new job.
  • Hourly instead of fixed. [HOURLY RATE] per hour on site, from when I arrive. Supply runs are [FEE] a trip. I will text you the hours each evening.

More clauses

  • Parts you supply. Please have [PART] on site by [DATE]. If it arrives late, damaged or with missing pieces, the install moves and an extra trip is [TRIP FEE]. The part itself is between you and the seller.
  • Leftover materials. Unused materials you paid for are yours. Unopened boxes can go back for credit.
  • Tear-out and haul-away. Tear-out, haul-away and dump fees: [INCLUDED / EXTRA AT AMOUNT].
  • Weather. If it rains on a [OUTDOOR TASK] day, we move to the next dry day and the finish date moves with it. I will text you by [TIME].
  • Quiet hours. No loud work before [TIME]. Loud work only [HOURS]. That adds [NUMBER] days to the finish date.
  • Access and house rules. I am in from [WORK HOURS]. [HOUSE RULES]. I will text you a photo of the locked door when I leave.
  • Missed visit. If nobody is home and I cannot get in at the booked time, the trip is [NO-SHOW FEE] and we rebook.
  • Rescheduling. If the start moves more than once, the slot goes to the next job on my list and we pick a new date after that.
  • After-hours rate. Evening, weekend and holiday hours are [AFTER-HOURS RATE] instead of [HOURLY RATE].
  • Who does the work. [HELPER OR SUBCONTRACTOR] does [TASKS]. Same price, and I check that work before I start mine.
  • Who can approve changes. Any change, even a small one, goes through [NAME] in writing first.
  • Edges of the trade. My price covers [WHAT IS INCLUDED AT THE EDGES]. [WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED] is not included.
  • Client does part of the work. [CLIENT TASK] is yours, done by [DATE]. If it is not done by then, my crew finishes it at [HOURLY RATE] per hour. Damage during your part is fixed as extra work.
  • Taking over someone else's job. I start from [HANDOVER POINT]. [EARLIER WORK] was done before me and is not part of my work. If I see a problem with it, I will tell you before I build over it.
  • Neighbour's space. We use [AREA] on [DAYS], [HOURS]. We protect it, and if we damage anything we fix it or pay for it.
  • Photos of the finished job. I may post photos of the finished work: no house number, no faces, nothing from the street.

Filled example

Scope: tile the kitchen backsplash, about 40 sq ft, tile supplied by you. $3,200 plus tax, $960 before I start, the rest on completion. Anything outside that gets quoted in writing first. Start Monday June 8, done by Friday June 12. If either of us stops early, you pay for work done and materials bought, and any unused deposit comes back within 7 days. Reply yes if that's the deal.

Check the rules where you live

There may be local rules about permits, trade licences, deposits, and what either side can do if payment or work stops. Check them with your local building office or a professional before work starts. This template is a plain-words starting point. It does not say what the law is anywhere.

In British Columbia? Not paid for a job in British Columbia. What are my options?

Use it on TrustChain

A text and a yes record what you said. On TrustChain, the same lines become one agreement you both sign.

New identity checks are paused for now. If you verified before, you can still sign; if not, signing waits until they're back. Drafting, reading, sharing a link and looking up records all work.

  • Each of you passes an identity check by Sumsub before you can sign.
  • You both sign the same final text, and each signature goes into a timestamped audit trail.
  • Once you've both signed, a public record link that anyone can open without an account shows the status, never your identities.
  • Anchoring is optional. It puts the record's fingerprint in a dated Polygon transaction, and only an anchored record is tamper-evident: change it and it stops matching. On Free each anchor is $1 once your identity is verified; Pro includes 20 a month and Elite 100.
  • Anchoring writes more than a fingerprint: the Polygon transaction carries the fingerprint together with TrustChain's ID for the record, with two empty wallet slots. No agreement text, names or emails are written on-chain.
  • The Free plan includes 1 agreement a month. The person you invite never pays, and your record, certificate and PDF are free on every plan. Prices in USD.

Opens the New agreement form as Work or services, with this text in Scope of work. Free, no card needed.

Questions people ask next

New identity checks are paused for now. If you verified before, you can still sign; if not, signing waits until they're back. Drafting, reading, sharing a link and looking up records all work.

Is a text message enough for a small job?

A text and a yes are a written record of what you both said, so neither of you has to rely on memory later. What a text means beyond that depends on where you are and what it says, and TrustChain makes no claim about that. Send the short form, keep the reply, and for a bigger job you can both sign the same text on TrustChain.

Should I take a deposit?

That's your choice, and the template has a place for it: how much is due before the start, and how soon an unused deposit comes back. Rules about deposits differ by place, so check with your local building office or a professional before you set one.

What if the client wants extra work?

Write the extra as its own short note before you start it: what is added, the extra cost, how it moves the finish date, and a line asking the client to confirm in writing. The Changes part of the template says the same thing: extras are quoted first, and the original text is never edited.

Who gets the permit?

Whoever you both write down. The Permits clause names who applies and books inspections, and how the fee is billed. Whether the job needs a permit, and who is allowed to apply for it, is a question for your local building office.

Licence and source

This template is from TrustChain's open repository and is licensed CC BY 4.0. Open templates/renovation-repair-job.md on GitHub

Only the template text is CC BY. The rest of this page is not. Read the CC BY 4.0 licence

Not legal advice.