Should I insist on a contract for this work?

[KlaraSundown]

We are about to start major refurbishment of a property we own. A builder that my DH is quite familiar with has given us a very reasonable quote and we’d like his team to start very soon. He’s asked me to pay him just over £17,000 upfront for materials though, the rest being £12,000 for labour paid at the end.

He’s supplied a quote itemising what materials he needs to buy, but I would have thought that surely we need to also sign some sort of contract as well for that sort of money. Otherwise surely he can just walk off with the money and we would have no legal claim?

Did you post this already, Op? It seems very familiar.

Yes I was advised to put it in Legal Matters.

When we did major work we didn't have a written legal formal contract.

It's common to pay upfront for materials. As long as you have it in writing what's being paid for.

The problem with legal formal contracts is that often the building work needs to change. So for example something is discovered as the wall is knocked back/whatever and the scope of the project needs to change.

If it's a big addition to scope then additional costs are usually agreed but if it's small the builder will sometimes absorb it.

Do you have a quote or an estimate?

Does the builder have to buy all the materials at the start of the job?

For that amount I would want to agree that title to the materials belongs to you as soon as they are purchased.

Are you making staged payments to the builder for their labour? That would only be fair.

For a job that size I would want something in writing,

In his quote he provided a breakdown of the work discussed and a list of the materials needed, so maybe this is sufficient.

Stating that the materials become ours once purchased is a good idea too, thanks.