Guides
How to agree a renovation payment schedule
A payment schedule is the clearest description of how a project will actually be run, because it says what counts as progress.
Money in a renovation should follow work rather than the calendar. When a payment falls due on a date, the schedule is indifferent to whether the first fix is finished or the waterproofing has been tested. When it falls due on the completion of a named stage, it becomes a shared definition of progress that both sides can point at.
Decision guides set out how to judge a quote, a programme or a contractor fairly, so the comparison is made on like-for-like information.
The other half is the deposit. Materials have to be bought before they are installed, so a reasonable first payment is normal and expected. What matters is what it buys and when the next payment falls, and whether any part of the money is held back until the snag list is closed. Retention exists for exactly that reason, and it is worth agreeing rather than discovering.
What matters most on this page
Tie payments to named stages
First fix tested, waterproofing passed, finishes complete. Each payment should describe what has been achieved rather than a date.
Agree what the deposit covers
Materials, mobilisation or a combination. It should be a stated amount, not a percentage of an undefined total.
Hold something back for handover
A retention released when the snag list is closed gives the last stage the same attention as the first.
Making a payment schedule workable
Keep the stages aligned to the programme
A payment schedule built on different stages from the programme creates arguments about progress every month.
Define "complete" for each stage
Tested, inspected, cleaned or handed over — the word should mean something specific in the schedule.
Agree how a dispute pauses work
Whether work continues while a payment is queried is worth deciding before it happens.
Check these before signing
Count the stages against the work
Each payment should correspond to something visible and verifiable on site.
Confirm what happens to the retention
When it is released, and what has to be true for that to happen.
Ask about variation payment
Whether variations are paid with the next stage or separately, and how they are valued.
Questions we are often asked
How much deposit is normal?
Enough to cover the materials and mobilisation for the first stage. It should be a stated figure tied to specified work, not a round percentage of a vague total.
Should the final payment wait for snagging?
Yes. A retention released when the snag list is closed is the simplest way to make sure the last few items get finished.
What if work stops for reasons outside anyone’s control?
The schedule should say how a suspension is treated, particularly where materials have already been ordered or delivered.
Related guides
- Renovation snag listAnother decision worth settling at the same stage.
- Living at home during a renovationAnother decision worth settling at the same stage.
- What to prepare before a renovation surveyAnother decision worth settling at the same stage.
- Villa renovation costThe next question people ask about the same work.
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Tell us what you are deciding between and what you have been given so far. We will tell you what is worth checking next.
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Next step
Agree the schedule before work starts
We will set out stages, what counts as complete and how a variation is valued, so payments follow the work.