A plumbing quote is not a sales document, it is the thing you will be held to and the thing you can hold us to. It is worth ten minutes of proper reading, and it is worth having on paper rather than agreed over the phone while water is on the floor.
Some of what follows is a legal requirement in New South Wales. The rest is simply what a quote should contain if the person writing it expects to be around afterwards.
In NSW, residential building work over $5,000 including labour and materials must be covered by a written contract, dated and signed by both parties. Below that threshold a written quote is not legally required, but you should still insist on one, and it should carry the licence number, the ABN, a fixed scope and a fixed price.
- Over $5,000: a written contract is required
- $5,000 to $20,000 uses a small jobs contract
- Over $20,000 adds insurance, progress payments and a 5-day cooling-off period
- Licence number and ABN should be on every quote regardless
- The scope should say what is included and what is not
On this page
1. When NSW requires a written contract
Builders and tradespeople doing residential building work must provide a written contract for work over $5,000, and that figure includes both labour and materials. It is not the labour component alone, which is a common misunderstanding.
The thresholds go in steps. Work between $5,000 and $20,000 is treated as a small job and uses a small works contract. Work over $20,000 is a large job, and those contracts must additionally include insurance details, progress payments, warranties and a five-day cooling-off period.
Whichever applies, the contract has to be dated and signed by, or on behalf of, each party. The NSW Government publishes free contract templates for both, so nobody has to draft anything.
A small repair does not legally require a written contract. Ask for a written quote anyway. It costs nothing and it is the only version of the conversation that still exists next month.
2. What should be on the quote, every time
- The licence number. So you can check it before you agree, not after.
- The ABN and the trading name. Both should match the business you are dealing with.
- A description of the work. Specific enough that two people would agree later on whether it had been done.
- The price, and whether it is fixed. A fixed price and an estimate are different promises. The quote should say which it is.
- What is excluded. The most useful line on any quote, and the one most often missing.
- GST treatment. Whether the figure includes it.
- Payment terms. When payment is due, and what happens if the scope changes.
None of that is unusual to ask for. A plumber who quotes properly already has it on the page.
3. A fixed price and an estimate are not the same promise
This is the distinction that causes the most trouble, and it is usually not anybody being dishonest. An estimate is a considered guess before the full picture is known. A fixed price is a commitment.
Underground drainage is the honest example. Until a camera has been down the line, nobody can tell you exactly what is wrong, so an estimate is the truthful answer at that point. What should follow is an inspection, then a fixed price against a defined scope. What should not follow is a number that quietly grows.
So the question worth asking is simple: is this a fixed price, and if not, what would change it? A clear answer to that is worth more than a low number.
4. What happens when the job changes
Jobs do change. A wall comes off and the pipework behind it is not what anyone expected. That is normal and it is not a reason for suspicion.
What matters is what happens next. The change should be explained, priced and agreed before the extra work is done, not discovered on the final invoice. If someone rings you to say they have found something, that is the system working.
Get the variation in writing too, even briefly. A text message that says what was found, what it will cost and that you agreed is a perfectly good record.
Want it quoted properly?
Written scope, fixed price where we can give one, licence number on the page. Call us.
5. Deposits, pressure, and time to think
A deposit on a substantial job is normal. A large deposit demanded on the spot, in cash, before anything has been written down, is not.
The same goes for urgency. A genuine emergency is obvious and you will already know about it. A quote for planned work that expires today is a sales technique, and declining to be hurried costs you nothing.
Take the quote away. Have whoever you like read it, at whatever pace suits you. Ring back tomorrow. Any plumber who is still happy to do the work on those terms is probably worth using.
6. Keep the paperwork, it is worth money later
The documents a plumbing job generates have a second life, and people throw them out.
- The Certificate of Compliance on gas work. Legally required, free with the job, and the proof the work was done under licence. Keep it with the house papers.
- The invoice with the licence number and ABN. Sydney Water asks for exactly those details when applying for a hidden leak allowance.
- Camera footage from drain work. It is the record of what the line looked like on that date, which matters if the same problem recurs.
- The quote itself. Scope disputes are resolved by whichever party kept the paperwork.
A conveyancer or a buyer will ask for the full set eventually, and a house that can produce it is easier to sell.
- In NSW, residential building work over $5,000 including materials needs a written contract.
- $5,000 to $20,000 is a small jobs contract; over $20,000 adds a 5-day cooling-off period.
- Below the threshold a written quote is not required, but ask for one anyway.
- A fixed price and an estimate are different promises, and the quote should say which it is.
- Agree variations in writing before the extra work happens, not on the final invoice.
Reading a quote FAQs
Does a plumbing quote have to be in writing in NSW?
For residential building work over $5,000 including labour and materials, yes: it must be covered by a written contract, dated and signed by each party. Below that a written quote is not legally required, but it is still the sensible thing to insist on.
What is the difference between a small jobs and a large jobs contract?
Work between $5,000 and $20,000 uses a small jobs contract. Work over $20,000 uses a large jobs contract, which must also include insurance details, progress payments, warranties and a five-day cooling-off period. The NSW Government publishes free templates for both.
Is a verbal quote binding?
We are plumbers rather than lawyers, so for anything contested the place to go is NSW Fair Trading. What we can say practically is that a number nobody wrote down is very hard for either side to rely on, which is why we put ours on paper.
Should the price include GST?
The quote should make clear whether it does. Either is fine as long as it says so, because the difference on a large job is not trivial and finding out at invoice stage is unpleasant.
What if the plumber finds something unexpected?
That is common, particularly underground. It should be explained and priced before the extra work happens, and agreed in writing even if that writing is a text message. It should not appear for the first time on the invoice.
Why do you keep mentioning the licence number on the quote?
Because it is the detail that makes everything else checkable. It lets you verify the licence before you agree, and Sydney Water asks for it, along with the ABN, when someone applies for a hidden leak allowance on a bill.