Before home repair work starts, the written agreement should identify the parties, define the work and materials, state the price and payment triggers, set a schedule, and explain how changes will be approved. It should also say what completion means and what happens if something goes wrong. A detailed estimate helps, but it leaves gaps if nobody has agreed to its exclusions and conditions.
Use the checklist below to review a proposed agreement, not as a contract to sign. This is general US consumer information, not legal advice. State and local requirements differ; an attorney should review a substantial, unusual or disputed job. Renters should settle landlord authorization and who has authority to sign before commissioning work.
Identify the agreement you are actually making
Match the contractor’s legal name, address and license details to the business you checked. Identify the property, the customer signing and the person authorized to approve changes. If a landlord, tenant and property manager are involved, resolve who orders work and who pays. A technician arriving at the property should not have to guess whose instruction changes the contract.
List every document incorporated into the agreement by title and date: scope, estimate revision, drawings, product selections and attachments. Ask what controls if two documents conflict. “As discussed” is difficult to use later when the estimate and a salesperson’s message describe different jobs.
Describe a finished result
For a plumbing repair, distinguish fixing the pipe from opening and restoring access. For electrical work, identify the affected locations and the testing and inspection documentation to be supplied. For an appliance, identify the model, authorized repair and what happens if diagnosis reveals a different fault. Do not let a broad phrase such as “repair bathroom” carry all those decisions.
Materials should be identifiable where the choice affects the result. Agree on substitutions before installation: who proposes them, what information you receive and how price differences are handled. Specify protection of surrounding areas, cleanup, disposal and owner-supplied items. Record exclusions plainly, particularly finishing work and correction of pre-existing defects outside the agreed scope.
Connect price, timing and responsibility
Ask whether the price is fixed, estimated or time-based. State taxes, allowances, separately charged services and any spending authorization limit. Tie payment stages to observable work and required documents. A date on an invoice should not be the only explanation of what that payment buys.
Set estimated start and completion dates, access hours, expected service interruptions and responsibility for delays. If a date is critical, say so explicitly and obtain advice on an appropriate enforceable term. Record who obtains permits, schedules inspections and supplies closeout records. A contractor’s scheduling promise and a government inspection appointment are different dependencies.
New York example: written terms are statutory
For contracts covered by New York’s home-improvement law, General Business Law §771 requires a signed writing, including amendments. It calls for contractor identification, estimated dates, an identifiable description of work and materials, and the agreed price. It also addresses progress-payment schedules, required notices and a signed copy before work. These are New York provisions, not a nationwide checklist of legal minimums.
The New York Attorney General’s fact sheet explains the state framework. NYC adds local detail: DCWP’s consumer guidance describes contract and cancellation documents, guarantees and warranties, and pre-contract permit disclosure. Elsewhere, ask your consumer protection office which mandatory notices, language rules and cancellation provisions apply. Do not delete a notice because it seems irrelevant without checking.
Review the aftercare and exit terms
A workmanship promise and a manufacturer’s product warranty are separate subjects. Record what each written promise covers, its duration, exclusions, claim contact and whether labor or a return visit costs extra. Do not assume a product warranty includes removal and reinstallation.
Read suspension, termination and dispute terms before signing. Ask how unfinished work, purchased materials, deposits and property access would be handled if the job stops. Arbitration, attorney-fee and liability clauses can materially affect a dispute; unfamiliar wording deserves legal review. Do not assume every contract has the same cancellation period or that signing at home resolves all eligibility questions.
Contract review checklist
- Correct parties, property and authorized decision-maker identified.
- Scope, materials, exclusions and dated attachments agree with one another.
- Price basis, allowances, taxes and payment triggers are understandable.
- Start, completion, access and delay procedures are recorded.
- Permit, inspection, protection, disposal and restoration duties are assigned.
- Extra work requires a written description, price and schedule effect.
- Completion records, warranties and remaining-item procedures are defined.
- Required notices are present; all blanks are completed or crossed out; both parties receive the signed agreement.
A change-order record to discuss
The following is a blank record for organizing a proposed change. It is not a substitute for locally required forms or an attorney-drafted amendment.
Project address and original contract date: ______
Change number and date: ______
Reason for change and supporting photos or findings: ______
Original work removed or replaced: ______
New work, materials and exclusions: ______
Added price or credit, including applicable taxes: ______
Revised total contract price: ______
Payment-schedule changes: ______
Added or reduced time and revised completion date: ______
Permit or inspection effects: ______
Other terms affected: ______
Owner or authorized representative: signature ______ date ______
Contractor: signature ______ date ______
For example, an opened wall might reveal deterioration beyond the original repair. Ask for findings, the proposed response and its limits before approving broader work. Record both credits for omitted work and charges for additions. Avoid an open-ended “repair everything necessary” instruction when the actual scope can be described.
Before signing
Read the agreement beside the latest bid and mark every mismatch. Resolve those points in the document itself, then save the signed version and attachments. Keep later changes in the same folder so the final account can be traced to specific approvals.
For the broader selection process, see Hiring Contractors, the parent Repair Insights section and the Fixorally homepage.