How much deposit should I pay a bathroom fitter?
A modest deposit tied to materials — 10 to 20 percent, or the actual cost of ordered goods — is normal. A third or half up front before anything is ordered is not, and it is the single most common feature of the jobs that end in small-claims court. Stage the rest against completed work, with a final payment held for snagging.
The legitimate purpose of a deposit is to cover materials ordered on your behalf — the suite, the tiles, the glass. That is why tying it to the materials list is the clean structure: you can see what the money bought, and much of it may sit in your house within days. What a deposit is not for is funding the fitter's previous job, which is what an outsized upfront demand usually means.
A healthy payment structure for a two-to-three-week bathroom: materials deposit on booking; a stage payment at first-fix complete (the point where plumbing, electrics and tanking exist and can be seen); a stage at practical completion; and a final 5–10 percent held until the snag list — the dripping tap, the silicone touch-up — is closed. Dates never trigger payments; completed stages do.
Pay in ways that leave a trail: bank transfer to the company whose name is on the quote, or card (which adds Section 75 protection over £100). Cash discounts are invitations to have no recourse. And a fitter who resists staged payments is telling you how the relationship will run when something needs fixing.
More in choosing a fitter, or browse all 38 questions on the FAQ index.
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