Guide
What an electrical quote should have on it
Eight lines. A quote missing any of them cannot be compared against another quote, which is usually the reason it is missing.
The eight lines
The scope, in enough detail that somebody else could price the same job from it. The materials, named: which consumer unit, which charger, which fittings and how many. Labour, as days or hours with a rate, or as a fixed sum against the named scope. Whether making good is included, and whether that means plaster or paint.
Then: which certificate will be issued. Whether the work is notifiable and who notifies it. What is excluded. And VAT, stated rather than implied, along with the business's VAT number if it is registered.
Quote or estimate
The words mean different things and both are legitimate. A quote is a fixed price for a defined scope and it binds the person who gave it. An estimate is a considered guess for work that cannot be fully seen yet, and it will move.
Fault finding, anything behind a wall, and anything in a property nobody has surveyed are honest candidates for an estimate. A consumer unit replacement, a charger installation or a defined list of accessories are not, and an estimate offered for those is worth a question.
The variation, and when it is fair
On any job that brings existing circuits into scope, a pre-existing fault may surface. That is not the electrician's doing and putting it right is not included in a price that did not know about it.
What makes the difference between a fair variation and a bad surprise is agreeing the rate for it in advance. Ask for a line on the quote that says what an hour of remedial work costs and what happens if one is needed. Then a discovery becomes a decision with a number attached rather than a conversation at the end of the week.
Comparing three quotes
Line the scopes up before looking at any total. Three prices for a board change that differ by four hundred pounds usually differ because one includes individual protective devices per circuit, one includes surge protection, and one includes neither.
The cheapest quote missing a certificate is not cheaper. The certificate is the thing a future buyer's solicitor asks about, and having the work redone to get one costs more than the difference between any two of the three.
Payment
For a large job, a deposit against materials is normal and a staged payment against first fix completing is normal. Paying the balance before the certificate is issued is not, and is easy to avoid by saying so at the start.
Card and bank transfer both leave a record. Cash offered at a discount against no paperwork is a different transaction from the one you were quoting for, and it removes exactly the documents this page is about.
Common questions
Is a verbal quote binding?
In principle a verbal agreement is a contract and in practice it is very hard to evidence. Ask for it in writing, which for a small job can simply be a text message.
Should materials be listed at cost?
They can be at cost, at cost plus a margin, or inside a fixed price. What matters is that the items are named, so two quotes are comparing the same hardware.
What if the final bill is higher than the quote?
Ask which variation it relates to and when it was agreed. A fixed quote for a defined scope should not move unless the scope did.