We put 25% down with balance on completion for floor installation. My tile jobs have been 50% down with balance on completion. And paint job was 100% at completion but I bought the paint.. (Texas) I think it depends on the company. Maybe you can negotiate?

Oh, and make sure you get a receipt.

There is no legality to what/how a company charges. If you were to purchase a kitchen at the big box stores you would pay 100% up front. 50% is not unreasonable at all. Businesses want to know they are blocking off time/ordering materials ( that often they have to pay for up front ) for customers who are not going to walk away from the job. I have had this happen in places where the deposits were small ( less than $1000 ).

Just have receipts, very detailed and signatures on them

mrs. worthy had $25K of dental work done two years ago. No deposit. But that was only for a Harvard-educated dentist, not a flooring contractor.

Is the deposit completely or partially refundable if you for some reason needed to reschedule or just decide to not have the job done?

Pay the full amount up front and put the pressure on them. Then tell them there's a big tip in it if they finish early.

50/40/10 is fairly standard for all custom installations.

I get 50% down on some jobs because I can. Apparently this guy can too. "...highly recommended..." is worth some risk.

Many states cap the deposit at 10% or $1000 unless there are special order items involved. You can check your state laws regarding this.

When I build, I don't pay anybody one cent up front but the suppliers of custom products--cabinetry, stairs, steel, windows. The notion that I'd pay a trade a "deposit" to show up boggles my mind. (Guess I'm not moving to Florida.)

My local specialty veterinary clinic puts a $2400 hold on ones credit card before they will do an MRI on a dog.

Lots of different people want deposits.

Any tradesman who performs quality work is at least "4 weeks out". You selected well, and 50% is reasonable.

Everyone will have their own policy regarding deposits and payments. For projects under 15k, we do C.O.D. for all material and finishes, 50% of remaining balance, then balance after final walk through/inspection. For projects up to 50k, materials is still C.O.D. and remaining balance is scheduled as progress payments. Contracts are signed and accepted ahead of time to lock in dates. Any cancelation is subject to a 3% cancelation fee. Verbal, text or email approval is not accepted.

If, you do not approve of the policy. Then you will need to hire someone else.

Make them put in the contract "starting work date is "time of the essence", that will protect you legally since the job is a month away to make sure the work starts on time and it will be completed. Lots can happen in a month.

Another way, is tell them you will give them 50% deposit on the day when work starts.

Good luck

Apart from the subject you better make sure the flooring is guarateed to be delivered at least a week before the install is scheduled since it needs to be acclimated even in Fla. As for the deposit it seems fair to me since I understand getting trades people can be a huge hassle in your state.

Still get the flooring delivered early. You have no idea what their warehouse temps are like. Besides, the area should be all cleared out a few days before anyway so the space will be there.

Best of luck!

50% is perfectly reasonable, you have to also think about it from their perspective. In this market they are busy, they need you to put enough skin in the game to follow through. Otherwise they lost out on 2 days worth of profit by assuming that you would still hire them.

Protect yourself by using your credit card to make the payment.

Many smaller contractors do not take credit cards. As stated, the region and availability of quality contractors comes into play here. In your region, if you truly have a vetted quality contractor, the deposit is probably not unreasonable for many of the reasons already stated. On the other hand, you will hear horror stories from people who made significant deposits, but did NOT have that ethical, qualified contractor, and so my point is that the confidence you have in this contractor is a very important factor here.

My local/independent carpet store wants 80% as down payment with balance upon job completion. I told them no way will I put down 80%. That puts the store in the driver's seat giving ME no leverage if there is a problem like excessive installation delays. Really. How much will the store be out if I default ? Just the cost of the carpet itself which they buy at wholesale provided they can't return the carpet. If they can return then just a restock fee I will assume.

They can ask what they want for the deposit. It is up to the consumer whether or not to pay it. Find another store.

So, pay 100% at a box store, and get craptastic work as a bonus! Or pay 10%, and never see the guy again. Prices have gone up. Expect deposits to also.

Its unrealistic to NOT expect delays. None of it is “excessive” when you understand the shifting supply chain issues and labor shortage. Also, cut roll goods aren’t returnable. Whole roll only. They dodged a bullet here.

Everything is special order now. Material needs to be paid in full up front. You can negotiate the rest.

Quite often time is money. Deposits are necessary to confirm you commitment to the job. Materials need to be ordered, a time slot needs to be allocated and prep work needs to be done. If someone decides to walk away, there is a loss for the business.

If you feel like you need some kind of leverage, a good conversation and thorough contract can deal with that.

Unfortunately right now, you must expect massive delays and install dates changing.

Good luck

All good points and advice but the best advice is to just walk away if deposit is not mutually agreeable. Good business practices I have always followed is 30% down, 30% when materials are delivered and 40% upon completion and customer satisfaction. If I had to default at least I have the materials. Cheers!

"Good business practices I have always followed is 30% down, 30% when materials are delivered and 40% upon completion and customer satisfaction"

Then you have answered your own dilemma, walk away. Good luck in finding the flooring store that will work with that payment schedule in todays times. But just as a note that that payment schedule has not typically been the standard in the construction industry.

Now dealing with excavators asking 20%-40% deposit on a C$60K-C$70K job. I'll agree to 10% when they unload Mr. Komatsu. I really don't get it. Once you put a lien on my property, I'm stuck. (May differ in other jurisdictions.)

Material should all be paid for - no material, no work. Progress payments for labor on large jobs. If, it takes 6 weeks, then six payments.