Terms and conditions for a plasterer

A plasterer needs terms that deal with what happens after the work is finished: shrinkage cracks at joints, drying accelerated by the customer, decoration applied before the plaster has dried, and builders who pay only when their client pays them. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Plastering, skimming, rendering, dry lining and floor screeding businesses in England and Wales, trading as a sole trader or a limited company. Most plasterers work for homeowners direct and also subcontract to builders, developers and letting agents. The law treats those two customers very differently, so one set of terms has to be written with both in mind.

What matters in a plasterer's terms

The price, the background and what is under the old surface

You price what is visible, but the condition of the background determines the work: blown plaster that sounds hollow once you tap it, walls with suction that swallows the first coat, a ceiling that will need over-boarding rather than a skim, and textured coatings in older properties, which may need surveying under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 before you disturb them. Your terms should state what the quote assumes about the background, give you the right to stop and re-price when it turns out otherwise, and require variations to be agreed in writing with the price before you carry on.

Drying, cracking and when the decorator can start

This is the main source of complaints. Fresh plaster needs time and ventilation, and it is not your fault if the customer puts a heater against it, keeps every window shut, or lets a decorator paint it before it has changed colour. The terms should set out drying and ventilation instructions as the customer's responsibility, explain that fine shrinkage cracks at joints and angles are a normal characteristic rather than a defect, and say what you will come back for. Against a consumer, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 still requires reasonable care and skill, so the wording has to describe the finish accurately rather than attempt to exclude that duty.

Subcontracting to builders and developers

Plastering for a main contractor is a construction contract between businesses, so the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 applies: you have a right to adjudication, there are payment notice rules, and pay-when-paid clauses are banned. That Act does not apply when you contract with a homeowner in their own house. Your terms should set out your payment application dates, resist retention or cap it, deal with who supplies materials and scaffold, and preserve your late payment entitlement under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, which gives interest at 8% over base rate plus fixed compensation per debt.

Homeowners, deposits and the fourteen-day right to cancel

Domestic work is usually agreed in the customer's hallway or over email and phone, which brings it within the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. The customer has fourteen days to cancel. Start skimming inside that window without their express written request and you may not be paid for the work, and if the cancellation notice was never given the period can run on by up to a year. Deposits should be proportionate to materials and to the week you are holding, and the terms should say plainly what happens to the deposit if the job is called off.

Access, protection and washing out

Rooms cleared, carpets lifted or covered, furniture moved, and a working supply of water and electricity are the customer's responsibility, and the terms should say so with a charge for a wasted visit. Say where you may wash out: plaster washings down a domestic sink or gully block drains, discharging material that obstructs a public sewer is an offence under section 111 of the Water Industry Act 1991, and the terms should say who is responsible for the cost. Dust travels, so make clear what protection you provide and what the customer should expect. Set out what you will do about accidental damage and what is fair wear from getting boards and mixers through a house.

Waste, labour and limits on liability

If you carry away old plaster, rubble or lath you must be registered as a waste carrier with the Environment Agency under the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989, and commercial clients now ask for the number. The terms should allow you to use self-employed labour, state your public liability cover, exclude consequential losses such as a delayed room let or a decorator's lost day, and cap your liability to business customers at a figure you can defend. Under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 that cap must be reasonable, it cannot cover death or personal injury caused by negligence, and it cannot be used to cut down a consumer's rights.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted for your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want them checked and brought up to date. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the terms and conditions drafting page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A full set of bespoke terms drafted for your business, reflecting the legal requirements that apply to your business and sector
• A note in plain English explaining the terms I have drafted for you
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions that protect your position and are drafted to withstand scrutiny from the other side
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly
• Your questions and comments answered by email or phone
• One round of amendments to finalise the terms ready for use

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers (I am happy to quote for this as an additional service if required)
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country
• Tax advice

Questions I am often asked

The customer painted too soon and the paint has flaked. Where do I stand?

In a reasonable position, if the terms are right. They should record that drying times and ventilation are the customer's responsibility, warn against forced heating, and state that the surface must be fully dry and mist coated before decoration. Handing those instructions over in writing at handover, and keeping the proof, is what turns the clause into a defence.

A builder wants to pay me only when his client pays him. Can he?

Pay-when-paid is banned in construction contracts between businesses, so the clause will not hold. The practical problem is cash flow while you argue about it. Your terms should fix your own application and payment dates, and my covering note explains how to use the adjudication route rather than waiting on a main contractor's goodwill.

I already have terms I copied from another trade. Are they any use?

Possibly in part, but plastering has particular risks that general trade terms rarely mention: background condition, drying and cracking, washing out, and subcontract payment. I offer a review of your existing terms for £495, returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation, in three working days, so that you can see what needs to change.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Consultancy and contractor agreements, £595
• Ask Caesar, £495 a month
• Terms and conditions for a painter and decorator
• Terms and conditions for a builder doing domestic work

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.