Close out the job — get the client to confirm before you invoice

Most jobs end the same way. You pack up the van and the client says thanks. You drive off and think the job is done. It is not done, at least not in a way that protects you later. A job is finished when the client agrees, in writing, what was done. Between "tools down" and that agreement, a dispute can still start.

Some clients say "that is not what I asked for", "you never did that" or "I am not paying until". Each one means a sign-off never happened. Get the sign-off. It turns work you did into money you can prove is owed.

The five-minute close-out

Before you leave site, walk the job with the client. Show them what you did, room by room or step by step. Do it while both of you still remember it. Five minutes here saves a long call next week, when the client tries to remember what you agreed.

Do this every time. Do it on the smallest job as well as the biggest. A quick walk-round costs you five minutes. A dispute weeks later costs far more. It often starts with an invoice that you cannot get paid.

What to write down

A walk-round only protects you if you write something down. Note three things: what you did, what you agreed along the way, and what is still open. Keep it short. One or two lines on each job is enough. You do not need a full report.

Write it in the job's own record the same day, while you remember it clearly. The printable job sheet has a line for this. Fill in the work-done table on site. Then add a short note before you leave. A dated note on the job is worth far more than a memory you rely on a month later.

List the snags, with a date on each

Most finished jobs still have a few small things left. A mark needs a touch-up. A fitting needs tightening. A setting needs a change. That is normal. A snag list turns "a few small things" into a specific, agreed set of items. It cannot then grow into an open-ended list months later.

Walk the snags with the client. Write each one down with a date, not just a description. "Cupboard door out of alignment, fix by Friday" is a commitment that you both can check later. "A few things to sort" is not. Confirm each snag again when you clear it. The job then closes on a written list that you both agreed.

Get agreement without asking for a signature

You do not need a signed form to get sign-off. Ask one plain question at the end of the walk-round: "That is everything done. Is there anything you want me to look at before I invoice?"

A reply is agreement in any form. It can be a nod on site, a text back or a one-word "good". Silence is not agreement. If the client says nothing, they have not confirmed. They have just not said no yet. Chase a reply before you treat the job as signed off.

When the client will not confirm

Sometimes a client goes quiet and no reply comes, however often you ask. Give a deadline for a reply. Name a specific day, not "soon". Write down what you did, what you asked and the deadline you gave. When the deadline passes, invoice on schedule.

A written record with a clear deadline is not a threat. It lets you invoice honestly, even when a client never says yes. Maybe a job in your own backlog is already stuck this way. Catching up on invoicing shows how to clear it without waiting for someone else's sign-off.

When someone else has to sign it off

On some jobs, the person you dealt with on site does not sign off the work. A main contractor, a landlord or a letting agent may need to confirm it. Send the same close-out record to that person. Say plainly whose reply you need. Name the right person early. If you do not, the job can sit idle. Each person may think the other one deals with it.

Hand off to the invoice

When the client has confirmed the job, invoice it. Your close-out record already says what the invoice needs to say. Match it line for line. Do not start the invoice from a blank page. The finishing a job scripts give you wording for the "all done" message and the snag list. They also cover a chase for a sign-off that has not come. You do not have to write any of it from nothing on the day.

The updates before this point are in keeping the client updated.

Common questions

Do I need the client to sign anything?

No. A signature is one way to record agreement. It is not the only way. A reply that confirms the work is done also counts. That can be a text, an email, or a spoken yes that you note down yourself.

What if the client will not confirm the work is done?

Give a deadline for a reply and put the record in writing. Then invoice anyway. Silence after a clear deadline is not a dispute. The client chose not to answer, and you still did the work.

How do I close out a job with a snag list?

Walk the job with the client and write down each snag with a date. Agree who fixes what. Confirm the list again when it is clear. A snag list is routine. It is no reason to hold the whole job open.

What if someone else has to sign off the job, not the client I dealt with?

Send the same close-out record to the person who signs off. That can be a main contractor, a landlord or a letting agent. Say plainly whose reply you need. The client you deal with each day is not always the one who confirms the job is done.