How to hire a driveway firm safely: deposits, contracts and your rights

No law sets a "normal" deposit for a driveway. Citizens Advice says to avoid paying upfront where you can and, if a deposit cannot be avoided, to keep it as low as possible and never more than 25%. Get a written quote, pay by card in stages, and never hire a trader who turns up at the door.

How do I avoid cowboy and doorstep driveway firms?

Start with the firms you contact, not the ones who contact you. The government's guidance on paving front gardens says not to use casual contractors who knock on the door offering to lay a driveway, but an experienced driveway or landscape contractor, with references from previous clients. The familiar "leftover tarmac" offer is covered in why cheap driveways fail.

Citizens Advice suggests these checks before you hire anyone:

• Ask for 2 or 3 recent examples of similar work, with contact details for those customers, and get in touch with them, since written references are not always genuine.
• Check what the firm tells you about itself, especially if it knocked on your door or phoned you first.
• Be wary of a trader who gives only a mobile number, takes only cash, wants everything upfront or will not put anything in writing.
• Get written quotes from at least 3 traders before you choose.

When you use Ground and Gate, we pass your enquiry to one local specialist whose insurance, identity and trading name we have checked. See how we check firms.

What deposit is normal for a driveway?

There is no official normal figure, and no law that sets one. Citizens Advice says:

• Don't agree to pay everything upfront, in case something goes wrong or the trader does not turn up.
• On a longer job you may not be able to avoid a deposit. Push it down as far as you can, and don't agree to more than 25%.
• If the deposit is for materials, offer to buy them yourself, so you own them if things go wrong.
• Get a receipt for the deposit and for any materials it pays for.
• Ask whether the trader has insurance that protects your deposit if the business fails.
• Pay by debit or credit card, not cash. If something goes wrong, you might get your money back through your card provider, and that includes a deposit paid by credit card even if it is under £100.

Paying in stages, with the payment points agreed in advance, means problems can be put right before the final payment. On a driveway, natural stages are after the dig-out and sub-base, and on completion.

What should a written quote and contract include?

Citizens Advice explains that a quote is a fixed price, while an estimate is only a rough guess, so you could pay more. Don't rely on a verbal quote. It also says you make a contract as soon as you tell the trader you want the work done, so try to get the contract in writing before that point.

For a driveway, the written quote should set out:

• the area and the surface, with the product or block named;
• how deep the dig goes, the sub-base depth and the membrane;
• the edging, and whether it is set in concrete;
• where the water will go, and how a front drive meets the 5m² rule;
• what happens to the spoil, and whether a skip is included;
• start and finish dates, the price and the payment stages;
• the guarantee, and the cancellation information if you sign at home.

The questions in why cheap driveways fail help you compare quotes like for like, and the driveway cost per m² guide shows whether a price is in the normal range. Our driveways and patios page explains what each surface involves.

Can I cancel a driveway contract signed at home?

Usually, yes. Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, a contract agreed with the trader in person somewhere other than their business premises, such as your home, is an "off-premises" contract. For services, you have 14 days from the day the contract is made to cancel. The trader must give you information about that right. If they do not, the cancellation period runs until 14 days after you get the information, up to a maximum of 12 months.

The trader cannot start work within the 14 days unless you expressly ask them to, and for an off-premises contract that request must be on paper or by email. If you asked them to start and then cancel, you pay a proportionate amount for the work done so far. If they never gave you the cancellation information, or started without a valid request, you pay nothing for that work.

Outside the cooling-off period, Citizens Advice says the firm will most likely keep some or all of a deposit to cover its costs. Negotiate if the amount seems unreasonable.

What are my rights if the work is poor?

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 says every contract for a service includes a term that the trader will do the work with reasonable care and skill. If no time was agreed, the work must also be done within a reasonable time. A drive that sinks or puddles soon after it was laid can point to work that fell short, which is why the written quote describing the sub-base matters.

Where the work does not meet that standard, the Act gives you the right to have it done again or put right first, within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to you. If that is impossible, or the trader fails to fix it, you can have a price reduction, which can, where appropriate, be the full price. Other remedies, such as claiming damages, can also apply.

The firm took my deposit and won't finish. What can I do?

Citizens Advice says you usually have to give the trader another chance to finish, unless you made it clear the work had to be done by a set date. Set a new deadline in writing. If that passes, tell them in writing that you do not want them to carry on. You pay for work already done, and if you think the deposit is more than the work was worth, suggest a figure and ask them to refund the difference. If you paid by card, ask your card provider about getting the money back.

If that fails, you can make a court claim for money, online or by post. This used to be called the small claims court. Citizens Advice says small claims are usually for no more than £10,000, that you can claim up to 6 years after you paid for the service, that there is a fee, and that you probably do not need a solicitor. The court may offer free mediation, depending on the amount.

Who do I report a rogue driveway trader to?

Contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. You usually cannot report a trader to Trading Standards yourself. Citizens Advice advisers pass complaints on to Trading Standards for you.