Terms & Conditions.

These terms set out the basis on which The Finishing House Painters & Decorators ("we", "us", "our") provides painting and decorating services. They apply to your use of this website and to every enquiry and proposal we make. Each commission is carried out under a separate written contract, issued with your proposal — where these terms and that contract differ, the contract for your project takes precedence. Nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights as a consumer.

1 · About these terms

They should be read alongside our written proposal and the contract issued for your project. Together they form our agreement with you. We may update the terms shown on this website from time to time; the version that governs your project is the one in force when your contract is issued.

2 · Quotations and proposals

Every quotation follows a survey and is set out in writing, with a clear scope, the systems and finishes we would specify, and a fixed price. A colour consultation is included with every commission. Unless we say otherwise, a proposal remains open for acceptance for 30 days; beyond that, materials and availability may have changed and we may need to re-quote. Every quotation is prepared on the basis of what is visible at survey and the information you give us; if either proves materially different, any change is dealt with openly as a written variation. A proposal is accepted simply by replying to confirm it — there is nothing to print, and nothing to sign by hand.

3 · Prices and what they include

The price in your proposal is the price for the scope described. It includes labour, materials and finishes, the colour consultation and — for work in Central London — parking, congestion charge, protection and clean-up. These are part of doing the job properly and are never added afterwards as extras. Your proposal states the total amount payable — the figure you see is the figure you pay.

If you ask for something outside the agreed scope, or if preparation uncovers a concealed condition (dealt with fully in the next section), any change and its cost is set out in writing for your approval before it is carried out. Nothing outside the agreed scope is ever charged without your written agreement, and an email is enough. The same discipline protects you and us in reverse: a request mentioned in passing to a member of the team on site does not change the scope, the price or the programme until we have confirmed it in writing.

4 · The unexpected — concealed conditions

Older London buildings keep secrets. A survey tells us everything that can reasonably be seen; it cannot see through existing coatings, into the substrate, or behind fixed furniture. Occasionally, preparation uncovers a condition nobody could have known about — for example: stripping one layer of wallpaper lifts the plaster skim beneath it; sanding reveals earlier paint layers that have failed and must come off entirely; a painted wall turns out to be papered underneath; damp or staining appears behind a wardrobe or panelling; or, outside, cutting back reveals rotten timber or blown render.

When that happens, we stop. We photograph what we have found, explain it plainly, and give you the options and their cost in writing — the choice of how to proceed is yours, and nothing additional is done or charged without your written agreement. If you choose not to have a concealed condition put right, we will tell you honestly what can and cannot then be properly finished over it. The fixed price always covers the surveyed scope in full; a genuinely concealed condition is the one thing no fixed price can include.

5 · Payment

Work is invoiced in stages appropriate to the size of the commission, as set out in your proposal — typically a deposit on acceptance, one or more stage payments, and a balance on completion. Invoices are payable within 7 days by bank transfer; we do not take card payments. Materials remain our property until they are paid for or installed, whichever happens first. Interest may be charged on overdue sums at up to 8% per year, together with the reasonable costs of recovering payment, and we may suspend work after giving 7 days' written notice of non-payment.

6 · Your right to cancel

Because our agreement is normally concluded at a distance or away from our premises, you have the right under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 to cancel within 14 days of entering into it, without giving a reason. Simply tell us in writing — an email to enquiries@thefinishinghouse.uk is enough, and a model cancellation form is included with your contract.

If you ask us in writing to begin within those 14 days and then cancel, you agree to pay a proportionate amount for the work properly carried out, and for any materials ordered specifically for your project that cannot be cancelled or returned. We will give you a clear breakdown.

After the 14-day period has ended, you may still end a commission before or during the works, other than for a breach by us; in that case you pay for the work properly carried out to that point and for materials ordered specifically for your project that cannot be cancelled or returned — again with a clear breakdown, and nothing more.

7 · What we need from you

So the programme runs to time, we ask that you give us safe and reasonable access during working hours — a key or concierge arrangement is usually simplest; provide your managing agent's details where the building requires a works notice, lift booking or access approval; obtain any consent your lease requires; and settle colour and finish decisions by the date we agree. We will always tell you clearly when that date is. We also ask that small, fragile or precious items are moved out of the working rooms before we begin — everything larger we move, protect and return ourselves.

Please tell us of anything you know about the property that affects safety — in particular any known or suspected asbestos-containing materials or historic lead paint. We will not sand, strip or otherwise disturb a surface we reasonably suspect contains asbestos; testing and removal are matters for a licensed specialist and are not included in our work. Older coatings are treated with the care and methods they require.

Where a building, managing agent or freeholder restricts access, refuses a lift booking or delays a consent, the programme is extended by an equivalent period. Those delays are not within our control, and any additional cost they cause — a failed delivery, for example — will be set out in writing for your agreement before it is incurred.

Equally, if you postpone an agreed start or we cannot gain access on a scheduled working day, the programme extends by the time lost, and costs genuinely incurred as a result — an aborted visit, or storage of materials ordered for your project — may be charged, always set out in writing first.

8 · Materials — ours and yours

The materials and finishes we supply are set out in your written specification and confirmed with you before we order them.

You are welcome to supply your own paints, papers or fittings. Where you do, please confirm the delivery date in writing so we can programme the work around it. We will apply or install what you supply with reasonable care and skill, but we are not responsible for defects in the materials themselves, or for shortages in the quantities you supply. If they arrive late, damaged or not as specified, the programme is extended accordingly and any additional cost may be charged. We will not apply anything we reasonably consider defective, unsuitable or incompatible with the surface — we will tell you why, and offer an alternative.

9 · Colour, finish and matching

Colour cards, charts and screens are indicative: the same colour reads differently by sheen, surface and light, and paint and wallpaper batches vary slightly by manufacture. Where you ask us to match an existing colour or finish, we will achieve the closest match reasonably possible and tell you before we proceed if an exact match cannot be achieved — the choice of how to continue is then yours. This is why we sample in the room, in its own light, as part of the colour consultation included with every commission.

10 · Delays outside our control

We carry out every commission within a reasonable time, and if anything changes we tell you promptly and give you a revised timeline. We are not responsible for delays caused by events beyond our reasonable control — material shortages, building access decisions, severe weather, or conditions discovered during preparation — and in those cases the programme is extended by a reasonable period.

11 · Completion, handover and snagging

We keep the end of a commission deliberately simple, so a finished job is genuinely finished.

Our workmanship follows good trade practice and BS 6150, the British Standard code of practice for the painting of buildings. When we assess the finish together, the fair test is the industry's: surfaces viewed from a normal viewing distance in normal lighting — not under a torch beam or magnification. We hold ourselves to more than that standard; it exists to protect both of us from less.

• We walk the rooms with you in daylight and agree a single snagging list of anything outstanding. Small items are usually put right on the spot.
• Any agreed snags are completed within 14 days, unless an item genuinely needs longer — in which case we explain why.
• Within 5 working days of handover we send you a written handover record by email: photographs of the completed work, a record of every product and colour used, and any care instructions. Nothing needs printing or signing.
• If we have missed anything, simply tell us within 7 days. After that the work is treated as accepted — and our twelve-month guarantee takes over, so nothing is lost.

Where snagging items remain, you may hold back a reasonable amount from the final invoice, proportionate to their value, until they are done. We ask only that the whole invoice, or a disproportionate part of it, is not withheld over a minor item — and equally, we will never ask you to accept work that is not finished.

One note on fresh finishes: paint and paper continue to cure for a few weeks after they are applied. During that time, please avoid washing or scrubbing new paintwork and take care with condensation, heavy contact and other trades working against finished surfaces — marks or damage caused to a finish while it cures are not defects in our workmanship. Simple care guidance is included in your handover record.

12 · Our twelve-month workmanship guarantee

We guarantee our workmanship for twelve months from completion. If a finish fails within that period through a fault in our workmanship, we return and put it right at no cost to you — just tell us in writing as soon as you notice it.

The guarantee covers our work. It does not cover fair wear and tear, accidental damage or misuse, alterations by others, movement or defects in the building outside our control, or materials you supplied yourself or specified against our written advice. Where a product we supply carries a manufacturer's warranty, we pass its benefit to you. The guarantee is personal to you as our client and is not transferable unless we agree otherwise in writing. It is given in addition to your statutory rights and does not reduce them.

13 · Your statutory rights

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, our services must be carried out with reasonable care and skill and within a reasonable time, and any goods we supply must be as described and of satisfactory quality. Nothing in these terms or in our contract removes or limits those rights, and any term found to be unfair is not binding on you. Your statutory rights last beyond the twelve-month guarantee period.

14 · Photographs of our work

We photograph our work as it progresses — before, during and after — for our own records, for quality control, and for insurance purposes — including a dated record of the condition of each area before we begin.

We would also like to show the finished result. We will only use photographs of your home for marketing — on this website, in our journal, on social media or in presentations — with your written permission, and we will never identify you by name or show your address without your consent. Discretion comes first: if you would rather we did not, that is entirely fine, and it changes nothing else about how we work for you.

15 · Our specifications and designs

The written specifications, colour schemes, method statements and documents we prepare remain our intellectual property. You are free to use them in connection with your own property. They may not be passed to another contractor to carry out the work in our place without our agreement.

16 · Insurance and our responsibility to you

We hold public liability and employer's liability insurance. Evidence of cover is available on request.

We are responsible for foreseeable loss or damage caused by our failing to use reasonable care and skill, or by our breaking our contract with you. Except as set out below, our total liability for a commission is limited to the price of that commission. Nothing in these terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, for breach of your statutory rights, or for anything else that cannot be limited by law. We are not responsible for defects in materials you supplied, or for work carried out by others.

17 · Concerns and disputes

If something is not right, tell us as soon as possible, and give us a reasonable opportunity to inspect and put right anything that is genuinely defective — that opportunity matters: we are not responsible for the cost of rectification work carried out by others where it has not been given. One senior decorator is your point of contact from first survey to final walk-through, and most concerns are settled quickly and directly. If a matter cannot be resolved between us, we are willing to attempt mediation, with the cost shared equally, before either of us turns to the courts; mediation is voluntary, and neither of us is obliged to use it. Courtesy runs both ways: we treat every client and every home with respect, and we ask the same for our team — in the rare case of threatening or abusive behaviour towards our people, we may pause the works or, in serious cases, end the commission, with payment due for work properly carried out. These terms, and any dispute arising from them, are governed by the law of England and Wales and are subject to the courts of England and Wales. Your right to bring a claim in court is preserved.

18 · This website and your data

The content of this website — text, images, layout and branding — belongs to The Finishing House Painters & Decorators and is provided for information about our services. It may not be reproduced commercially without our permission. Journal articles and general guidance are offered for interest rather than as specific advice for your property, and nothing on the site forms part of a contract.

We process the details you give us in order to respond to your enquiry and manage your project, in line with UK data protection law. Our privacy policy explains what we collect and how we look after it.

19 · Company information

Services under these terms are provided by The Finishing House Painters & Decorators of 13 Shepherd St, London W1J 7HT — telephone 020 3983 2484, email enquiries@thefinishinghouse.uk. The contracting party and VAT position for any commission are confirmed in the written contract issued with your proposal.

Last updated: August 2026.