Give the quotation a precise starting point.

Rooms and the surfaces within them

For a home, list ceilings, walls and painted timber by room, including passages and cupboards where required. Describe wallpaper, fine mouldings or retained parquet that may affect preparation and protection. Say whether furniture remains and whether someone will live there during the programme. Add photographs of defects as well as the rooms’ overall appearance.

Shared buildings and commercial premises

For managed property, identify each entrance, stair or floor and attach the existing schedule if one has been prepared. For offices and hotels, state which areas can be released and what must remain operational. Include the approving contact and any rules covering contractors, security, resident notices or evening access.

Approvals, equipment and other work

Explain what permissions or owner approvals are already held and what remains unresolved. Identify repairs by other trades and the expected order of completion. Describe the approach from the street, upper-level access and possible storage locations. Where a permit or licence is needed, the accepted proposal should make its responsibility and cost explicit.

Check the scope as carefully as the amount

Read a proposed price against its preparation, included surfaces and finish references. Ask about unclear exclusions and the process for agreeing additional work. Confirm dates only with the relevant conditions understood. An enquiry through this website starts the discussion; it does not itself reserve a start date or instruct a commission.

What a written decorating quotation is meant to contain

A written quotation is a description of work that can be accepted, varied or declined. It should name the address, the rooms or locations, and the surfaces included: ceilings, walls, joinery, doors, and any exterior components. Preparation belongs in the same document as the finish, including what will be washed, filled, sanded or primed, and which grounds are excluded because they are retained, bare or not yet ready. Product type, colour and sheen should be identifiable, or marked as still to be chosen. Protection of floors and furniture, where relevant, should be stated, as should waste, storage and the route for materials. If a licence, a consent or a freeholder approval is outstanding, the quotation should say whose job it is to obtain it and that the programme depends on it. Additional work found during preparation needs a stated way of being agreed before it is done. Dates, if they appear, should be tied to occupancy, drying and those approvals. The amount is one part of the document. Read it against the inclusions and the exclusions. An enquiry sent through this website opens that discussion. It does not reserve a start or form the instruction.

Photographs, schedules and permissions worth sending with the enquiry

The quotation can only describe what the enquiry makes visible. Send the full property address, your role, and the name of the person who may accept a price. For a home, a room-by-room list is enough to begin, with photographs of the overall space and of defects such as cracks, stains, failed filler and worn door edges. Mention wallpaper, fine plaster and floors that must be protected. Say whether anyone will live there and whether furniture stays. For a block, attach any existing specification and identify each entrance and stair. For an office or hotel, mark what can be released and what must keep running, and include rules on security, contractors and evening work. Note repairs by other trades and the order you expect. Describe upper-floor access, lift use and a possible place to store materials. If you already hold a listed-building consent, a colour approval or an estate instruction, include it; if you do not, say so. Westminster’s conservation map and the council’s consent guidance are the references for checking the address. The clearer this pack is, the more precisely a quotation can separate included surfaces from items that still need another decision.

Sources: Westminster: conservation areas and address map; Westminster: listed-building consent