General information, not legal or financial advice. Most of the advice below comes from pages about tradespeople and home improvements generally; each one is labelled with the state and the page it comes from.
Before you ask for a quote
A quote can only be compared with another if both describe the same job. Consumer Affairs Victoria’s checklist for home improvements costing $10,000 or less starts there: “Decide exactly what you want and describe it in detail – right down to the make and model number of any fittings.” For a lock, that might mean knowing which doors are involved and whether you want new locks or the existing ones rekeyed; the checklist’s point is that the detail is yours to decide before anyone prices it.
The same checklist suggests asking family or friends to recommend someone they have recently used, and checking references. Among the questions it suggests putting to a referee: “did the price increase? Was this reasonable and agreed to?” NSW’s home building tips say to “Ask for references and examples of past work.”
More than one quote
Three state pages say the same thing in different words.
- ACTAccess Canberra: “You’re under no obligation to accept a quote. You can get as many quotes as you like to find one you believe is good value.”
- VICConsumer Affairs Victoria, in its checklist for home improvements costing $10,000 or less: “Get at least three quotes on the same detailed description of the job.”
- NSWNSW’s tips for choosing a contractor or tradesperson, on its home building page: “Get more than one written quote.”
Victoria’s checklist explains why the description matters: “Understand exactly what the quotes cover – the cheapest may not include some items or only give a base rate that does not cover the cost of the actual materials and finishes you want.”
The quote, line by line
No single page lists what a locksmith’s quote must say. Read together, the pages below suggest what to look for on paper or on screen before you agree. Access Canberra gives the reason in one line: “Make sure you know your tradie’s details before signing a contract just in case anything goes wrong.”
What to find in writing
| On the quote | What the page says | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Name and licence number | “The service supplier’s name and licence number should be on their business card, written quote, website or on other promotional material.” | South Australia, for occupations on its licence register |
| The work and the total cost | “Make sure you have a written contract for all work, even small jobs, which clearly specifies the work to be done and the total cost.” | Victoria, home improvements costing $10,000 or less |
| Who you are dealing with | Before signing a contract it is your right to know the tradesperson’s full name, physical address, registered business name and ABN. | ACT, hiring a tradesperson |
| Total cost, or how it is worked out | A sales agreement must include “total cost (including any GST), or details of how the cost will be calculated” and “any postal or delivery charges”. | Australia-wide, but only for unsolicited sales (see the door-to-door guide) |
When to pay
ACTAccess Canberra: “Only pay when the job is complete and ask for an itemised invoice.”
NSWThe NSW home building tips: “Don’t pay any money without a written contract.”
An itemised invoice also gives you the record you would need if something goes wrong later, which the rights guide covers.
A quote you asked for, and a deal you did not
NSW Fair Trading gives an example that bears on any trade that comes to measure up or look at the job. If you ask a supplier to provide a quote “and the supplier tries to enter into negotiations or later contacts you to negotiate a deal, then a resulting agreement would be considered an unsolicited consumer agreement.” But if the supplier leaves a quote with you to think about and you then approach them to accept it or negotiate, “this would not be considered an unsolicited consumer agreement.”
The difference matters, because unsolicited agreements carry a cooling-off period and other rules that ordinary sales do not.
Honest words about price and work
NSWNSW Police lists, among breaches of security licence conditions that can bring a fine, using “false, misleading or deceptive statements, representations or promises”, or hiding facts on purpose, to get someone to sign an agreement or contract for security work.
AUSFor anything you buy along with the work, such as a new lock, the ACCC says: “Any description of a product by a business must be accurate, whether written or spoken.”
Once the price is agreed and the job is done, your rights as a customer take over; before that, checking the licence is the step to pair with the quote. The home page lists all six cuts.