The crack came back
Three weeks after you finish the lounge, the customer rings. There is a crack across the ceiling, the one you filled, and they think you did a poor job. There is also a scratch on the oak floor near the door they say was not there before. You remember the ceiling crack was long and had been filled before, likely movement, and you mentioned it. The scratch you do not remember at all.
There are no photos. The quote said filling of minor cracks. Everything else is memory, and the customer's memory is different.
Why these arguments start
Decorating reveals, and sometimes cannot fix, problems underneath: movement cracks, damp stains, blown plaster, old damage to floors and fittings. Customers see the room differently once it is freshly painted, and remember it as better than it was. Without a record, fair disagreements become difficult.
- No photos of the room are taken before starting.
- Existing faults are mentioned verbally, if at all.
- The quote does not say what cannot be fixed by decorating.
- Floors, fittings and furniture are not photographed before work.
- Customers are not shown the record.
What the disputes cost
Return visits to redo work that was never at fault. Discounts given to keep the peace. Final payments held. And poor reviews from customers who felt let down, even when the cause was the building rather than the decorator.
Disputes also take the owner's time at the worst moment, when they are running other jobs. The conversation usually starts on the phone, moves to texts, and ends with a return visit and a compromise nobody is happy with. Most of it could have been avoided with ten minutes of photos at the start.
The condition record we build
- When the painter arrives, the app guides a walkround of each room: walls, ceiling, woodwork, floor, fittings, with photos from set positions.
- Existing faults are tagged on the photo from a short list: cracks, staining, damp marks, blown plaster, damage to floors or fittings, previous poor work.
- Notes are added where something may not be fixed by decorating, using wording you have set, such as movement cracks that may reappear.
- The record is sent to the customer by link before work starts, and they acknowledge it.
- At the end, after photos from the same positions complete the record.
- If the customer raises a problem later, the before and after photos are pulled up side by side.
| Surface | Typical existing issues recorded |
|---|---|
| Ceilings | Cracks, stains, previous repairs |
| Walls | Cracks, blown plaster, damp marks |
| Woodwork | Chips, splits, old paint runs |
| Floors | Scratches, stains |
| Fittings | Damage to switches, sockets, handles |
How you word notes about what decorating cannot fix is your decision, and your own adviser can check it. The system makes sure the note is made and seen.
When the next call comes in
The office opens the job and sees the ceiling with the crack marked before you started, the note the customer acknowledged, and the finished photo. The conversation is calm and specific. Where you did get something wrong, you know exactly what, and put it right. And customers who have seen their room recorded at the start are less likely to dispute it at the end.
Signs you need a condition record
- You have been blamed for damage that was already there.
- Cracks reappear and customers think it is your work.
- You take no photos before starting.
- Existing faults are mentioned only verbally.
- You have given discounts to settle disputes.