Before you pay · Staircases
Staircase deposit: why 50% is normal and how to protect it
A staircase deposit of 30–50% is normal for a bespoke, made-to-measure staircase, because the timber or steel is cut to your dimensions on day one and cannot be sold to anyone else. What protects the money is not the percentage but how you pay it: at least £100 by credit card, to a limited company you have checked, against a written quote with staged payments.
Key facts
- Normal deposit for a bespoke staircase: 30–50% on order, balance on delivery or fitting (SafeToPay deposit guidance, methodology v1.2).
- Made-to-measure goods are excluded from the 14-day cancellation right, so a deposit on a bespoke staircase is not refundable on a change of mind (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, reg. 28(1)(b)).
- A “non-refundable” deposit can still only cover the company’s actual loss; a term keeping the whole deposit regardless is likely unfair (Consumer Rights Act 2015, s.62 and Schedule 2).
- Paying any part — even £100 — by credit card makes the card issuer jointly liable for the whole job between £100 and £30,000 (Consumer Credit Act 1974, s.75).
- A domestic staircase must meet Approved Document K: a maximum rise of 220 mm, a minimum going of 220 mm and a pitch no steeper than 42° (Building Regulations 2010).
Why a staircase deposit of 50% is normal
A bespoke staircase is the clearest case of a made-to-measure product: nothing exists until the survey, and once the strings, treads and newels are cut to your floor-to-floor height they fit one house in the country. The maker’s risk is front-loaded, so the deposit is too.
What the deposit actually pays for
On a £6,000 oak staircase, roughly half the price is material and machining that happens in the first week: the timber is bought, planed and cut, glass balustrade panels are ordered from a toughening plant to exact sizes, steel stringers are laser-cut. If you cancelled after that week, the maker could not resell any of it. A 40–50% deposit reflects that; it is not a sign of a company short of cash.
Why kitchens and builders are different
A kitchen company can return unfitted carcasses to its supplier, so 25–50% is the range and the lower end is common. A builder buys materials as the job progresses, so 5–20% is normal and anything higher is worth questioning. A staircase sits at the top of the scale for a reason: kitchen deposits and builder deposits work differently.
What “non-refundable” can and cannot mean
Because the staircase is made to your measurements, you do not have the 14-day cooling-off right that applies to most goods bought at home or online (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28(1)(b)). That is what makes the deposit non-refundable on a change of mind. It does not make it non-refundable if the company fails to deliver, delivers something that does not match the drawings, or misses an agreed date by an unreasonable margin: then the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies and the deposit is money you are owed.
| Trade | Normal deposit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bespoke staircase, joinery | 30–50% | Cut to size on day one; nothing resaleable |
| Kitchen | 25–50% | Units often returnable; worktops templated later |
| Windows and doors | 25–50% | Made to measure; FENSA and IBG common |
| Building work, extensions | 5–20% | Materials bought as the job runs |
| Installations (electrical, heating) | 10–30% | Mostly labour plus stock items |
When the staircase deposit is too much
Three patterns turn a normal percentage into a warning sign.
More than 50%, or 100% up front
A maker asking for 70% or the full price before a survey is asking you to finance the company, not the staircase. A genuine workshop with materials on account does not need it. If the only justification is “that’s our policy”, ask for staged payments instead (see below) and watch how they respond.
A deposit before a site survey
Nothing can be cut before the survey, so nothing justifies a deposit before it. Paying a small survey fee (£50–£150, often deducted from the price) is normal; paying 50% of a quote drawn from photographs is not.
Bank transfer only
A company that refuses a card payment — even for the £100 that would trigger Section 75 — has removed your strongest protection. Card fees on £3,000 are about £30–£60. Read what happens to a bank transfer when the company goes bust before you agree.
Who you are actually paying
The name on the website is a brand; the name on the invoice is a limited company, and it is the company that holds your deposit. Before you pay, three things from the public record matter more than the showroom.
Is it a limited company, and which one?
Look for the company number in the footer or terms (it is required by the Companies Act 2006). If there is none, the business may be a sole trader — not a mark against them, but it changes what you can check. A free company check on the website address finds the company behind it in about a minute.
Does the register match the website?
“Established 1985” from a company incorporated in 2022 is worth asking about; sometimes the business traded under a different name first, sometimes not. Our reports mark these as worth asking or does not match depending on whether the domain and archive history back the claim.
Does the balance sheet say the deposit could come back?
A micro-entity with net assets of £342 is not a fraud, but if it failed there would be nothing to return a deposit from. Net liabilities, overdue accounts or a strike-off notice are the signals that move a company to amber or red in our methodology.
Two staircase companies from real checks
Both are real reports, anonymised. They show why the same 50% deposit is safe with one company and worth restructuring with another.
Limited company incorporated 2005, 21 years on the register; full accounts filed on time; registered office is the workshop; 23 Google reviews, oldest more than a year old; domain registered 2004. The website trades under a brand name that differs from the legal name — the report matched them through the company’s own Google listing. No claim on the website contradicts the register. A 50% deposit here is a normal commercial term; pay £100 of it by credit card and the rest however they prefer.
Company incorporated three years ago; no Google reviews under this name; the website says the group has “50 years’ experience”, which the register cannot confirm for this company; landline and postcode shown. Nothing on the register is wrong — but there is little to verify. A 50% deposit of £4,000 to a company with three years of history and no reviews is a loan on trust. The report’s guidance: 30% on signed drawings, 40% on proof the timber is machined (a photo with the order number), 30% after fitting — and the deposit by card.
Enter a website address, e.g. example-staircases.co.uk
How to pay a staircase deposit safely
The percentage is negotiable only at the margins; the structure is not. Do these five things in this order.
- Check the company before the survey. Run the website through a free check; note the legal name and company number. If the check is red, do not pay a deposit until it is resolved.
- Get the quote in the company’s legal name, with the company number, the drawings referenced by number, the floor-to-floor height, the material and finish, the delivery week and the total including VAT.
- Propose staged payments: 30–50% on signed drawings, 30–40% on proof of manufacture (photographs of your components with the job number), the balance after fitting and snagging. A genuine maker accepts this without difficulty.
- Pay at least £100 of the deposit by credit card so Section 75 covers the whole job up to £30,000. If the company has no card facility, ask for a card payment link — most small firms can generate one in minutes.
- Confirm bank details by phone before any transfer, using the number on the quote, not the number in the email. Changed-bank-details emails are the most common way a staircase deposit disappears.
| Stage | Share | Paid when | On a £6,000 staircase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order | 30–50% | After survey; drawings signed off | £1,800–£3,000 |
| Manufacture | 30–40% | Photographs of your components with the job number | £1,800–£2,400 |
| Completion | 10–30% | After fitting and snagging | £600–£1,800 |
What the quote must say
A staircase quote that protects a deposit has six things on it. Missing two or more is itself a reason to slow down.
- The legal name and company number of the business you are paying (Companies Act 2006, s.82 and the 2015 Regulations require these on business documents).
- A drawing or specification reference, with the dimensions the survey produced.
- The payment schedule, with what is delivered before each stage.
- What the deposit covers if you cancel after manufacture starts — the actual cost of the work done, not a flat forfeit.
- The delivery and fitting window, and what happens if it slips.
- Confirmation that the design meets Approved Document K, or that the maker will supply what Building Control asks for.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 50% deposit for a staircase normal?
Yes. For a bespoke, made-to-measure staircase, 30–50% on order is the normal range, because the components are cut to your dimensions immediately and cannot be resold. Above 50%, or any deposit before a site survey, is worth questioning.
Can I get a staircase deposit back if I change my mind?
Usually not once manufacture has started. Made-to-measure goods are excluded from the 14-day cancellation right (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, reg. 28). Before manufacture, the company may keep only its actual costs — a term keeping the whole deposit regardless is likely unfair under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
What if the staircase company goes bust after I paid the deposit?
If any part was paid by credit card and the price is £100–£30,000, claim the whole amount from the card issuer under Section 75. Paid by bank transfer, you are an unsecured creditor of the company and usually recover little. That is why the deposit should go on a card.
Does Section 75 cover a staircase if I only paid £100 by card?
Yes. Section 75 applies to the purchase, not the amount paid by card: any card payment towards an item priced £100–£30,000 makes the issuer jointly liable for the full price. Paying through PayPal or a third-party payment app can break that link, so pay the company directly.
Should I pay a staircase deposit to a sole trader?
You can, but the protections are thinner: there is no Companies House record and no balance sheet. Keep the deposit at the lower end (30%), pay by card, and make sure the quote carries the trader’s full name and home or workshop address.
What should a staircase quote include?
The company’s legal name and number, a drawing reference with surveyed dimensions, material and finish, the payment schedule and what each stage delivers, the fitting window, and confirmation the design meets Approved Document K.
Sources
- Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — made-to-measure goods excluded from cancellation.
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 62 and Schedule 2 — unfair terms, including disproportionate deposit forfeits.
- Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 75 — joint liability of the credit card issuer.
- Approved Document K: protection from falling, collision and impact — rise, going and pitch limits for domestic stairs.
- CMA guidance on unfair contract terms (CMA37) — deposits and cancellation charges.
- Companies House register — company numbers, accounts and filing history.
- SafeToPay methodology v1.2 — deposit guidance ranges and verdict rules.
Check the staircase company before you pay
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Enter a website address, e.g. example-staircases.co.uk