Checking a Contractor’s Invoice Against the Agreed Property Work

A contractor’s invoice arrives after work on your property, but its total is higher than the figure you remember approving. Start with the documents behind that difference. Which version of the work was agreed, what changed, which stage is being charged and what has already been invoiced or paid? For an owner in Syria, answering those questions creates a useful explanation to take to the contractor and the appropriate adviser. It does not establish that every charge is payable or that the work meets a technical standard.

The review works best when each invoiced line can be followed back to a specific room, task or recorded change. A correct addition is only one part of that exercise. A bill can add up perfectly while covering a different quantity, repeating an earlier charge or referring to an approval that nobody can locate.

Identify the invoice and its supporting agreement#

Record the issuer, recipient, property reference, invoice number, issue date, currency and stated billing period or stage. Keep the original file as received. If a replacement arrives, retain both versions and ask which one the contractor says is current. An email attachment called final does not by itself explain whether an earlier invoice has been cancelled, adjusted or included in a running total.

Place the accepted quote, work description and payment schedule beside the invoice. Identify the version and date actually agreed, including any attachments that define materials or rooms. An early estimate used to discuss possibilities may differ from the later accepted scope. Our itemised renovation estimate guide helps interpret those starting descriptions; the present task is to trace the charge back to the relevant agreement.

The US Federal Trade Commission’s home-improvement guidance discusses written descriptions of work, materials and price. That supports keeping the agreed description available for comparison. Its US licensing, financing, cancellation and payment advice is not used here as a Syrian rule. Ask an independent local lawyer about contractual obligations when the actual wording or authority is uncertain.

Match each charge to the work reference#

Create a working sheet with the invoice line, corresponding scope reference, location, supplied quantity and unit, rate or agreed amount, and question still open. Use the contractor’s original terms before adding your explanation. If one invoice line combines several tasks, request a breakdown showing how it connects to the agreed scope. Do not invent an allocation that merely makes the total look reasonable.

Check whether the same description means the same thing in both papers. A price per door differs from a single price for all doors in a room. Materials supplied, materials installed and labour for installation can also be separate charges. Ask which components a line includes and whether any associated delivery, preparation or disposal was already included elsewhere.

Business.gov.au’s invoicing guide describes identifying invoices and giving descriptions, quantities and prices in its Australian business context. Those details help formulate documentary questions. Its tax categories, registration identifiers, monetary thresholds, deadlines and record-retention rules are not requirements for Syrian work. An unfamiliar tax or other charge on your actual invoice needs an explanation and suitable local advice.

When quantities differ, record both figures and request the measurement or other basis used by the responsible person. Checking multiplication is different from confirming a physical measurement. Avoid entering unsafe areas or disturbing completed work to settle a quantity yourself. Any necessary technical assessment should have an appropriate scope and authorised access.

Separate original work from approved changes#

For each additional charge, ask for the change reference, description, date, stated price basis and record of the instruction. Distinguish a discussed option from an instruction to proceed. A message approving a visible finish may leave quantity, cost or installation questions unanswered. Our material and finish approval record explains how those decisions can be recorded separately.

Identify substitutions and omissions as well as additions. If one item replaced another, ask how the original allowance or charge is treated. If a task was removed, request the contractor’s explanation of any resulting adjustment. Do not assume that a removed item produces a particular credit: the price basis and actual agreement still need review.

In a hypothetical example, an agreed work package is 100 neutral units. A separately recorded addition is 12, and the contractor has acknowledged a credit of seven for an omitted item. The comparison total is therefore 105. An invoice stating 112 leaves a specific seven-unit question about that acknowledged credit. These invented figures illustrate reconciliation, not Syrian prices, a tax calculation or a conclusion about what must be paid.

If the contractor disputes whether a change was approved, preserve the relevant messages and versions. Put the disagreement in plain language and seek advice on the actual arrangement. Changing a spreadsheet label to authorised cannot resolve a question about who could instruct the work.

Reconcile the stage and previous amounts#

Ask whether the invoice requests a new amount for this stage or shows the cumulative value charged so far. Put earlier invoice references beside any brought-forward figure. A cumulative document should not be added to earlier cumulative totals as though each were a separate new charge. Request an explanation whenever the presentation leaves that distinction unclear.

Keep invoiced and paid amounts in separate columns. In the hypothetical 105-unit package, an earlier invoice for 40 does not prove that 40 was paid. If payment records show only 30 transferred and acknowledged against that invoice, retain both facts. Ask the contractor to explain how the current statement treats the earlier outstanding amount and the next stage, rather than subtracting 40 simply because a bill exists.

Match credits, advance payments and other adjustments to their references and stated purpose. A payment covering several jobs needs an allocation supplied by the relevant parties. Keep different currencies separate unless a documented conversion basis applies; never use an invented rate to make a discrepancy disappear. This administrative review does not choose a transfer route or validate payment instructions.

Send precise questions and retain the resolution#

Prepare a short query for each unresolved line: the invoice reference, the conflicting document, the difference observed and the evidence requested. For example, ask whether line six includes the delivery already listed in the accepted quote, rather than asking why the whole bill is expensive. Set a response date with the person handling the review and keep the reply attached to the relevant line.

Separate documentary agreement from physical completion and payment authority. A charge may match the accepted description while the work still requires inspection. A completion photograph may show a surface without establishing concealed quality. Record who is expected to assess the result and what their report covers. Neither a matched invoice nor this article supplies that assessment.

When the contractor issues a correction, identify the changed lines and any replacement or credit reference. Retain the earlier invoice without treating both versions as separate charges. Have the appropriate accountant or legal adviser address unresolved accounting or contractual questions before relying on your summary. This article provides no right to delay payment, deduct an amount or accept work on someone else’s behalf.

Finish with a dated review note showing charges explained, earlier amounts traced and questions still open. Link any later payment acknowledgement to the relevant invoice and purpose. The result is a usable record of how the requested amount was understood, with remaining decisions visible to the people responsible for them.