HVAC contract template
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Between
Customer name
Scope of work
Describe exactly what is included — and what is not.
Price and payment
Total: $0.00
Deposit (50%): $0.00 before work begins
Balance: $0.00 on completion
Terms
Payment
A deposit is due before work begins. The balance is due on completion. Invoices unpaid after 14 days may carry a late fee of 1.5% per month.
Changes to the work
Anything outside the scope above is a change order, priced and agreed in writing before that work starts. Verbal changes are not binding on either of us.
Access
The client agrees to provide access to the property, water and power where needed, on the agreed dates. If we cannot access the site on a scheduled day, a return visit may be charged.
Weather and delays
Work may be rescheduled for weather or conditions that make it unsafe or would affect quality. We will give as much notice as we can. Neither party is liable for delays outside their control.
Existing condition
We are not responsible for pre-existing damage or for defects revealed by the work. Where we find something unexpected, we will stop and tell you before continuing.
Insurance
The contractor carries liability insurance and will provide a certificate on request.
Cancellation
Either party may cancel in writing before work begins. Deposits cover materials already ordered and scheduling held for you, and may be non-refundable to that extent.
This is a starting point written for small home service work, not legal advice. Contract law varies by state, and some states require specific notices, licence numbers or cancellation language on residential contracts. Have a local attorney read it once before you use it for everything.
Specify the equipment exactly
Make, model, capacity, efficiency rating, and the same for the coil and the air handler. Not “a 3-ton 16 SEER2 system”.
Then add the substitution clause:
If the specified equipment becomes unavailable, the contractor may substitute a unit of equal or greater capacity and efficiency, subject to the client’s written agreement. Any price difference will be shown before ordering.
That covers the reality of supply without giving you a blank cheque to fit whatever turned up.
The warranty registration line
This is the clause that saves the most trouble for the least effort.
Most manufacturer warranties require registration within 60 or 90 days of install, and an unregistered system falls back to a much shorter base term. Customers do not know this. When their compressor fails in year seven and the warranty they thought was ten years turns out to be five, the conversation lands on you.
State who registers it and by when. If it is the customer’s job, put the deadline in writing.
Two warranties, separated
Manufacturer warranty on the equipment — parts, term, and registration condition. Your labour warranty — your term, typically one to two years, covering installation workmanship. Customers merge these constantly; the contract should not.
Permits, inspection and commissioning
State that a permit is included, that inspection scheduling depends on the jurisdiction, and that the balance falls due on commissioning rather than on inspection sign-off — otherwise a slow inspector delays your payment by weeks.
Maintenance agreements
If you are writing an annual agreement rather than an install contract, describe the visit frequency, what each visit covers, the priority-scheduling benefit, and the repair discount for members. Those three things are what make a plan renew, and the plan base is what carries an HVAC business through the shoulder seasons.
Getting it signed while they are still deciding
QuoteIQ at $29.99/mo includes e-signatures from the Beginner plan and consumer financing on every tier — relevant for a $9,000 system. Jobber at $49/mo has the strongest customer-facing document. Housecall Pro from $189/mo manages recurring maintenance agreements properly, which is the part a growing HVAC business outgrows a template for first.
Questions operators actually ask
What should an HVAC installation contract include?
The exact equipment — make, model, capacity and efficiency rating — what is included in the install, permits and inspections, the payment schedule, the manufacturer warranty terms and registration requirement, and your own labour warranty. Equipment specification is the clause that prevents substitution disputes.
Why specify the model number?
Because equipment availability changes and substitutions happen. A contract naming the exact model, with a clause stating that any substitution must be of equal or better specification and agreed in writing, protects both sides when the distributor is out of stock.
Who registers the manufacturer warranty?
State it. Most manufacturer warranties require registration within a set window, and an unregistered unit reverts to a much shorter term. If registration is the customer's responsibility, say so clearly — this is a very common and very expensive misunderstanding.
Should I use a separate maintenance agreement?
Yes. An install contract and an annual maintenance agreement are different documents with different terms. The builder above handles either — for maintenance, describe the visit frequency and scope, and set the price as an annual or monthly figure.
What payment schedule is normal for HVAC installs?
A deposit covering equipment at signing, and the balance on commissioning and inspection. Equipment is the majority of the cost and it is ordered before you start, so a back-loaded schedule means you are financing it.