Pressure washing 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.
The pre-existing damage clause
This is the clause that matters most in exterior cleaning, and the one most operators do not have.
You are applying water — sometimes at pressure, sometimes with chemistry — to surfaces built by somebody else and maintained by nobody. Old mortar washes out. Failing paint comes off. Soft timber furs. Window seals that were already gone let water in. None of that is caused by you, and all of it gets blamed on you.
Cleaning may reveal or worsen pre-existing defects including failing paint, deteriorated mortar, soft or rotten timber, failed window and door seals, and loose siding or trim. The contractor is not responsible for such conditions. Where these are identified before or during work, the contractor will stop and notify the client.
Photograph before you start. Every time. The clause and the photographs together are what make this a non-issue.
Say what cleaning cannot do
Some staining does not come out. Oil that has cured into concrete, rust bleed from fixings, artillery fungus on siding, oxidation on old paint.
Write that results depend on substrate and stain age, and that certain stains may not fully release. A customer told this in advance accepts a good result. A customer promised perfection rejects an excellent one.
Method matters
State whether a surface is being soft washed or pressure washed. Roofs, painted siding and older timber should be soft washed, and saying so in the contract is both a credibility signal and a defence — it shows you knew the right method and used it.
Water, power and access
The client provides an outside tap and power unless you have specified you bring your own. Add that a wasted visit for lack of access may be charged. Exterior cleaning loses more days to locked gates and dry taps than to weather.
Quoting and signing on site
QuoteIQ at $29.99/mo measures the property off satellite imagery and includes e-signatures from Beginner — the quickest path from driveway to signed job in this trade. Jobber at $49/mo produces the more polished document. Housecall Pro adds structured photo reports, which for a trade this dependent on before-and-after evidence is worth the step up at $189/mo for five seats.
Questions operators actually ask
What should a pressure washing contract include?
The exact surfaces and their square footage, the method (soft wash versus high pressure), water and power access, a realistic statement about what cleaning can and cannot remove, a pre-existing damage disclaimer, and the price and payment terms.
Why does a damage disclaimer matter so much in this trade?
Because you apply water at pressure to surfaces you did not build. Old mortar, failing paint, soft timber, damaged seals and loose siding all fail during washing and none of it is your doing. A clause noting that pre-existing defects may be revealed or worsened is the most important paragraph in the document.
Should I promise to remove all staining?
Never. Some staining is permanent — oil that has cured into concrete, rust bleed, artillery fungus, oxidised paint. Say clearly that results depend on the substrate and that certain stains may not fully release. Promising a perfect result is how you end up doing a job twice for free.
What about water and power?
State that the client provides access to an outside tap and power unless you have specified otherwise, and that a lack of either may mean a return visit at a charge. This is the most common cause of a wasted trip in exterior cleaning.
Do I need a contract for a one-off house wash?
A signed quote with these terms attached is usually enough for residential. Use a full contract for commercial work, recurring schedules, and anything where you are working near painted or historic surfaces.