Door Fitting Contract: Work Order & Terms India 2026 — What a clear door fitting agreement covers — scope, rate basis, advance and payment, timeline, defect liability and snag rectification — with a simple work-order template.

A homeowner and carpenter reviewing a written door fitting work order on a clipboard beside newly delivered door leaves

A written door fitting contract — really a simple work order — is the cheapest insurance you can buy on a fit-out. It is the one-page agreement between you and the carpenter or fitter that says exactly which doors are being fitted, who supplies the materials, what the rate is, when payment is due, how long it should take, and what happens if a door binds or a lock sticks after handover. Most door-fitting disputes in India are not about bad work; they are about a vague verbal deal where neither side wrote down the scope, the advance, or who pays for snags. This guide walks a homeowner through every clause a sound door fitting contract should carry, gives ₹ bands as a rule of thumb, and ends with a template you can fill in. It pairs with hiring a door fitter — agree the person first, then put the deal in writing. For the wider picture of doors on your project, start at the complete door guide.

Why put a door fitting agreement in writing

A verbal "₹600 a door, finish in a week" feels friendly until door three swells in the monsoon and self-swings, the lock arrives in the wrong finish, and nobody agreed who pays to put it right. A written work order fixes the scope and the money before work starts, so both sides share the same expectations. It does not need a lawyer or stamp paper for a domestic job — a clear one-page sheet, signed and dated by both parties with a copy each, is enough for residential door fitting. Government and contractor work is measured and valued under CPWD specifications and IS 1200 (the Indian Standard method of measurement of building works); a homeowner does not need that formality, but borrowing its discipline — measure, agree a rate, record it — prevents most arguments.

The scope: which doors, and who supplies what

Scope is where contracts most often fail. Spell out exactly which doors are in the job — list them by location ("main door, 3 bedroom doors, 2 bathroom doors, 1 kitchen door, 1 utility door") or attach your door schedule and ironmongery schedule. Then settle the single most expensive question: who supplies the materials. "Labour only" means you buy the leaves, frames and all hardware and the fitter only fits; "labour plus materials" (often called with material or turnkey) means the fitter supplies everything against an itemised list. Mixed deals — you supply leaves, the fitter supplies hardware — are common and fine, as long as the split is written down. Confirm handing and heights against door handing and swing so a wrong-hand lock is not later blamed on you.

Scope item	What to write into the work order
Doors covered	List by location/number, or attach door schedule; state the count
Materials supply	Labour-only / with-material / mixed — who buys leaves, frames, hardware
Hardware finish & make	Brand, finish (antique brass, matt black, satin nickel) per schedule
Work included	Hang leaf, fit hinges, lock, lever, bolts, closer, stops, seals, signage
Work excluded	Frame fixing, painting, polishing, electrical for smart locks — if not yours
Site conditions	Frame plumb, plaster dry, power and water provided by owner
Standard of work	Even 2–4mm gaps, latches first time, one-hand operation, fire-door musts

Don't forget exclusions

Be as clear about what is not included as what is. If the fitter is hanging leaves but not fixing frames or painting, say so, and name who does those — otherwise a half-done frame or an unpainted edge becomes a finger-pointing match. Note site conditions you will provide (a dry, plumb frame, power, water, light, safe access) because power cuts and damp plaster slow a fitter through no fault of theirs.

Rate basis: per door, per day, or lump sum

There are three honest ways to price door fitting, and the right one depends on the job.

Per door (piece rate) — best for a run of similar doors; you pay a fixed amount per leaf fitted, so productivity risk sits with the fitter. As a rule of thumb internal flush doors run ₹400–900 each to fit, main or heavy doors ₹900–2,000, and frame fixing (if included) ₹500–1,500 per frame.
Per day (day rate) — best for mixed, custom, glazed or fire doors where each is different; a skilled carpenter's day rate is roughly ₹800–1,800, and a good hand fits about 4–6 simple flush doors a day, fewer for heavy or complex ones. Day rate suits you when the work is unpredictable but exposes you to slow days.
Lump sum (whole job) — one agreed figure for the entire list; simplest to budget, but only fair when the scope is fully fixed and listed, or extras will reopen the price.

Whichever you pick, write the GST position down: hardware generally carries 18% GST; labour-only charges from an unregistered carpenter usually do not, but a registered contractor's invoice will. State whether quoted figures are inclusive or exclusive of GST so the final bill holds no surprise. For a structured estimate before you sign, the door fitting cost estimator and a door fitting time estimate help you sanity-check both the rate and the timeline; the deeper logic is in door fitting cost breakdown and door fitting productivity.

Payment, advance and retention

Good payment terms protect both sides: enough advance for the fitter to start, enough held back to guarantee a clean finish. A typical, fair structure for a domestic door job looks like the table below — adjust the percentages to the size of the job and your trust in the fitter, but never pay 100% before snagging.

Stage	Typical share (rule of thumb)	Released when
Advance / mobilisation	20–30%	On signing, before work starts (for materials/tools)
Interim (large jobs)	30–40%	At an agreed milestone, e.g. half the doors hung
On completion	25–40%	All doors fitted, before snag sign-off
Retention / holdback	5–10%	After the defect liability period, snags cleared

The retention (or holdback) is the quiet hero of the contract: a small slice — typically 5–10% — held back for the defect liability period and released only once any snags are fixed. It gives the fitter a reason to come back. Record the mode of payment (cash, UPI, bank transfer) and ask for a receipt or invoice at each stage; for amounts of any size, traceable digital payment beats cash for both warranty and dispute purposes.

Timeline, defect liability and snag rectification

State a start date and a target completion, and tie it to your conditions being ready (frame fixed, plaster dry, materials on site) so the clock is fair. Then add the two clauses that matter most after the work is "done":

Defect liability period (DLP). A window — commonly 6–12 months in India for domestic fit-out — during which the fitter returns, at no labour cost, to fix workmanship defects: a leaf that starts binding, a lock that loosens, a closer that drifts out of adjustment. Distinguish workmanship (the fitter's responsibility) from product failure (the hardware maker's warranty — see door warranty claims).
Snag rectification. The fitter agrees to clear the snag list — the punch-list of defects you record at handover — within an agreed number of days, before the final payment and retention are released. Common door snags are even-gap failures, won't-latch, self-swing, chipped lippings and stiff locks; the door snagging guide and a snagging checklist help you record them objectively, and door acceptance criteria sets the tolerances both sides measure against. The legal-cum-craft backbone of liability is in door defect liability.

Dispute handling and a simple work-order template

Most door disputes never reach a court; they are settled by the contract itself, because the scope, tolerances and snag clause make "done" objective. Agree up front how a disagreement is handled: first, measure the door against the agreed acceptance tolerances (even gaps, plumb frame, latches first time) — not against opinion; second, the fitter gets a fair chance to rectify within the snag window; third, only persistent failure justifies withholding retention or engaging another fitter. Keep all records — the signed work order, payment receipts, the dated snag list and photographs, and the as-built door and ironmongery schedule — so the facts, not memories, decide. For larger or contractor jobs, a named mediator or the consumer forum is the backstop, but a clear written agreement keeps you well clear of both.

A fill-in-the-blanks door fitting work order

Adapt this single page; it is enough for a domestic job:

Field	Fill in
Parties	Owner name & contact; fitter/contractor name, firm, contact, GSTIN if registered
Date & site	Date of agreement; full site address
Scope of doors	List by location/number, or "as per attached door schedule (X doors)"
Materials supply	Labour-only / with material / mixed; itemise who buys leaves, frames, hardware
Standard of work	Even 2–4mm gaps, latches first time, one-hand operation; fire-door musts where applicable
Rate basis & amount	Per door ₹___ / per day ₹___ / lump sum ₹___; GST inclusive or extra
Payment schedule	Advance ___% ; interim ___% ; completion ___% ; retention ___%
Timeline	Start date ___; target completion ___; tied to site being ready
Defect liability	___ months (commonly 6–12); fitter rectifies workmanship defects free
Snag rectification	Snags cleared within ___ days before final payment/retention release
Dispute handling	Measure against agreed tolerances; rectify; then mediation/forum
Signatures	Owner sign & date; fitter sign & date; one copy each

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a formal contract to get doors fitted in India?

For a domestic job you do not need stamp paper or a lawyer — a clear, signed one-page work order with a copy for each side is enough. It should fix the scope, who supplies materials, the rate, the payment and advance, the timeline, and the defect-liability and snag clauses. The template table above covers everything a homeowner needs.

How much advance should I pay a carpenter for door fitting?

As a rule of thumb, 20–30% advance on signing is fair — enough for the fitter to buy materials or mobilise, without over-exposing you. Add interim payments on large jobs, pay the bulk on completion, and always hold a 5–10% retention until the defect-liability period ends and any snags are cleared. Never pay 100% before snag sign-off.

Should I pay per door or per day for door fitting?

Pay per door for a run of similar leaves — the productivity risk sits with the fitter (roughly ₹400–900 to fit an internal flush door, ₹900–2,000 for a main door). Pay per day (about ₹800–1,800 for a skilled carpenter) when doors are mixed, glazed, custom or fire-rated and each takes a different time. A lump sum suits a fully fixed, fully listed scope.

What is a defect liability period for door fitting?

It is a window — commonly 6–12 months in India — during which the fitter returns at no labour cost to fix workmanship defects such as a binding leaf, a loosening lock or a drifting closer. It is separate from the hardware maker's product warranty. Tie the retention release to the end of this period so the fitter has a reason to come back. See door defect liability.

What if a door has defects after the fitter leaves?

Record them on a dated snag list with photographs and measure each against the agreed acceptance tolerances. Give the fitter a fair chance to rectify within the snag window before releasing the final payment and retention. If they refuse, the written contract, receipts and snag records let you withhold retention, engage another fitter, or escalate to mediation or the consumer forum.

Who pays for materials in a door fitting contract?

Whoever the work order says — that is exactly why it must be written down. "Labour-only" means you buy all leaves, frames and hardware; "with material" means the fitter supplies everything against an itemised list; mixed deals (you supply leaves, fitter supplies hardware) are common and fine if the split and the hardware make/finish are recorded. Note that hardware generally carries 18% GST.