The terms of using this

What The Bid Room is

A place where somebody describes a job once, several tradespeople each give a price without seeing anyone else’s, and the customer sees every price and chooses.

We are an introduction, not a builder. We do not do the work, we do not supervise it, and we are not a party to what you agree with each other. The contract for the work is between the two of you.

What it costs

California only. This app works in California. What it tells you about licences, permits and what you may do yourself is California law, and it is different in every other state. If you are somewhere else, nothing here is written for you and you should not rely on it.

Customers pay nothing. Posting a job, reading the prices and choosing somebody are all free, always.

Tradespeople pay only when they win. Joining is free, bidding is free, and losing is free. The winner pays a flat fee — $7.77 on jobs up to $500, $8.88 up to $1,000, and $9.99 above that — worked out on the full price including anything marked as extra. The architects and engineers a permit calls for have their own ladder, $25 to $175, because a set of drawings is not a repair. That fee is what releases the customer’s address, and it is the only thing we ever charge.

If you are giving a price

Price the job as described, and answer the published item list honestly — say what is included and what would cost extra. The whole point of this place is that the customer can compare prices that mean the same thing.

You will not see anyone else’s price, or how many others have bid. That is deliberate and permanent.

Do not put your phone number or email in a job description or a price. Everybody bidding can read it, and you would be handing it to all of them before anyone has been chosen.

If you are posting a job

Describe it honestly, including the parts that make it awkward. A price given against a description that leaves out the hard bit is not a price either of you can rely on.

You can correct a job until the first price arrives, and take it down any time before you choose somebody. Once you have chosen, the job is settled: it cannot be taken down and it cannot be given to anybody else.

What we do not promise

We do not check licences, insurance or qualifications. We do not inspect anybody’s work. A rating on this site is what previous customers said, and nothing more.

Satisfy yourself about who you are letting into your home, the same as you would with anyone else. Ask for their licence and their insurance, and ask them the questions you would ask on the doorstep.

If something goes wrong with the work, it is between you and the person who did it. We will help where we sensibly can, but we are not responsible for it and we are not insuring it.

Behaving decently

Do not post work you do not intend to have done. Do not give a price you do not intend to honour. Do not use somebody else’s name or address. We can close an account that does any of these, and we will.

Where this stands

The Bid Room is new and is run by one person. These terms describe how it actually works today. If they change in a way that matters, the date at the top changes with them, and anything that affects money or what we hold about you will be said plainly rather than buried.