HVAC contract template — equipment, deposits and commissioning
HVAC contracts carry a large equipment deposit and a warranty that depends on paperwork. Here is what the contract has to settle before the unit is ordered.
This is a checklist of what a HVAC contract has to settle — not a ready-to-sign legal document, and not legal advice. Most states regulate home improvement contracts: required disclosures, cancellation windows, deposit limits and licence display all vary, and some trades carry extra rules. Adapt this, then have a lawyer in your state review it before you put it in front of a customer.
Download as a spreadsheet to work through, or print it to sit alongside your own agreement.
What a HVAC contract has to settle
HVAC contracts move a lot of money before any work happens, because the equipment is ordered and paid for up front. The contract needs to say what the deposit buys, what happens to it if the customer cancels after the order is placed, and who owns the equipment until final payment. Commissioning is the other half: the job is not complete when the unit is installed, it is complete when it is charged, tested and registered, and the contract should define completion that way so final payment tracks a working system.
Clauses it needs
- Parties, licence number, and the equipment by model and capacity
- Load calculation referenced, so sizing is a documented decision
- Deposit amount, what it covers, and the cancellation terms once ordered
- Ownership of equipment until final payment clears
- Completion defined as commissioned and tested, not merely installed
- Ductwork and electrical modifications: included or excluded, itemised
- Manufacturer warranty registration — who files it and by when
- Labour warranty term, separate from the manufacturer's
- Permit and mechanical inspection responsibility
- Seasonal scheduling risk and what happens if install slips past a heat wave
What HVAC contracts actually get argued over
- Customer cancels after the equipment is ordered, with no restocking clause
- Existing ductwork or panel cannot carry the new unit, and no allowance exists
- Warranty registration missed, surfacing years later as the installer's problem
- Final payment demanded on a placed unit that has not been commissioned
The estimate this contract is built on
A contract can only be as clear as the scope it references. BidWand drafts the itemised estimate — labour, materials, exclusions and assumptions — that the scope and exclusions clauses point at.
Draft the HVAC estimate this contract references
This generates the estimate, not the contract — describe the job and you get the itemised scope to attach. No email needed to see the first one.
What you get — see the format first
A complete estimate you can send to the customer, built from the rate you enter:
| Description | Qty | Unit | Unit price | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor — itemized by task | hrs | hour | your rate | — |
| Materials — with your markup applied | qty | ea / sq ft | cost + markup | — |
| Permits, disposal, access | — | — | — | — |
Plus a plain-English scope summary, assumptions (what had to be guessed), exclusions (what you are not doing — the section that prevents most change-order arguments), and a validity period. Printable, or send the link.
Every figure comes from the rate and markup you supply. We never fill in a market price for you.
Related guides
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HVAC · bathroom remodel · kitchen remodel · plumbing · electrical · painting · roofing · landscaping
How to estimate
How to write a contractor estimate · Estimate vs quote vs bid — and which one you should send · What to include in a contractor estimate · How to price a job as a contractor · Should you charge for estimates? · How to follow up on an estimate · How to handle change orders · Estimate vs invoice: what's the difference? · How to raise your prices as a contractor