How to set your prices for automatic quotes

This guide explains how to set prices for each service so CertifySpace can quote customers for you, quickly and accurately. Open it from Services in your firm menu, then press Set pricing on any service.

1. How automatic quotes work When a customer requests a service, they answer a short form: property use (residential or commercial), property type, bedrooms, property value, postcode and how soon they need the job. CertifySpace takes those answers and works out your price in this order: 1. Your base price. 2. Your price matrix box for that property, if you filled one in (this replaces the base price). 3. Your commercial setting, if the property is commercial. 4. Your advanced rules, from top to bottom. 5. Your always-included extras. 6. VAT, if your firm is VAT registered. The customer sees you as an anonymous professional with your price. Your company details are only shared once you accept the booking.

2. Choose your quote setting • Automatic: your quote is sent to the customer straight away. Best for fixed-price services such as EPCs and gas safety certificates. • Draft: the quote is prepared for you, and you check it before it is sent. Good while you are getting used to the system. • Manual: you write every quote yourself. Use this only for jobs that are always bespoke. Tip: firms that reply first win more work. Automatic quotes reach customers within seconds.

3. Simple pricing (about 5 minutes) Step 1. Enter your base price. Example: £70 for a Domestic EPC. Step 2. Choose your quote setting, for example Automatic. Step 3. Under Price matrix, press Auto-fill from base price. Every box is filled for you: flats a little cheaper, detached houses and HMOs dearer, and prices rising with bedrooms or value. Step 4. Change any box you want, then press Save pricing (below the price matrix). Worked example: base price £70. A 3-bedroom semi-detached house comes out at about £75 after auto-fill, and a 1-bedroom flat at about £55. You can type over either number. That is all you need for automatic quotes. Everything below is optional.

4. The price matrix The matrix sets a price for each property type (rows) against either bedrooms or property value (columns). Choose the columns with the Columns dropdown. • A filled box replaces your base price for that exact property. • An empty box means your base price is used. • Changing the columns clears the boxes, so pick bedrooms or value before filling them in. Example, Homebuyer Survey by property value: • Terraced, £150k to £200k: £395 • Semi-detached, £250k to £300k: £450 • Detached, £400k to £500k: £575 A customer with a semi-detached house worth £280,000 is quoted £450.

5. Commercial properties If the service can be used for commercial property, choose one of: • Same as residential: commercial jobs are priced exactly like homes. • Residential price plus a percentage: example £300 plus 50% = £450. • I send my own quote: commercial requests come to you in Leads, and you price them by hand.

6. Complex pricing with advanced rules Advanced rules change the price when certain answers match. Press Add rule, choose the condition and choose what happens. Rule types: • Set price: replaces the price so far. Example: set £120 for HMOs. • Add amount: adds pounds. Example: add £15 if distance is more than 10 miles. • Add percentage: adds a percentage of the price so far. Example: add 25% if needed within 48 hours. • Quote by hand: no automatic quote; the request comes to you to price. Example: property value over £2m. How rules run: • Rules run after the matrix, from top to bottom. • Every rule that matches is applied, not just the first one. • Drag rules to change their order. Order matters for percentages, because a percentage is worked out on the price at that point. • If any matching rule says Quote by hand, no automatic price is sent. Useful examples: • Distance more than 10 miles: add £15. • Distance more than 25 miles: add a further £20. • Hours until preferred date 48 or less: add 25% (urgent job). • Bedrooms 6 or more: add £40. • Property type HMO: quote by hand. • Property value £2m or more: quote by hand.

7. Extras • Always included: added to every quote. Example: EPC lodgement fee £5. • Optional add-on: shown to the customer, who can choose it. Example: floor plan £35.

8. Full worked example Service: Domestic EPC. Base price £70, matrix box for a 4-bed detached house £95, commercial uplift 50%, rules: add £15 over 10 miles, add 25% within 48 hours, extra: lodgement fee £5 always included. A landlord requests an EPC for a 4-bed detached house, used commercially, 14 miles away, needed tomorrow. 1. Matrix: £95. 2. Commercial plus 50%: £95 + £47.50 = £142.50. 3. Over 10 miles: + £15 = £157.50. 4. Urgent plus 25%: + £39.38 = £196.88. 5. Lodgement fee: + £5 = £201.88. 6. VAT at 20% if you are VAT registered: £242.26 total.

9. Test before you go live At the bottom of the pricing page, enter example answers (property type, bedrooms, value, distance) and press test. You see the exact quote a customer would get, line by line. Test your cheapest and most expensive jobs and one commercial job.

Setting your best price The best price is not always the lowest. Customers compare price, rating, distance and the earliest free slot together. Aim to be competitive, quick and clear. • Know your true cost: travel, time on site, report writing, fees to your accreditation body and insurance. • Start near the typical price for your area, then adjust after your first 10 to 20 quotes. • Use Automatic quotes for standard jobs: the first sensible quote often wins. • Price larger or harder properties fairly with the matrix, rather than raising your base price for everyone. • Charge extra for urgency instead of discounting your normal work. • Review your win rate every month. Winning almost everything usually means you are too cheap; winning almost nothing means you are too dear or too slow. Tip: use Compare with market prices on the web on the pricing page as a guide, then decide for yourself. It never uses other CertifySpace firms' prices.

### Example prices by service These are illustrative starting points only. Set prices that suit your costs and area. | Service | Typical starting price | Common extras | | --- | --- | --- | | Domestic EPC | £60 to £90 | Same-week visit +£20 | | Gas Safety Certificate | £60 to £85 | Each extra appliance +£15 | | Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) | £120 to £200 | Each extra circuit board +£40 | | RICS Level 2 Homebuyer Survey | £400 to £700 | Property over £500,000 +£100 | | Commercial EPC | £150 to £450 | Floor area over 500 m² priced by quote |

### Example: a Domestic EPC price matrix Base price £70, Automatic quotes, columns set to bedrooms. | Property type | 1 bed | 2 bed | 3 bed | 4 bed | 5+ bed | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Flat | £55 | £60 | £65 | £70 | £75 | | Terraced | £60 | £65 | £70 | £75 | £85 | | Semi-detached | £65 | £70 | £75 | £80 | £90 | | Detached | £70 | £75 | £85 | £95 | £105 |

Example 1: a 2-bedroom flat in your normal area, booked for next week. Matrix price £60, no rules apply. Quote: £60, or £72 with 20% VAT if you are VAT registered.

Example 2: a 4-bedroom detached house needed within 48 hours. Matrix price £95, plus an urgency rule of +£25. Quote: £120 before VAT.

Example 3: a 3-bedroom semi 25 miles away. Matrix price £75, plus a distance rule of +£1 per mile over 15 miles (+£10). Quote: £85 before VAT.

Example 4: a commercial shop unit using residential price plus 50%. A matrix price of £80 becomes £120, then a floor area rule adds £30 for over 200 m². Quote: £150 before VAT.

10. Saving • Nothing is live until you press Save pricing. • Each save replaces all pricing for that service with what is on screen, so anything you removed is removed. • Only firm owners and managers can save pricing. • Prices are entered in pounds. You can type £ and commas, such as £1,200.

11. Common mistakes • Leaving the base price empty: requests that do not match a matrix box cannot be quoted automatically. • Percentages in the wrong order: put fixed amounts above percentage rules if you want the percentage to include them. • Forgetting to save after auto-fill. • Not testing a commercial request.

12. Frequently asked questions Do customers see my rules? No. They only see the final price and what it includes. Can I change prices at any time? Yes. New prices apply to new requests. Quotes already sent are not changed. Does commission change my price? No. Commission is taken from your wallet when you accept a booking, and you see it before accepting. Can I compare my prices with the market? Yes. Use Compare with market prices on the web at the top of the pricing page. It is indicative only and never uses other CertifySpace firms' prices.