Free terms and conditions template for trades

Most trades businesses operate without written terms until the first dispute, at which point they discover that the absence of terms is itself the problem. Without them, payment is due in a reasonable time rather than fourteen days, the scope is whatever the customer remembers being promised, and your guarantee covers whatever they hoped it covered.

This template sets out the clauses that matter for a UK trades business. Payment terms and when interest becomes chargeable. Deposits, what they cover and when they are refundable. Variations — the mechanism by which extra work becomes extra money rather than a favour. Access, and what happens when the property is not available on the agreed day. Materials and ownership until payment clears. Guarantee and warranty scope, including the sensible exclusion of pre-existing faults and third-party interference. Limitation of liability, insurance, and how complaints are handled.

One clause deserves particular attention. Under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, when you agree a contract with a consumer in their home or anywhere away from your business premises, they normally have a fourteen-day right to cancel, and you must tell them so in writing. If you fail to give that notice, the cancellation period can extend by up to a year. If the customer wants work to start inside the fourteen days, you need their express request to do so and their acknowledgement of what that means for the refund position. The template includes the cancellation notice and the wording to handle an early start properly, because getting this wrong is one of the more expensive mistakes a small firm can make.

This is a starting point written for common UK trades work, not legal advice. If your contracts are large, involve main contractors, or carry retention, have a solicitor review the document before you rely on it.