Website terms and conditions

About this document

These T&C are for a professional services business that markets its service through the Internet, taking payment online, but that provides consultancy or another service offline.

Your website is likely to be set-up to market one or more discrete packages of services, as well as perhaps being a medium for taking credit card payments, and for providing quotes for individual pieces of work.

At least some of the work should be performed offline by a human being. Although these are website terms, they provide for a close working relationship.

The document includes options for taking pre-payments on account, and for operating on a subscription basis (automatic recurring billing). It contains strong provisions for confidentiality and protection of your intellectual property, including use of your website.

Examples of businesses that would use these T&C

• Accountants providing personal tax calculations and dealing with returns, or providing a fixed price accounts preparation service

• Planning consultants advising on gaining planning consent

• Financial advisors offering portfolio management services billed on a recurring quarterly basis

• Human resources consultants providing potential employee assessments on a one-off basis

• Environmental consultants reporting on data provided by clients

• IT or engineering consultants advising on the development of a project

• Surveyors and property consultants

The benefit of using clear terms

Using this T&C template will help you:

• Present a professional image of your business. Our use of plain English helps ensure customers do not feel intimidated by overly formal or legalistic language

• Prevent misunderstandings and solve disputes more easily

• Comply with consumer protection law (such as the Consumer Contracts (ICAC) Regulations 2013) if you sell to consumers

• Protect your website from misuse (we include paragraphs that form an Acceptable Use Policy, useful if your visitors can interact with your website, for example, by posting reviews or exchanging messages in a customer forum)

• Trade safely internationally, whether your customers are in the UK, EU or further afield

Alternative documents

This is one of three sets of T&C for consultancy firms that Net Lawman offers.

The other two sets provide for your business to sell supporting products or systems (such as where the products are physical goods) or license use of them (such as when the products are intellectual property).

Terms are presented on a "take it or leave it" basis. If you negotiate your contract with each client, you should look at our range of consultancy agreements.

The law in this document

The law in these T&C is largely common law that deals with the basics of contracts: offer, acceptance, price and payment, delivery, returns, dispute resolution, liabilities and risk. Provided you comply with the law, you can set whatever terms you like.

This document can be used by any UK-based consultancy firm, selling to businesses or consumers. It complies with The Sale of Goods Acts (1979 and 1994) and The Consumer Contracts (ICAC) Regulations 2013.

We have contracted out of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 so as not to obligate you in contracts made between your customer and any other party. This is usual in a document such as this one.

Contents

• Definitions and interpretation
• Basis of contract
• Provision for Consumer Contracts (ICAC) Regulations 2013
• Credit card security
• Price and renewal of payment
• Service provision
• Foreign taxes
• Liaison with client
• Work management procedures
• Compliance issues
• Confidentiality of the service
• Protection of your intellectual property
• Termination
• Disclaimers and many matters to protect you
• Over 2,200 words of helpful drafting notes.