Terms and conditions for a barber shop

A barber shop that has moved from walk-ins to online booking has moved, without noticing, from a contract made in the shop to a contract made at a distance, with different rules. That is where no-show fees fail. Terms that make the booking system and the law work together, and that cover the razor, the photographs and the self-employed barbers, are what I draft, for a fixed fee of £995 in five working days.

Who this is for

Barber shops in England and Wales taking walk-ins and online bookings, with employed barbers, self-employed barbers renting chairs, or both. Your customers are consumers, so the terms are written for the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the online booking rules.

What matters in barber shop terms

Walk-ins, online bookings and the right to cancel

A walk-in is a contract made on your premises and carries no cancellation right. An online or phone booking is a distance contract under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, with a 14-day cancellation right, and because the appointment is inside that period the booking flow needs the customer's express request for the service to start. Get that right and a no-show charge is enforceable; get it wrong and it is not.

Deposits, no-shows and lateness

Deposits for online bookings and charges for no-shows and late cancellations are allowed, but against a consumer they must reflect what you lose from the empty chair rather than punish the customer, or the Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats them as unfair. A lateness policy that shortens or forfeits the slot should be stated at booking.

Razors, hot towels and skin

Wet shaves and skin services carry a risk of cuts and reactions. The terms should require the customer to disclose skin conditions, allergies and recent treatments, give you the right to decline a service, and say that aftercare is the customer's responsibility. You cannot exclude liability for personal injury caused by your own negligence, so the terms support a safe process rather than replace it.

Children, photographs and social media

The terms should say whether children are cut only when accompanied and who is responsible for them in the shop, and should deal with photographs: a barber's marketing runs on pictures of haircuts, and using a customer's image needs their agreement, which the terms can seek but must not assume. Customer data collected through the booking system needs a privacy notice.

Prices, products and self-employed barbers

Prices must be displayed, card payments cannot carry a surcharge under the Consumer Rights (Payment Surcharges) Regulations 2012, and the shop's details must be available under the Provision of Services Regulations 2009. Retail products carry the goods rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Where barbers rent chairs, the terms should say whether the customer's contract is with the shop or with the barber, because that decides who answers a complaint.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted around your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want to know how much of a problem they are. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the terms and conditions drafting page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A full set of terms drafted around your business, not a template with your name inserted
• A covering note in plain English explaining every commercial choice I made and why, so you can defend the terms in a negotiation without ringing me
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions set at a level that will survive a procurement review
• Consumer-facing wording drafted to be enforceable where you sell to consumers
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly, which is where most businesses actually fail
• One round of amendments after you have read them

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country

Questions I am often asked

Can I charge a no-show fee for an online booking?

You can, if the booking flow gives the cancellation information and records the customer's express request for the service to start within 14 days, and the fee reflects what you lose. The terms and the booking system have to be set up together.

Can I refuse to cut a child's hair without a parent present?

You can, and the terms should say so. A stated policy on children is easier to apply than a decision made at the chair.

Do I need a separate agreement for barbers renting chairs?

You do. The customer terms cover the customer relationship; the arrangement with the barber is a chair rental agreement, which is a different document.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Terms and conditions for a hairdressing salon
• Chair rental agreement for a hairdressing salon, which works for barbers too

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.