Terms and conditions for a bike hire business

A bike hire sends a customer onto the public road on your equipment, unsupervised, for an afternoon or a week. The terms have to make riding the rider's responsibility, deal with bikes that are damaged, stolen or abandoned, cover children and e-bikes, and be accurate about what happens when the rider is injured. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Bike hire shops, e-bike hire businesses and cycle tour operators in England and Wales hiring to visitors, families and commuters, from a shop, a hotel or a trail centre, with customers who are almost all consumers.

What matters in bike hire terms

The rider is responsible for riding

The terms should say that the customer rides at their own risk, must be competent to ride the bike hired, must comply with the law on the road, and is responsible for their own safety and for injury or damage they cause to others. You remain liable for injury caused by your own negligence, for example a bike hired with defective brakes, and the Consumer Rights Act 2015 does not allow that to be excluded against a consumer. The terms describe your inspection process rather than attempt to exclude the risk.

Helmets, e-bikes and children

The terms should say whether helmets are included and that you recommend them, that e-bikes are hired only to riders aged 14 or over, as the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles Regulations 1983 require, and that a bike outside those Regulations is a motor vehicle needing a licence and insurance, and that children ride under a parent's responsibility with bikes and seats chosen by the parent. Where you hire child seats or trailers, the terms should require the parent to fit and check them and to observe the weight limits shown on the equipment.

Damage, theft and locking

The bike is the customer's responsibility from hand-over to return. The terms should require it to be locked with the lock supplied whenever unattended, make the customer liable for theft and damage during the hire, and set out how repairs and replacement are charged. A deposit or card pre-authorisation should be taken, and the terms should say when it is returned and what may be deducted.

Fitness, health and the route

Hire customers often overestimate their ability. The terms should ask the customer to confirm they are fit to ride and to disclose anything that affects that, should say that route suggestions are suggestions and that the customer chooses where to ride, and should make weather and daylight the customer's judgement. Guided rides need a separate section on the guide's authority and the group's conduct.

Booking, cancellation and late return

A hire booked online for a specific date is excluded from the fourteen-day cancellation right by regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, so your own cancellation policy applies and must be fair. The terms should set the return time and charge late returns at the hourly or daily rate, require identification at hand-over, and make payment due in advance with the deposit on top.

What it costs

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

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want them checked and brought up to date. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Email me at geoffrey@caesar.co.uk with what you need and any documents, and I will confirm the scope and the fee in writing, usually the same working day.

What you get

• A full set of bespoke terms drafted for your business, reflecting the legal requirements that apply to your business and sector
• A note in plain English explaining the terms I have drafted for you
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions that protect your position and are drafted to withstand scrutiny from the other side
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly
• Your questions and comments answered by email or phone
• One round of amendments to finalise the terms ready for use

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers (I am happy to quote for this as an additional service if required)
• 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
• Tax advice

Questions I am often asked

A customer's hire bike was stolen from outside a café. Can I charge them?

If the terms made the customer responsible for the bike and required it to be locked when unattended, the replacement cost is chargeable, less the deposit. The amount should reflect the bike's current value rather than a new one.

Am I liable if a customer is injured in a road accident?

If the accident was caused by the customer's riding or another road user, the terms make it the customer's risk. If it was caused by a defect in the bike you hired out, you are liable, so the terms should describe your pre-hire checks and the customer's duty to report faults and stop riding.

Can I refuse to hire an e-bike to someone?

The terms can require riders to meet the legal requirements for e-bikes and to demonstrate they can handle the bike, and can give you the right to refuse a hire on safety grounds without giving reasons.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Terms and conditions for a kayak and paddleboard hire business
• Terms and conditions for a bicycle and e-bike repair shop

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.