Terms and conditions for a blinds, curtains and shutters fitter

A blinds, curtains and shutters business sells goods and a fitting service in the same transaction, and most of the arguments sit where the two meet: the bespoke order the customer wants to cancel, the measurement that was wrong, the deposit already spent with the mill and the plaster that came away with the bracket. I draft customer terms around how you sell and fit, for a fixed fee of £995 in five working days.

Who this is for

Made-to-measure blind, curtain and shutter businesses in England and Wales, supply and fit or supply only, whether you trade as a sole trader or a limited company. Most sell mainly to homeowners, who are consumers with rights they cannot sign away, and also to offices, hotels, landlords and developers, who are not. One set of terms has to be written with both in mind.

What matters in a blinds and shutters fitter's terms

Made to measure and the fourteen-day cancellation right

Most orders are agreed in the customer's living room or over email, which makes them off-premises or distance contracts under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. Goods made to the consumer's specification or clearly personalised fall outside the fourteen-day cancellation right, which covers most made-to-measure blinds, curtains and shutters. The fitting service is not goods, and where the cancellation information is missing the period can extend by up to twelve months. Your terms, your order form and your survey paperwork have to work together to record which parts are bespoke and when the customer asked you to start.

Measuring, and who carries a wrong size

There are two routes: you measure, or the customer does. If your fitter check-measures, a shutter that fouls a window handle or a blind that leaves a light gap is your problem, and the terms should commit you to remaking or refitting rather than to unpicking the whole order. If the customer supplies sizes for a supply-only order, the terms must make those sizes the customer's responsibility, explain how recess and exact sizes are read, and state the manufacturing tolerances you work to. Against business customers that allocation is subject to the reasonableness test in the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977.

Deposits, balances and commercial accounts

A deposit before fabric is cut is normal. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the grey list treats a term that keeps a prepayment on cancellation without a matching obligation on you as suspect, so the terms should tie the deposit to work actually done: survey attended, order placed with the mill, timber cut. For offices, hotels, developers and letting agents, payment on delivery with the balance on installation works better, and late payment carries interest and fixed compensation under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. Retention of title is of little use once shutters are screwed into a reveal.

Fabric, timber and what a sample proves

Fabric runs vary between batches, linen relaxes, blackout linings crease, painted shutters shift in tone and hardwood moves with the room. A customer who chose from a swatch in November and sees a full drop in March will notice. The terms should state that samples are indicative, that natural variation, settling and drop-out are not defects, and that fading in a south-facing bay sits outside your guarantee. Where you pass on a manufacturer's guarantee, say whose it is, how long it runs, and that it does not cut down the customer's rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Drilling into someone else's building

Fitting means going into plaster, tiles, steel lintels, uPVC frames and occasionally a concealed cable or pipe. The terms should make the customer responsible for telling you what is behind the wall, for confirming that the owner or landlord consents, and for obtaining any listed building or leasehold permission. They should record that small areas of damage around fixings are an expected consequence of installation, and that making good decoration is not included unless quoted. Drilling a uPVC frame may affect the window manufacturer's guarantee, which is the customer's decision to take and should be written down before you start.

Cord safety, motorised systems and liability

Child safety devices on corded blinds should be fitted, demonstrated and recorded on the handover sheet, with a clear term that removing or defeating them is at the customer's risk. Motorised blinds and smart shutters bring in someone else's power supply, hub and app, so the terms should say who provides the fused spur, that integration with third-party home systems is not guaranteed, and that recharging is the customer's job. Cap liability to business customers at a stated figure with consequential loss excluded. No cap removes liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence.

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

My supplier is late with a bespoke order. Am I liable for the delay?

Delivery dates should be expressed as estimates, with a right to a reasonable extension where the mill or manufacturer runs late. That helps most with business customers. A consumer is still entitled to performance within a reasonable time under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, so keep them informed and agree a revised fitting date in writing rather than relying on the clause alone.

Do I need different terms for supply-only orders?

One document can cover both if it separates supply only from supply and fit. The parts that change are measurement responsibility, delivery and risk, and what happens on cancellation, because a bespoke order posted out looks very different from one that includes a survey and installation. I draft the terms so your order form flags which route the customer has chosen.

A hotel wants me to sign its own purchase order terms. What should I watch for?

Look at the payment period, any retention, damages for late completion, indemnities that are not capped and insurance levels you may not actually hold. Those are the clauses that turn a good contract order into a loss. Reading a document that has been sent to you is a contract review rather than a terms drafting job.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Ask Caesar, £495 a month
• Terms and conditions for a window and door installer
• Terms and conditions for a carpet and flooring fitter

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.