Terms and conditions for a boarding kennel or cattery

A boarding business looks after an animal for an owner who is away. The terms have to give you authority to act when the animal is ill, make the owner responsible for the cost, deal with vaccinations and parasites before they affect other animals, and say what happens when a booking ends and the animal is not collected. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Boarding kennels, catteries and home boarding businesses in England and Wales, licensed by their local authority under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, taking bookings by phone, email and online from consumers, with the occasional business customer such as a rescue centre or a relocation company.

What matters in boarding terms

Health, vaccinations and admission

The terms should require up-to-date vaccinations and parasite treatment with proof at check-in, disclosure of health conditions, medication and behaviour, and should give you the right to refuse or isolate an animal that arrives without them, with the booking fee still payable. An animal admitted on the owner's assurance is admitted on the owner's risk, and the terms should say that the owner is responsible for treatment of the premises if fleas or infection are brought in.

Veterinary treatment and who pays

You owe every animal a duty of care under section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 while it is with you. The terms should give you authority to obtain veterinary treatment when you judge it necessary, to use your own vet if the owner's cannot be reached, and to recover the cost from the owner, with an emergency contact and a stated spending limit agreed at booking. For an animal that dies or is euthanised on veterinary advice while boarding, the terms should say that you act on the vet's advice and are not liable where you took reasonable care.

Deposits, cancellation and specific dates

Boarding is accommodation for a specific period, so regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 excludes it from the fourteen-day cancellation right; your own cancellation scale does the work and must be fair under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. A deposit that reflects what you lose from a late cancellation in peak season is enforceable; one that keeps the whole price for a cancellation months ahead is not.

Uncollected animals and late collection

The terms should set a late collection charge and a process for an animal not collected by the end of the booking: attempts to contact the owner and the emergency contact, continued charges, and, after a stated notice, the right to rehome the animal through a suitable organisation. Without that process you have an animal you cannot keep and cannot release.

Liability, belongings and business customers

You cannot exclude liability for your own negligence in a way that removes a consumer's statutory rights, but the terms can say that animals are boarded at the owner's risk as to illness and injury not caused by a failure of care, that belongings are left at the owner's risk, and that elderly or unwell animals are accepted on a recorded acknowledgement. For rescue centres and other business customers the terms should provide for invoicing, a liability cap and interest on late payment under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

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.

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 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 dog fell ill in my kennels and the owner refuses to pay the vet bill. Where do I stand?

If the terms gave you authority to obtain treatment and made the owner liable for the cost, you have a contractual claim for the bill. The emergency contact and spending limit agreed at booking are what make that claim hard to dispute.

Can I keep the full price if an owner cancels a fortnight before Christmas?

The terms can provide for a cancellation scale, and a late cancellation in a peak period where the kennel cannot be refilled justifies keeping most or all of the price. The scale should be stated at booking and should reflect what you lose.

What if the owner's contact details do not work when the animal is not collected?

The terms should require a working emergency contact and say what happens if neither the owner nor the contact can be reached, including the right to rehome after a stated notice period. That clause provides a defined process for a situation that otherwise has no resolution.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Terms and conditions for a dog daycare business
• Terms and conditions for a dog groomer

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.