Terms and conditions for a boiler servicing business

A boiler servicing business sells the same visit over and over, often on a plan paid by direct debit, and the arguments are always about what the price covered. Parts, a condemned appliance, a customer who was out when you knocked, a landlord who says the agent should pay. I draft customer terms that deal with all of it, for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Boiler servicing and breakdown businesses in England and Wales, from a single registered engineer to a firm running several vans. Most of you sell to homeowners, who are consumers in law, and also to landlords, letting agents and managing agents, who are business customers. One set of terms can serve both, but only if it is written knowing which protections apply to whom.

What matters in boiler servicing terms

Service plans, direct debits and renewal

A plan sold at a monthly price is a continuing contract, and the terms carry most of the weight. They should set out what the plan buys in a year, when cover starts, what happens if the boiler fails in the first weeks, how a customer leaves and what you keep if they leave after a service has been done. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats one-sided variation rights and prepayments kept without a matching obligation on the trader as suspect. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 is also bringing further rules for subscription contracts, so renewal wording needs to be written with that in view.

What the service price actually includes

Most complaints start with a customer who thought the service fee covered a new diverter valve. The terms should define the service visit as inspection, testing and cleaning of specified components, and treat parts, additional labour and any non-standard flue access as chargeable extras agreed before you proceed. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 information the consumer relies on becomes binding, so what your website and your plan leaflet promise matters as much as the terms. Any headline price shown to consumers must include every mandatory charge, because drip pricing is banned by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.

Landlord checks, letting agents and who pays

Gas safety checks for rented property are ordered by landlords and agents, which raises the question of who your customer is. The terms should say whether an agent contracts as principal or on behalf of a named landlord, because an agent who signs without saying so is often the one you chase. Landlords and agents are business customers, so you can claim interest and fixed compensation on late payment under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. They also want records, so say how long you keep certificates and how replacements are charged.

Access, missed appointments and tenant no-shows

A no-access visit costs you the slot and the fuel. The terms should require the customer to give access to the boiler, the flue and the gas meter, to keep the area clear, and to give notice, say 24 hours, to move an appointment. A charge for a missed visit is defensible if it reflects your real loss, because the Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats disproportionate default charges as unfair. For landlord work, make it the landlord's job to arrange tenant access and to pay for repeat visits when the tenant is out.

Unsafe appliances, capping and the limits of liability

Gas work may only be done by an engineer registered under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, and your terms should confirm that you will act on what you find. That means recording an appliance as unsafe, disconnecting or capping where required, and charging for the visit even though the customer now has no heating. The terms should also address a customer who declines the remedial work. Liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence can never be excluded, but you can exclude pre-existing installation defects, set a cap for business customers and rule out loss of rent and similar consequential claims.

Cancellation rights on callouts and plan sign-ups

Plans sold over the phone or at the door, and repairs agreed at the customer's home, fall under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, which give consumers fourteen days to cancel. Urgent repairs the consumer has asked for sit outside that right, but only for that work, not for a plan sold on the same visit. Work done in the period needs the customer's express request, and a consumer who then cancels pays a proportionate amount. Where the cancellation information is missing the period can extend by up to 12 months. Consumers also cannot be surcharged for paying by card.

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 one set of terms cover plan customers and one-off callouts?

One document can do both if it is structured that way, with core terms covering every visit and a plan schedule sitting on top for members. What causes trouble is running a plan on the same short terms you use for a one-off repair, because nothing then governs renewal, cover limits or what a leaving customer is owed.

What if the customer refuses the repair I say the boiler needs?

The terms should record the position rather than leave it verbal. I draft wording that has you note the defect and the advice given, obtain the customer's signature or written confirmation of refusal where you can, and make clear that you take no responsibility for an appliance left in a condition you advised against.

Do I have to offer consumers a complaints scheme?

Under the Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes (Competent Authorities and Information) Regulations 2015, a trader who cannot resolve a consumer complaint must tell the consumer about a certified ADR provider and say whether it will use it. Your terms should set out a complaints route, response times and that information, so the position is dealt with before anyone escalates.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Employment contracts and handbooks, £595
• Consultancy and contractor agreements, £595
• Terms and conditions for a gas engineer
• Terms and conditions for a plumbing and heating business

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.