Terms for a booking platform

A booking platform sells other people's time, and the questions it faces are who the customer's contract is with, what happens when the customer cancels or does not turn up, what happens when the provider cancels, and who holds the money in between. The terms have to settle whether the platform books as the provider's agent or as principal, set the provider's obligations, give customers the information and cancellation terms the law requires, run deposits and payments, and limit the platform's liability for a provider's failure. I draft the provider agreement and the customer terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Businesses in England and Wales operating a booking platform for appointments, classes, venues, experiences, tables or trades, where the services are delivered by independent providers and the customer books and pays through the platform.

What matters in booking platform terms

Agent or principal, and what the customer is told

The terms should say whether the platform takes bookings as agent for the provider, so that the contract for the service is between the customer and the provider, or as principal, so that the platform is itself the supplier and re-procures the service; the choice decides who is liable when the service is poor and who accounts for VAT on what. A platform booking as agent must say so before the customer books, and must identify the provider, because a customer who thinks they booked with the platform has a claim against it under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

The provider agreement

The provider agreement should cover the provider's authority to the platform, its obligation to honour bookings, its standards, insurance, qualifications and licences, its pricing and the platform's commission, its cancellation and no-show policies within limits the platform sets, its data obligations as controller of its customers' data under the UK GDPR, and the platform's right to suspend a provider for cancellations, complaints or ratings. Where providers are businesses using an online intermediation service, the retained platform-to-business rules in Regulation (EU) 2019/1150 apply to the terms and to ranking.

Customer terms, information and cancellation

The customer terms should give the pre-contract information the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 require, state the cancellation policy for each booking, and say that a booking for a service on a specific date is outside the cancellation right by virtue of regulation 28 for leisure services, while the platform's own account service is not. Where the platform combines two or more travel services in one booking, the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 may make the platform the organiser with the liability that carries, and the terms should be drafted to avoid or to accept that.

Deposits, payment handling and the perimeter

The terms should say when the customer pays, whether the platform takes a deposit or the full price, when the provider is paid, and what is refunded on cancellation by either side. Collecting payment for providers can be a payment service under the Payment Services Regulations 2017 unless the platform acts as the provider's commercial agent within the exclusion or uses a regulated provider to hold the funds, and the provider agreement should appoint the platform as agent to receive payment where that is the model.

No-shows, late cancellation and charges

A charge for a no-show or a late cancellation is enforceable against a consumer only if it is fair under Schedule 2 to the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and reflects the provider's loss rather than punishing the customer, and the customer must have agreed to it before booking; the terms should state the charge, the notice period, and the card authorisation that lets the platform take it. Where the provider cancels, the customer should receive a refund, and the provider agreement should provide for the platform to recover its costs from the provider.

Reviews, liability and data

Reviews and ratings should be governed by the terms with the safeguards Schedule 20 to the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 requires against fake reviews, and providers should be able to respond. The platform's liability for its own service should be capped within the law, and its liability for the provider's service excluded where it acts as agent; a platform booking as principal cannot exclude the consumer's rights in the service under section 49 of the 2015 Act. The platform is controller of customer account data, providers are controllers of their booking data, and the terms should say who does what.

What it costs

SaaS terms of service, £995. Your standard customer-facing terms. Five working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the saas and technology contracts 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 bespoke contract drafted for how your product is sold, delivered and supported
• Service levels you can meet, with remedies that are proportionate rather than aspirational
• A liability position that is defensible and will survive enterprise procurement
• IP and data provisions that fit together rather than contradicting each other
• A commercial note on where you will get pushback and what is worth conceding
• One round of amendments

What is not included

• Negotiating individual enterprise deals, which I quote separately
• Advice on the law of jurisdictions outside England and Wales
• Technical security certification or audit
• Regulatory advice for regulated sectors such as financial services or health

Questions I am often asked

A provider did not turn up. Does the customer claim against us or the provider?

If the terms make the platform the provider's agent and the customer was told who the provider was, the claim is against the provider, and the platform refunds the platform fee. If the platform booked as principal, the platform is liable and recovers from the provider.

Can we charge a customer's card for a no-show?

If the terms state the charge and the notice period, the customer agreed before booking, and the charge reflects the provider's loss, yes. A charge that is the full price for every no-show regardless of notice is likely to be unfair against a consumer.

We bundle a class with transport. Are we a travel organiser?

You may be, if two travel services are combined in one booking. The terms are drafted either to avoid that or to accept the organiser's obligations, depending on the model.

Related guidance and services

• SaaS and technology contracts, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Data protection agreements and privacy terms, £795
• Terms for a marketplace platform
• Terms and conditions for an entertainment booking agency

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.