Terms and conditions for a furniture restorer

A furniture restorer takes possession of items that are old, valuable and difficult to replace, and carries out work that cannot be reversed. The terms need to cover estimates that change once the piece is stripped, who carries the risk while it is in your workshop, what you promise about the finish, and when you are paid. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Furniture restorers, French polishers, cabinet makers doing repair and conservation work, upholsterers and gilders in England and Wales, whether you trade as a sole trader or a limited company. Most take in pieces from private customers, who are consumers in law, and also work for antique dealers, auction houses, interior designers, hotels and churches. Those two groups are treated differently, so one set of terms has to be drafted with both in view.

What matters in a furniture restorer's terms

The estimate, and what you find once you strip it back

Most disputes start with a figure given before the condition beneath the finish was known. Woodworm behind a veneer, a previous owner's repair held together with screws and glue, a replaced foot, a split that only opens once the piece is in a dry workshop: none of that is visible in the customer's hallway. The terms should describe the estimate as based on a visual inspection, require additional work to be quoted and agreed in writing before you continue, and give the customer a route to take the piece back unrestored. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 information a consumer relies on is binding, so what you say about price and timing needs care.

Other people's property in your workshop

You are holding goods you do not own, often for months, and the customer will assume they are insured for whatever they believe the piece is worth. The terms should state what your cover extends to while the item is with you and in transit, ask the customer to declare a value in writing before you accept it, and say whether they are expected to keep their own insurance in place. Collection and delivery need their own wording: who loads, who is responsible for getting a wardrobe round a stairwell, and what happens when it will not fit through the door it came out of.

Limiting what one mistake can cost you

A scorch mark on a documented piece with a provenance is a different claim from a scratched pine table. Your terms should cap liability to business customers by reference to the declared value or the price of the work, whichever your insurance supports, and exclude loss of profit and lost sale value beyond that. For business customers the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 tests those limits for reasonableness, weighing bargaining strength and insurance. Against a consumer the Consumer Rights Act 2015 prevents you from limiting liability for a service to less than the price, and nothing can exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence.

Private customers and the fourteen-day cancellation right

Where you agree the work at the customer's home, or entirely by email and photographs, the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 apply and the customer has fourteen days to cancel. Strip a frame or cut into a seat inside that period without their express request and you may not be paid for it. Where the cancellation information was never given, the period can extend by up to twelve months. There is an exception for urgent repairs the consumer has asked for, but only for that work, so the paperwork handed over at collection matters as much as the terms themselves.

What you promise about the finish

Restoration is not manufacture. Timber moves in a centrally heated room, new wood will not match a 100 year old patina exactly, dyes and polishes shift as they cure, and a customer's own fabric may not behave as you expect on a sprung seat, and any re-upholstery must meet the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988. The terms should state what the work is intended to achieve, that colour and grain matching is done by eye and to the best of your skill, and that materials supplied by the customer are used at their risk. If you offer a guarantee on a repair, define what it covers, for how long, and what voids it, such as damp storage or a conservatory.

Deposits, payment and pieces nobody collects

Take a deposit that covers materials, because leather hides, fabric, gold leaf and cut veneer are bought for one job and cannot be returned. The balance should fall due before the piece leaves you, stated plainly in the terms rather than raised at collection. For dealers, auction houses and hotels you can claim interest and fixed compensation on late payment under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. Uncollected furniture needs its own clause covering notice, storage charges and the bailee's power of sale under section 12 of the Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977, drafted so a consumer could not call the charge a disproportionate default charge under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

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

Can I refuse to hand the piece back until I have been paid?

Holding on to someone else's property is a step that needs a clear contractual basis, and a dissatisfied customer may raise a chargeback or complain to trading standards. I draft the terms so that payment falls due before release, storage charges are notified in advance, and the position on uncollected items is settled before the piece ever arrives.

The customer says the piece is an irreplaceable heirloom. How do I protect myself?

Get the value declared in writing at the point you take the piece in, and check it against what your insurance covers. Where the declared value sits above your cover, you can decline the work or ask the customer to insure it themselves. The terms should make that declaration part of the contract rather than a conversation nobody recorded.

Do I need different terms for trade work from dealers and auction houses?

One set can carry both if it contains a section that applies only to consumers. Trade customers press for credit, delivery to their premises and a view on condition when the piece comes back, so the terms should require damage to be notified promptly on receipt with photographs, and should fix your credit position rather than leaving it to their purchase order.

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 removals company
• Terms and conditions for a handyman service

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.