Terms and conditions for a nail technician

A nail technician needs terms that deal with what actually causes trouble: the client who reacts to gel, the no-show on a long booking, the set that lifts after a week, the soak-off she did not expect to pay for, and the home appointment she wants to cancel. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Self-employed nail technicians in England and Wales, whether you rent a station or a room in a salon, work from a home studio, or travel to clients. Almost all of your clients are consumers, and that decides most of what the terms can say. If you also take bridal parties, events or film work billed to a business, the terms need a section for that too.

What matters in a nail technician's terms

Consultation, allergies and refusing a treatment

Gel, acrylic and builder gel carry a real risk of acrylate sensitisation, and a client who reacts rarely reacts mildly. Your terms should require a consultation before a first appointment, record any patch test you offer and her refusal if she declines one, and put the client under a clear duty to tell you about allergies, medication, pregnancy, diabetes and nail conditions. They should also let you refuse or stop a treatment where you see infection, severe damage or a suspected fungal problem. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you cannot exclude liability for personal injury caused by your negligence, so the clause allocates responsibility for information, not for your own work.

Deposits, no-shows and late arrivals

A full set is a long booking, and a no-show is a lost afternoon you cannot refill. Deposits, a cancellation window and a shortened treatment for late arrival are all defensible if they are proportionate and set out prominently before the client books. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 grey list catches disproportionate default charges and keeping a prepayment on cancellation where nothing matching is owed by you, so the figure has to reflect the slot you lose. The terms should say what the deposit secures, when it moves to a rebooking, when it is kept and what happens if you cancel.

What you guarantee on a set

Enhancements lift, tips break and clients pick. Decide what you actually stand behind and write it down: a repair at no charge where a nail lifts or breaks within a defined period, provided she comes back to you rather than to another technician, and no free repair where the damage comes from picking, biting, using nails as tools or soaking at home. Aftercare given at the appointment should be referred to in the terms so it forms part of the deal. Say plainly whether a rebalance, an infill and a new set are priced differently, because clients assume they are the same thing.

Pricing, removals and extras

Nail pricing is full of add-ons: removing another technician's work, extra length, art priced per nail, repairs between appointments and charges for a design that takes far longer than booked. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 requires the headline price a consumer sees to include all mandatory charges, so a price list that hides a compulsory soak-off fee is a problem, and so are reviews you have not earned. The terms should set out how extras are agreed and priced before you start, and record that no surcharge can be added for paying by card under the Consumer Rights (Payment Surcharges) Regulations 2012.

Home visits and bookings made at a distance

Appointments agreed at a client's home, or booked online, by message or by phone, are off-premises or distance contracts under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. She has fourteen days to cancel, extended by up to 12 months where you never gave her the cancellation information. You may only treat inside that period at her express request: if she then cancels she pays a proportionate amount for the work done, and if she made no express request she pays nothing. A treatment fully performed in the period after her express request and acknowledgement ends the right. Off-premises bookings of £42 or less sit outside these rules.

Packages, vouchers, photographs and your business details

Courses of appointments, loyalty packages and gift vouchers are money taken before the work is done, so the terms must say what happens on expiry, on cancellation, if you raise your prices and if you stop trading. Photographs of finished nails are your marketing, and a clear permission to photograph the client's hands and post the images, with a route for her to withdraw it, prevents an uncomfortable exchange later. The Provision of Services Regulations 2009 also expects you to make your name, address, contact details, insurance and complaints route available, and the terms are the sensible place to carry them.

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

I rent a station in a salon. Do I still need my own terms?

You do. Renting a station means the client contracts with you rather than with the salon, so the salon's terms do not protect you and its insurance may not cover your work. Your terms should make clear who she is dealing with and who to complain to, and they should sit consistently alongside the rental agreement you have with the salon owner.

A client says her set lifted after a few days and wants her money back. Where do I stand?

Start with what actually happened at the appointment. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires the service to be performed with reasonable care and skill, and you cannot limit your liability for a service to less than the price she paid. Where the work was sound, a repair policy that brings her back to you is usually a better outcome than a refund, and the terms should say so.

Can I treat children and teenagers?

That is largely a policy choice, but it belongs in the terms rather than in your head. If you treat younger clients, require a parent or guardian to consent and to stay for the appointment, record that in the consultation notes, and state which treatments you will not carry out for them at all. Insurers often set their own age limits, so check your policy first.

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 beauty salon and nail bar
• Terms and conditions for a mobile hairdresser or beautician

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.