Terms and conditions for serviced apartments

A serviced apartment sits between a hotel and a flat, and its terms have to keep it on the hotel side of the line: a licence to occupy with services, not a tenancy, however long the guest stays. They also have to run corporate accounts, cleaning access, occupancy and deposits for stays measured in months rather than nights. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Serviced apartment and aparthotel operators in England and Wales letting furnished apartments to corporate guests on business, relocating employees and leisure guests, for a night or for several months, directly and through agents.

What matters in serviced apartment terms

A licence to occupy, not a tenancy

The terms should grant a licence to occupy the apartment with services for the booked period, keep your right of access for cleaning, maintenance and inspection, allow you to move the guest to an equivalent apartment, and make clear that no tenancy is created and the apartment is not the guest's home. The document matters, but so does the practice: regular servicing and retained access are what keep a long stay a licence, because Street v Mountford [1985] UKHL 4 established that exclusive possession for a term at a rent creates a tenancy whatever the document is called, and a tenancy of a dwelling can fall within the Housing Act 1988 unless the holiday letting exemption in Schedule 1 applies.

Corporate accounts and long stays

Corporate customers should have their own section: the company is the customer and is liable for the stay and any damage by its employee, invoicing is monthly in advance for long stays, and late payment carries interest and compensation under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. Extensions, early departures and notice periods for long stays should be stated, with a refund basis for early departure that reflects what you can relet.

Occupancy, guests and use

The terms should fix the maximum occupancy, prohibit subletting, parties and business use beyond working from the apartment, and say that only the guests named on the booking may stay overnight. They should set the house rules on noise, smoking and pets, and give you the right to end a stay without refund for serious breach or behaviour affecting other residents of the building.

Cleaning, access and maintenance

The terms should state the servicing frequency and what it includes, that guests must allow access at the stated times, that maintenance may require access at other times on notice, and that guests must report faults and not attempt repairs. Guests are responsible for damage beyond fair wear, charged at cost, and a security deposit or pre-authorisation secures it with deductions evidenced against a check-in inventory.

Booking, cancellation and liability

Accommodation for specific dates is excluded from the fourteen-day cancellation right by regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, so your cancellation policy applies to leisure guests and must be fair under the Consumer Rights Act 2015; corporate bookings follow the account terms. Guests' belongings are at their own risk, but liability for injury caused by your negligence cannot be excluded, and the terms should describe the building's safety arrangements under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the annual gas check under regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, and the guest's duty to follow them.

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 guest has been in the apartment for six months and refuses to leave. What stops this being a tenancy?

The terms grant a licence with services, you have kept access for servicing and can move the guest, and the apartment is not the guest's home. If those things are true in practice as well as on paper, the arrangement remains a licence. If servicing lapsed and the guest has had exclusive possession for months, take advice before acting.

Who is liable when a corporate guest damages the apartment?

The company, under the account terms, which should make it liable for its employees' stays. The check-in inventory and the deposit or pre-authorisation are what make the charge stick.

Can I refuse to refund a corporate stay cut short?

The terms should state the notice period for early departure and the refund basis, which can be nothing for the notice period and a refund of anything relet beyond it. That is a commercial position a business customer will accept if it was in the account terms.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Terms and conditions for a small hotel or guesthouse
• Terms and conditions for a holiday let

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.