Terms and conditions for a tiler

A tiling business needs terms that deal with substrates outside tolerance, tiles supplied by the customer, wet rooms that leak into the room below, and final invoices that fall due long after completion. I draft customer terms around how you work, for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Wall and floor tilers in England and Wales, from sole traders to firms running several fixing crews: bathrooms and wet rooms, kitchens, porcelain, natural stone, external paving and commercial floors. Most tilers work for homeowners and also for kitchen and bathroom fitters, builders, shopfitters and developers. Consumers and business customers are treated very differently by the law, so one set of terms has to be written with both in mind.

What matters in a tiler's terms

Substrate, strip-out and what you are tiling onto

Almost every tiling failure traces back to what was underneath: plasterboard that was never overboarded, a screed outside tolerance, a flexing timber floor, damp, or another trade's work that somebody else signed off. Your terms should give you the right to inspect before starting, to price preparation as a variation once the old tiles are off, and to decline to tile over a substrate you have warned about in writing. Strip-out also turns up old adhesive and bitumen that may contain asbestos, which falls under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, and tile rubble you carry away makes you a waste carrier, which requires registration with the Environment Agency under the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989.

Wet rooms, tanking and water reaching the room below

The most costly claim in this trade is a shower leaking into the room below months after handover. The terms need to record who applied the tanking, that you will not tile over a waterproofing system installed by others unless it has been tested and accepted in writing, and that silicone joints are maintenance items the customer keeps sound. For business customers, cap liability at a sensible figure and exclude consequential loss such as redecoration and lost rent. Under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 that cap has to be reasonable, and it can never cover death or personal injury caused by negligence.

Tiles supplied by the customer, batches and natural stone

Tilers are more often supplied with tiles than they sell them. The terms should put ordering quantities on whoever ordered them, require a wastage allowance for cuts and breakages, and make clear that you are not liable for the standing time or the sequence problems caused when a batch runs out mid-job and the replacement shade no longer matches. Natural stone varies, travertine has holes, and marble etches when cleaned with unsuitable products. Where you do supply tiles to a business customer, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 quality obligations apply, and retention of title is worth little once tiles are cemented to a wall.

Setting out, tolerances and when the job is finished

Disputes about finish are usually disputes about expectations that were not recorded. The terms should require the customer to approve the setting out, the pattern, the cut positions and the grout colour before fixing starts, because none of that can be revisited once the adhesive has gone off. They should state the tolerance you work to on lippage and joint width, note that hand-made and rectified tiles behave differently, and put a short snagging period after which the work is accepted. A change of mind about layout after fixing is a new job at a new price, agreed in writing.

Underfloor heating, movement and cracking

Cracked tiles and grout lines are rarely caused by the fixing. They are usually a structure moving, a missing perimeter expansion joint, or a customer who ran the underfloor heating up to full straight after the floor went down. Your terms should require the adhesive and the heating to be left to cure for the period you specify, make the commissioning schedule the customer's responsibility where the heating is not your work, and exclude liability for movement in the building itself. Say which movement joints your price allows for, and where the layout needs more, price them as extras rather than absorbing them.

Deposits, payment and homeowner cancellation rights

A deposit covering materials and holding the start date is normal, with stage payments on longer jobs and the balance due on completion rather than at a later date. For business customers such as developers and shopfitters, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 gives you interest and fixed compensation on overdue invoices. For homeowners the rate must be modest and clearly stated. Where the job was agreed at the customer's home or by email, the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 give fourteen days to cancel, and starting inside that period without an express written request can mean not being paid for the work done.

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.

Email me at geoffrey@caesar.co.uk with what you need and any documents, and I will confirm the scope and the fee in writing, usually the same working day. If you would rather pay straight away, 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 will be in touch promptly to get started.

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

The customer bought the tiles and a lot of them are cracked. Where does that leave me?

Breakage and wastage sit with whoever chose and ordered the tiles, provided your terms say so before the first one is cut. What you need alongside that is a standing time clause, so that when fixing stops while a replacement batch is ordered you are paid for the days held and for returning to a job that has fallen out of sequence.

Do I need different terms for shopfitters and housebuilders?

One set of terms can carry both, with a consumer section and a business section. Business to business tiling on a commercial site is usually a construction contract, so the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 brings a right to adjudication, payment notice rules and a ban on pay when paid. Work for a residential occupier sits outside it.

Can I refuse to tile over a substrate I am unhappy with?

You can, and the terms should give you that right expressly, with the customer either paying for the preparation or accepting in writing that you fix over it at their risk. A warning given on site and never recorded is worth very little later, if the floor later fails.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Terms and conditions for a kitchen and bathroom fitter
• Terms and conditions for a carpet and flooring fitter

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.