Terms and conditions for a windscreen repair business

A windscreen business needs terms that deal with the jobs it actually does: a chip repair that fails and cracks out, a replacement that triggers camera recalibration, an insurer who authorises the work while the driver pays the excess, and a fleet that wants to bill you for a van off the road. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Mobile and workshop-based auto glass businesses in England and Wales, from a single van doing chip repairs to a multi-fitter operation on an insurer's approved network. Your customers are usually a mix: private drivers who are consumers, insurers and claims handlers who instruct work, and fleet operators, leasing companies and bodyshops who are business customers. One set of terms has to be written with all three in mind.

What matters in windscreen terms

Chip repairs and what you actually promise

A resin repair stops a chip spreading. It does not make it disappear, and the screen sometimes cracks out during drilling or curing. Say that in the terms before the job, not on the invoice afterwards: what a successful repair looks like, that a faint mark or some distortion normally remains, and what happens if the damage runs. Crediting the repair fee against a replacement is common and worth writing down. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 information a consumer relies on is binding, so the wording on your booking page matters as much as the terms behind it.

Insurer-instructed work and collecting the excess

When an insurer or claims handler instructs the job you have two relationships: the authorisation and payment on one side, and the driver in front of you on the other. The terms should say who owes you what if the claim is declined or the authority is withdrawn mid-job, and should make the vehicle owner liable for the excess and for anything outside the authorised scope. Excesses are usually taken by card at the roadside, and the Consumer Rights (Payment Surcharges) Regulations 2012 stop you adding a surcharge to a consumer for paying that way.

Calibration and safe drive-away time

Most modern replacements need the forward-facing camera recalibrated, and calibration needs conditions: level ground, space, lighting, correct tyre pressures and sometimes a road test. Your terms should state when calibration is included in the quoted price and when it is charged separately, what you need from the customer or the site to do it, and what happens if the vehicle cannot be calibrated because of a pre-existing fault, prior damage or non-standard glass. Set out the safe drive-away time, record that you gave it, and make driving before it has passed the customer's risk.

The vehicle's existing condition, and weather

Bonded screens come out of cars that are not new. Corroded pinch welds, brittle trim clips, tired rubbers and paint damage hidden under the old bead only reveal themselves once the glass is out. The terms should require a condition record before you start, give you the right to stop and quote for corrosion treatment rather than bond onto rust, and exclude liability for pre-existing faults and for leaks caused by somebody else's earlier fit. Add weather: rain, cold and wind affect adhesive cure, so you need to postpone a mobile fit without penalty.

Consumer cancellation rights and urgent repairs

A screen booked by phone or fitted on the customer's driveway is a distance or off-premises contract under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, so the consumer normally has fourteen days to cancel. There is an exception for urgent repairs the consumer has requested, which covers a good deal of emergency glass work, but it covers only that work. Where it does not apply you need the customer's express request to start inside the period, or you may not be paid for what you did. Missing cancellation information can extend the period by up to twelve months.

Fleets, bodyshops and limiting what you can be sued for

Fleet operators, leasing companies and bodyshops want account terms, and their claims are rarely about the glass: they are about the vehicle being off the road, the driver's wasted day and the delivery that did not happen. Exclude consequential loss for business customers and cap liability at a level your insurance actually supports, which the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 tests for reasonableness in written standard terms. Set payment terms and rely on the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 for interest and compensation. If you take the old glass away, waste carrier registration applies.

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

The insurer's network agreement has its own terms. Do I still need mine?

You do. The network agreement governs your relationship with the insurer, including rates and audit. It says very little about the driver standing at the door with an excess to pay, a vehicle with corrosion under the screen, or a calibration that cannot be completed. Your own terms fill that gap, and I can review the network agreement separately.

What if I quote for a chip repair and the screen actually needs replacing?

That is a variation, and the terms should handle it: you stop, explain the position and get the replacement price agreed before continuing. The important part is that the customer is never committed to a bigger bill by silence. Where an insurer authorised only a repair, the terms should say who pays if the authority is not extended.

Should I offer a guarantee on a replacement?

Many businesses guarantee workmanship and leaks for as long as the customer owns the vehicle, excluding fresh stone damage, accident damage and later work by others. That is a commercial choice rather than a legal requirement. Whatever you offer sits alongside a consumer's rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 rather than replacing them, and the terms should make that clear.

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 locksmith
• Terms and conditions for a window and door installer

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.