Business owners...Have you ever bought sample contracts?

[Entrepadawan]

I am looking to set up a dog walking agency near me. The walkers I have spoken to so far will be part-time. Before business starts I need two sets of terms and conditions : one for the walkers and one for the dog owners. Friends have told me I should be able to track samples down online..

Do you think it is worth buying these contracts online? The ones I have seen for agency type organisations are around £35. I have never written a contract before and do not have the money for legal fees at the moment.

 

[Ashley_Price]

With this sort of thing you get what you pay for.

Are you going to be able to afford the costs of a legal claim against you, if it turns out the contract costing £35 isn't worth the paper it's printed on?

There are some things that are worth their weight in gold.

 

[Ashley_Price]

Sorry if the above was harsh, but you have to remember you are not just talking about objects, you will be looking after people's beloved pooches. Imagine what legal problems you would get into if something happened to one of the dogs in your care?

I would suggest strongly you get a solicitor to look at any contract or agreement you get drawn up.

 

[Entrepadawan]

Sorry if the above was harsh, but you have to remember you are not just talking about objects, you will be looking after people's beloved pooches. Imagine what legal problems you would get into if something happened to one of the dogs in your care?

I would suggest strongly you get a solicitor to look at any contract or agreement you get drawn up.

No it's not a harsh don't worry. I'm a complete novice here so I am open to advice. Yeah your point sounds logical, thanks

 

[Alan]

Yes I have bought sample contracts. After all (most) lawyers don't write contracts from scratch they start with a sample contract ( boilerplate ) and then modify it according to needs.

The danger is modifying a sample contract, as it is possible if you don't understand the purpose of a clause or wording, that you can damage the effectiveness of the clause or even the contract.

 

[BustersDogs]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Linda-Ward/e/B01BMPPHAE/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1471965457&sr=1-1

These might help you. I used Karl from this site to help create my employment contracts, and another HR specialist in the past for my self-employed contracts. I wrote my terms and conditions and had them checked by a solicitor and by trading standards.

I wrote the books because this is something I hear dog walkers ask time after time. I hope they are useful - they won't write your T&C for you, but will help you know what to include from a dog walker perspective (I am not a legal advisor and this is made clear in the books, they are written from experience).