Legal requirements of this business model using contractors

[Young Recruit]

Hi everyone,

I have a website that provides a service to people in the UK in their homes and offices. The service does not fall under CIS tax (Construction Industry Scheme) but there is an element of manual work involved.

Business model:
People google the service, I provide a fixed price quote for the service and then I send a self employed worker to complete the service. (I do not want to make this a discussion about whether the contractors are employees or not)

Up until now my recruitment process has been very unorganised and I am now looking to get a proper process in place that is legally sound and covers me for any liability or other foreseeable issues that may arise.

Questions:
Do you guys have any advice about what kind of contracts I may need and any legal requirements I have when using contractors in this manor, or any other issues you may think of?

I hope that makes sense and I look forward to your response.

 

[thelegalstop]

Hi Young Recruit,

First of all, you need to take care of the website documents, the ones you'll need are here:
i. Terms and Conditions
ii. Acceptable Use Policy
iii. Privacy Policy
iv. Cookies Policy
v. Website Terms of Use

Furthermore, you'll need to ensure you've got proper insurance in place to cover you against the liability and shortfalls of service.

Finally, you'd need a contract template, for you to present to your contractors. This will need to be drafted specifically for your needs. However, in most cases, once you've got it, you'll be able to use the template for further contracts.

This list isn't exhaustive, and please do let me know if you have any specific questions. I can help you draft these documents as well!

Best of luck with your business, and do let us know about your progress!

 

[Broker_Chris]

Make sure that contractors have adequate insurance in place and insist on being provided a copy for your own records. You will most probably find your own insurance provider insists upon this.

I know you want to stay out of the "employee/not employee" argument but from an insurance point of view it may be necessary to have Employers Liability in place if you do not already.