What is an Interior Design Contract?
An Interior Design Contract is your MOST important legal document. If you only have one contract in your interior design business, this is it!
An Interior Design Contract sets out the legal agreement between an interior designer and their clients.
It covers all of the important terms of your agreement, including services. fees, expenses, payment terms and limitation of liability. It also covers Intellectual Property rights.
Your Interior Design Contract should be tailored to each specific client. A well-written agreement will not only provide you with legal protection; it will also help manage your client’s expectations.
Who can use this template?
- Interior Designers
- Interior Decorators
- Suitable for all Australian states and territories
Do I need a contract for my interior design clients?
Yes, definitely! A contract protects both you and your clients.
You should always have a contract signed before starting a new interior design job for a client.
Putting things in writing protects both parties and gives certainty.
Contracts are about more than wrapping your clients up in red tape and telling them what they can’t do. Think of your contract as relationship insurance: it does all the hard, boring work of keeping the relationship on rails so that you can focus on the fun part – the actual designing.
Other names for an Interior Design Contract
- Interior Design Terms & Conditions
- Terms of Trade
- Interior Design Service Agreement
- Client Agreement
What does this Interior Design Contract template include?
Our Interior Design Contract template covers everything you need:
- Services – description of your services
- Fees – what you charge for your work
- Expenses – any extra charges for expenses (disbursements)
- Payment Terms – essential, how you will get paid! Includes deposit and overdue amounts
- Our Responsibilities – what you are responsible for
- Client Responsibilities – what the client is responsible for
- Intellectual Property – this covers intellectual property rights for the works you create
- Disclaimer – an important legal clause
- Client’s Warranty and Indemnity -an important legal clause
- Changes to Scope – how you will deal with change requests and out of scope work
- Confidentiality – both parties agree to keep confidential information private
- Limitation of Liability – to protect you against claims for losses and damages
- Termination – this explains how either party can terminate the agreement
- Dispute Resolution – process to deal with any problems that may arise
- General – standard contract clauses such as Assignment, Severance, Entire Agreement, Waiver and Governing Law
How do I fit all of the details of the Scope into the contract?
The best way to do this is to have TWO documents that you provide to clients:
1. Proposal – a detailed overview of the design services you will provide and the scope of your engagement
2. Terms and Conditions – all of the legal considerations and your official agreement
This gives you more flexibility, and it means that you can customise each proposal without having to condense the detailed information into a standard contract.
What happens if the client wants to change the scope?
We have included a clause to cover any changes to the scope and how you can address this. Any requested changes which are out of scope will normally incur additional fees for the client.
You also have the option to refuse any changes to the original scope unless the client agrees to pay you additional fees for the work.
Is this template legally binding?
Absolutely!
All of our templates have been drafted by qualified Australian lawyers who hold an Australian legal practicing certificate.
We are affiliated with a commercial law firm based in Sydney.
