Why a Written Agreement Protects Everyone

You've found a brilliant freelancer — a designer, a copywriter, a bookkeeper, a web developer — and the conversation has gone well. It's tempting to shake hands and get started. But the projects that go wrong are rarely the ones where someone was dishonest. They're the ones where two people walked away with different assumptions about what "done" looked like.

A written agreement isn't a sign of distrust. It's a shared reference point you can both turn to when a question arises. Even a one-page document, confirmed by email, is far better than nothing. If you're working with a consultancy to help you hire, ask them to look it over — a fresh pair of eyes often catches gaps you'd miss.

Agree the Scope Before Anything Else

Scope is where most disputes begin. "Build me a website" means very different things to different people. Before work starts, get clear on:

• Deliverables: exactly what will be produced — a five-page site, a 1,500-word article, a set of monthly management accounts.
• Format and handover: what files you'll receive, and in what format.
• Timelines: start date, milestones and the final delivery date.
• Revisions: how many rounds of changes are included, and what happens if you need more.
• What's excluded: be explicit about anything you don't expect them to do.

The exclusions matter as much as the inclusions. A photographer who's agreed to shoot an event isn't automatically agreeing to edit every image, and a developer who builds a site isn't necessarily maintaining it afterwards.

Nail Down Payment Terms

Money conversations feel awkward, so people avoid them — and then feel resentful later. Have them early and in detail. Your agreement should cover:

• The total fee, and whether it's a fixed price, a day rate or an hourly rate. If it's a rate, agree an estimate and what happens if the work runs over.
• A deposit. Many freelancers ask for 25–50% upfront to cover their time and materials. That's reasonable.
• Milestone payments. On longer projects, link payments to delivered stages rather than calendar dates.
• Invoicing and payment windows. State the payment period — 14 or 30 days is typical — and the consequences of late payment. Under UK rules, you can charge statutory interest on overdue commercial invoices.
• Expenses. Will you reimburse travel, software, stock images or ad spend? Set a limit and ask for receipts.

Put the payment schedule in writing and stick to it. Freelancers who are paid on time do better work, and they talk to each other.

Who Owns the Work?

This is the section small businesses most often overlook, and it can be expensive to fix later. By default, the person who creates something owns the copyright in it. If you want to own the logo, the website code, the photography or the copy, the agreement needs to say so — an assignment of intellectual property, signed by the freelancer.

Consider too:

• Licensing. Sometimes a licence is enough — for example, using a photo for a set period or a defined purpose.
• Third-party assets. Fonts, stock images and plugins come with their own licences. Confirm who's responsible for those fees and any usage limits.
• Moral rights. Creators have the right to be identified as the author. A waiver is often included, but it should be explicit.
• Portfolio use. Many freelancers want to show the work. Agree whether they can, and when.

Plan for Things Going Wrong

Nobody signs a contract expecting it to end badly. That's exactly why you plan for it. Termination clauses should answer a few simple questions: how much notice does either side need to give, what happens to work already completed, and how are outstanding payments handled?

It also helps to cover the practicalities:

• What happens if either side misses a deadline? Build in a grace period and a route to renegotiate.
• What if the freelancer becomes ill or unavailable? Ask who else can step in, if anyone.
• Confidentiality. If they'll see your customer data, pricing or plans, include a confidentiality clause.
• Dispute resolution. Agree how you'll try to resolve a disagreement before anyone reaches for a solicitor.

Keep It Simple and Keep It Signed

You don't need a forty-page legal document for a two-week project. A clear one- or two-page agreement, plus a written scope, will cover the vast majority of freelance engagements. What matters is that both parties have read it and signed it before work begins.

A few practical habits make this easier:

• Use a short template and adapt it each time rather than starting from scratch.
• Confirm changes in writing — a simple email saying "agreed" is evidence.
• Keep everything in one place so you can find it if a question arises months later.
• If the project is high value or unusual, pay for an hour of a solicitor's time. It's far cheaper than a dispute.

Good contracts aren't about catching people out. They're about making sure the friendly, enthusiastic conversation you had at the start is the same one you can refer back to at the end.