Website Development Agreement Template (UK)
Create Your Professional Contract in Minutes

A comprehensive website development agreement must include essential provisions protecting both developer and client interests:

Core Agreement Terms:

• Parties identification - Developer/agency and client full legal names, addresses, company registration numbers
• Project description - High-level website purpose (e-commerce, portfolio, corporate, blog, application)
• Scope of work - Detailed deliverables specification (design mockups, pages/templates, features, integrations)
• Technical specifications - Platform (WordPress, Shopify, custom), hosting, responsive design, browser compatibility, accessibility standards
• Timeline - Start date, milestones, launch date, client review periods
• Payment terms - Total fees, milestone payments, deposit, final payment triggers

Scope of Work (Detailed):

• Design deliverables - Wireframes, mockups, iterations (typically 2-3 rounds), design sign-off process
• Development deliverables - Number of pages/templates, functionality (contact forms, payment processing, user accounts), plugins/modules
• Content creation - Who provides content (typically client), developer text/image placeholder obligations
• Integrations - Third-party services (payment gateways, CRM, email marketing, analytics, social media)
• Training - User training provision (videos, live sessions, documentation)
• Testing - Cross-browser testing, mobile responsive testing, functionality testing, load testing
• Launch support - Domain connection, SSL certificate, initial hosting setup, DNS configuration
• Post-launch - Bug fixing period (typically 30 days), warranty scope, support response times
• Out of scope - Explicitly excluded items (ongoing maintenance, hosting fees, content updates, marketing, SEO) preventing disputes

Intellectual Property Rights (Critical):

• Copyright assignment - Developer assigns all copyright in custom code, designs, graphics to client upon FULL payment
• Pre-existing materials - Developer retains rights in templates, frameworks, libraries used (grants client licence to use)
• Third-party components - Open-source plugins, themes, libraries subject to their own licences (client responsibility to comply)
• Client materials - Client retains copyright in provided content, logos, branding, images
• Portfolio rights - Developer can use project in portfolio, case studies (with client permission)
• Conditional assignment - IP transfers only upon full payment - developer retains rights until then
• Moral rights waiver - Client can modify, adapt work without developer attribution (where permitted by law)

Payment Terms:

• Total project fee - Fixed price or time & materials (hourly rate × estimated hours)
• Deposit - Typically 30-50% upfront before work commences (non-refundable)
• Milestone payments - Design approval (25%), development complete (25%), launch (final 25%)
• Payment due dates - Net 7, net 14, net 30 days from invoice
• Late payment - Interest charges (4-8% above Bank of England base rate) and suspension of work
• Additional work - Hourly rates for scope changes or extra features
• Expenses - Reimbursable costs (stock images, premium plugins, fonts) billed separately or included
• Currency and method - Payment currency (GBP, USD, EUR) and accepted methods (bank transfer, card, PayPal)

Timeline and Milestones:

• Project phases - Discovery/planning, design, development, testing, launch
• Milestone dates - Specific dates or durations for each phase
• Client obligations - Content provision, feedback, approvals within specified timeframes
• Delays - How client delays affect timeline (pause timeline until materials received)
• Developer delays - Remedies if developer misses deadlines (liquidated damages if serious project)
• Launch date - Target vs. guaranteed launch dates

Change Management:

• Scope changes - How additional features/changes requested and priced
• Change order process - Written change requests, approval, pricing, timeline impact
• Minor vs major changes - Minor tweaks included, major additions charged extra
• Design revisions - Included revisions (2-3 rounds typical), additional revision charges

Client Obligations:

• Content provision - Text, images, videos, logos, branding guidelines within specified timeframes
• Feedback/approvals - Review and approve designs, features within X business days (typically 5-10)
• Access provision - Hosting credentials, domain access, third-party accounts for integrations
• Testing - User acceptance testing, identifying bugs/issues during testing phase
• Legal compliance - Privacy policies, cookie notices, terms & conditions, GDPR compliance responsibility

Warranties and Disclaimers:

• Developer warranties - Work performed professionally, code free from known defects, no IP infringement
• Bug-fixing period - Typically 30 days post-launch for fixing bugs/defects at no charge
• Warranty exclusions - No warranty for client modifications, third-party plugins, hosting issues, browser updates
• Client warranties - Content provided lawful, no IP infringement, has rights to use materials
• No guarantees - No guarantees regarding SEO rankings, traffic, sales, or business results

Termination:

• Termination for convenience - Either party with 7-14 days' notice (client pays for work completed)
• Termination for breach - Material breach (non-payment, scope abandonment) allows immediate termination
• Developer termination - Can terminate if client doesn't pay, provide materials, or cooperate
• Effects of termination - Payment for work completed, return of materials, IP rights resolution
• Kill fees - If client terminates early, pays % of project (50-75% if design approved, 25% if abandoned earlier)

Our website development agreement includes all essential provisions for comprehensive protection of both parties.

Legal and Financial Risks:

• IP ownership disputes: Without written copyright assignment, developers retain copyright in all code, designs, and graphics created - clients only get implied licence to use. When relationships sour, developers threaten to take websites offline or prohibit modifications. Courts hold developers own copyright absent written assignment. Clients face £20,000-£100,000+ rebuilding websites they thought they owned. Written agreements with "Developer assigns all copyright to Client upon full payment" prevent this catastrophe.
• Scope creep disasters: Vague "build me a website" contracts lead to endless feature additions. Client expects e-commerce, user accounts, blog, membership area, booking system - developer quoted for 5-page brochure site. Developer spends 200 hours (£20,000 at £100/hour) expecting £5,000 payment. Dispute costs £15,000 loss plus legal fees. Detailed scope specifications ("5 pages: Home, About, Services, Contact, Privacy") prevent £10,000-£50,000 scope creep disputes.
• Non-payment catastrophes: Developers complete £30,000 websites, deliver to clients, then never get paid. Clients claim "not what I wanted," "doesn't work properly," "too slow," refusing payment. Without written acceptance criteria and milestone payments, developers have weak enforcement. Lose £20,000-£80,000 work with no recourse. Milestone structure (30% deposit, 30% design approval, 40% launch) secures payment throughout project. Can suspend work if payments missed.
• Timeline disputes: Clients expect 4-week delivery, developers quote 12 weeks, no written timeline - dispute over delay penalties. Client withholds £20,000 final payment claiming late delivery costing lost sales. Or developer claims client delayed providing content adding 8 weeks. Without written timelines specifying phases, dates, and client obligations, cannot prove who caused delays. Costs £10,000-£30,000 litigation determining liability.
• "It's not what I wanted" conflicts: Client approves designs then claims final website doesn't match vision. Demands unlimited revisions or money back. Without documented approval process and revision limits, developers forced into endless unpaid changes or litigation. 6 months revisions costing £20,000 developer time. Written approvals ("Client approves design mockups - 2 revision rounds included, additional £500/round") prevent perpetual changes.
• Liability for client content: Client provides copyrighted images (Getty Images), defamatory text, unlicensed fonts - gets sued for £5,000-£20,000 IP infringement. Client sues developer claiming developer should have verified legality. Without clauses stating "Client warrants content lawful and holds Developer harmless," developer faces joint liability. Getty Images aggressively pursues £1,000-£5,000 per unauthorized image. Developer protection essential.
• Post-launch support disputes: Website goes live, bugs discovered, client expects free fixes forever. Developer expects free period ended after 30 days. Client withholds payment or demands discounts. Without written bug-fixing period and warranty terms, disputes cost £5,000-£20,000. Clear provisions ("Developer fixes bugs discovered within 30 days of launch at no charge, thereafter charged at £100/hour") prevent conflicts.
• Third-party plugin disasters: Developer uses premium plugins (£200 annual licence), client expects ownership and free updates forever. Plugin developer pursues client for licence violations when client doesn't renew. Or plugin breaks site when updated, client blames developer. Without clarity on third-party components, plugin licencing responsibility, and update obligations, disputes cost £3,000-£15,000. Specify "Client responsible for premium plugin licences and renewals."
• Hosting and domain conflicts: Developer registers domain and hosts site on their accounts. Relationship ends badly, developer refuses to transfer or charges £5,000 "migration fee." Client's entire business website hostage. Or developer's company dissolves, website disappears. Without upfront agreement that client owns domain and hosting in their name, clients lose entire web presence costing £10,000-£50,000 rebuilding from scratch.
• Performance expectation gaps: Client expects "blazing fast," "top Google ranking," "100% uptime." Website loads in 3 seconds (industry standard), ranks page 2 (normal for new site), experiences 99.5% uptime. Client claims breach of contract, demands refunds. Without written disclaimers ("No guarantees regarding performance, rankings, or business results"), developers face £10,000-£30,000 expectation disputes. Manage expectations explicitly in contracts.

Common Website Development Problems:

Verbal agreements worth nothing in disputes, missing payment milestones enabling non-payment, no IP assignment leaving client without ownership, vague deliverables causing scope creep, unlimited revision traps, missing warranties exposing developers to liability, no client obligations (content provision deadlines), missing termination provisions, portfolio rights unclear, hosting/domain ownership ambiguous. These gaps cost £50,000-£200,000 in disputes, lost revenue, and legal fees.

A £10 professional development agreement prevents £50,000-£200,000+ in IP disputes, scope creep, and non-payment losses.

Comprehensive Development Contract:

• ✓ Agreement Fundamentals
  • Parties (developer and client) identification
  • Project description and objectives
  • Effective date and project duration
  • Definitions (deliverables, milestones, acceptance)
• ✓ Detailed Scope of Work
  • Design deliverables (wireframes, mockups, revisions)
  • Development deliverables (pages, features, functionality)
  • Technical specifications (platform, hosting, compatibility)
  • Content creation responsibilities
  • Third-party integrations (payment, CRM, analytics)
  • Testing requirements (browsers, devices, functionality)
  • Training provision (videos, documentation, live sessions)
  • Launch support (domain, SSL, hosting setup)
  • Post-launch warranty period
  • Explicitly excluded items (out of scope)
• ✓ Intellectual Property Rights
  • Copyright assignment to client (custom code, designs)
  • Conditional on full payment
  • Pre-existing materials (developer templates, frameworks)
  • Licence grants for reused components
  • Third-party components (open-source, premium plugins)
  • Client materials ownership retention
  • Portfolio rights for developer
  • Moral rights waivers (modification rights)
  • Publicity rights (case studies, testimonials)
• ✓ Payment Terms
  • Total project fee (fixed or T&M)
  • Deposit (30-50% upfront non-refundable)
  • Milestone payment structure
  • Payment due dates (net 7/14/30)
  • Late payment interest charges
  • Work suspension rights for non-payment
  • Additional work hourly rates
  • Expense reimbursement
  • Currency and payment methods
  • Invoice procedures
• ✓ Timeline and Milestones
  • Project phases (discovery, design, development, testing, launch)
  • Milestone dates or durations
  • Client review periods
  • Approval requirements
  • Client delay handling
  • Developer delay remedies
  • Launch date (target vs. guaranteed)
  • Timeline adjustment procedures
• ✓ Change Management
  • Scope change procedures
  • Change order process
  • Change request forms
  • Additional work pricing
  • Timeline impact assessments
  • Design revision limits (2-3 rounds included)
  • Additional revision charges
  • Minor vs. major change definitions
• ✓ Client Obligations
  • Content provision (text, images, videos)
  • Content deadlines
  • Feedback and approval timeframes
  • Access provision (hosting, domains, accounts)
  • Testing participation (UAT)
  • Legal compliance responsibility
  • Privacy policy and T&C creation
  • Cooperation obligations
• ✓ Developer Obligations
  • Professional workmanship standards
  • Deliverables quality
  • Timely delivery (subject to client cooperation)
  • Industry best practices compliance
  • Communication and updates
  • Testing before delivery
  • Documentation provision
• ✓ Warranties
  • Developer warranties (professional work, no IP infringement)
  • Bug-fixing period (30 days post-launch)
  • Warranty scope (original deliverables only)
  • Warranty exclusions (modifications, third-party issues)
  • Client warranties (content lawful, IP rights held)
  • Disclaimer of implied warranties
  • No performance guarantees (SEO, traffic, sales)
• ✓ Liability Limitations
  • Liability cap (typically project fee amount)
  • Consequential damages exclusion
  • Business loss exclusions
  • Indemnification (client indemnifies for content)
  • Third-party claims protection
• ✓ Acceptance and Approvals
  • Design approval process
  • Development milestone sign-offs
  • Final acceptance criteria
  • Deemed acceptance (if no response within X days)
  • Rejection procedures
  • Defect remediation timeframes
• ✓ Termination Provisions
  • Termination for convenience (notice periods)
  • Termination for breach (material violations)
  • Non-payment termination rights
  • Client non-cooperation termination
  • Effects of termination (payment, IP, materials)
  • Kill fees (early termination payments)
  • Work product ownership upon termination
• ✓ Confidentiality
  • Confidential information definitions
  • Protection obligations
  • Permitted disclosures
  • Return of materials
• ✓ Hosting and Maintenance
  • Domain ownership (client owns)
  • Hosting arrangements
  • Post-launch support options
  • Maintenance packages (if offered)
  • Update responsibilities
• ✓ Third-party services and licences
• ✓ Browser and device compatibility standards
• ✓ Accessibility compliance (WCAG if required)
• ✓ GDPR and data protection provisions
• ✓ Dispute resolution procedures
• ✓ Force majeure provisions
• ✓ Assignment restrictions
• ✓ Notices provisions
• ✓ Entire agreement clause
• ✓ Severability provisions
• ✓ Governing law and jurisdiction

Professional, comprehensive development agreement protecting both parties while ensuring clear deliverables.

Don't Make These Critical Errors:

• No IP assignment clause: Biggest mistake - without "Developer assigns all copyright to Client upon full payment," developer retains copyright in everything created. Client only has implied licence to use, cannot modify, sell, or license website without developer permission. When relationship sours, developer can prohibit modifications or demand licensing fees. Client faces £20,000-£100,000 rebuilding site. ALWAYS include explicit copyright assignment conditioned on full payment.
• Vague scope specifications: "Build website for client's business" insufficient. Leads to "I expected X" disputes costing £10,000-£50,000. Specify EXACTLY: number of pages (5 pages: Home, About, Services, Portfolio, Contact), features (contact form, Google Maps, image galleries), design rounds (2 mockup revisions), integrations (Google Analytics, MailChimp), browser support (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge latest 2 versions). Detailed scope prevents scope creep bankrupting projects.
• No milestone payments: Accepting "pay when complete" exposes developers to £20,000-£80,000 non-payment risk. Client receives finished website, then disputes quality refusing payment. Developer has no leverage - already delivered everything. ALWAYS structure: 30-50% deposit (non-refundable), 25-30% design approval, 20-25% development complete, final 20-25% launch. Can suspend work if milestones unpaid. Never deliver final website before final payment.
• Unlimited revisions: Agreeing to "unlimited revisions" traps developers in perpetual changes costing £10,000-£30,000 unpaid time. Client requests 20 design iterations, endless tweaks. Specify revision limits: "2 rounds of design revisions included, additional rounds £500 each" or "3 minor content changes included post-launch, additional changes £100/hour." Clear limits prevent revision abuse.
• No client content deadlines: Without deadlines for client providing content (text, images, logos), projects stall indefinitely. Client provides content 6 months late, then blames developer for delays. Include: "Client provides all content within 14 days of design approval. Timeline pauses until content received. If content not received within 60 days, Developer may terminate and retain 50% fee." Forces timely client performance.
• Missing warranty limitations: Without "bug-fixing period limited to 30 days post-launch," clients expect free support forever. Or without "warranty doesn't cover client modifications, third-party plugins, hosting issues," developer blamed for everything. Include 30-day bug warranty for original deliverables only, excluding client changes, plugin updates, browser changes, hosting problems. Limits support obligations to reasonable scope.
• No change order process: Client requests additional features mid-project ("add e-commerce," "create membership area"). Without formal change order process, disputes arise over whether included in scope. Include: "All scope changes require written Change Order specifying work, cost, timeline impact, signed by both parties before work commences." Prevents unauthorized scope expansion.
• Inadequate payment terms: "Payment due when convenient" worthless. Specify: "Payment due Net 14 days from invoice. Late payments incur 8% annual interest. Developer may suspend work if payment 7+ days overdue. Final deliverables not released until full payment received." Late fee penalties and work suspension leverage encourage prompt payment.
• Missing client warranties: Without "Client warrants content provided lawful, no IP infringement, holds Developer harmless," developer faces joint liability for client's copyright violations (Getty Images, stolen text, unlicensed fonts). Getty Images demands £5,000 per unauthorized image from BOTH client and developer. Include client warranties that content legal and client indemnifies developer for content-related claims. Shifts liability where it belongs.
• No performance disclaimers: Client expects "first page Google rankings," "500% traffic increase," "100,000 sales." Website performs normally but doesn't meet unrealistic expectations. Client demands refunds. Include: "Developer makes no guarantees regarding website performance, search rankings, traffic, conversions, or business results. Client acknowledges these depend on numerous factors beyond Developer's control." Manages expectations avoiding disputes.
• Hosting/domain ambiguity: Registering domain and hosting in developer's accounts creates hostage situations. Developer refuses to transfer or charges extortionate fees. Specify: "Client owns domain and hosting accounts in Client's name. Developer provided temporary access for development only." Ensures client controls web presence regardless of relationship status.
• Missing kill fees: If client terminates mid-project, without kill fees developer gets nothing for work completed. Include: "If Client terminates before completion, Client pays 75% of total fee if after design approval, 50% if during design, 25% if before design." Compensates for partial completion and lost opportunity cost.
• No acceptance criteria: Without written acceptance process, clients claim website "never accepted" refusing final payment. Include: "Client has 7 business days after delivery to identify defects. If no written objection within 7 days, website deemed accepted and final payment due immediately." Creates clear acceptance mechanism preventing indefinite limbo.
• Third-party component ambiguity: Using premium plugins (£200 annual licence) without clarifying client must maintain licences creates disputes. Client expects free updates forever, plugin vendor pursues violations. Specify: "Website uses Premium Plugin X (£200/year licence). Client responsible for maintaining licence and renewals. Developer not responsible for issues arising from expired licences."
• No termination provisions: Without termination clauses, stuck in bad relationships costing months of aggravation. Include termination for convenience (14 days' notice, payment for work completed) and termination for breach (non-payment, non-cooperation allows immediate termination). Provides exit strategies when relationships deteriorate.

Our template prevents these errors with comprehensive provisions protecting both developers and clients.