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7. Legal Compliance 

This section covers the main laws partnership members need to comply with and how you can follow the key rules of fair trading and consumer protection. The following law applies to the previously identified retrofit works. 

7.1 Consumer Rights Act  

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies when you are dealing with private customers. The Consumer Rights Act provides different remedies for the customer when things go wrong.  

For more details with respect to the Consumer Rights Act and Products and Contracts see Appendix X 

7.2 Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 

These regulations prohibit trading practices that are unfair to consumers. There are four types of practice to consider:  

For more information see Appendix X 

7.3 Consumer Contracts Regulations 

This covers such things as your trading address, pricing, complaint-handling policy and cancellation rights. If you do not give certain parts of this information the consumer may not have to pay.  

You must make customers aware of their cancellation rights. In very simple terms, cancellation rights usually apply where:  

The customer has a cancellation period in which they can change their mind for any reason in the case of goods, this begins from the date of the contract and ends 14 days after the day that the last of the goods were delivered, or in the case of a service, from the date the contract was agreed. 

This means that in addition to all the normal information you give the consumer at the start of a service on your quotation and/or contract, you must also provide them with clear details of how they can cancel if they wish to. 

If a customer wants you to start work before their 14-day cancellation period has ended, you must get them to agree this in writing. If the customer then wishes to cancel after you’ve started the service, they have to pay for any work you have already done up to that point.