Terms & Conditions

By placing an order with Max Websites Ltd you agree to be bound by these Terms & Conditions.

1) Definitions

Client: The business (company, partnership or sole trader) purchasing services.
Max Websites / we / us: Max Websites Ltd.
Services: Website design/build, hosting, maintenance, support and any agreed add-ons.
Ready to publish: The website is complete to the agreed scope and awaiting Client approval (or deemed approval).

2) Agreement and acceptance

A contract is formed when the Client:

accepts a quote/proposal in writing (including email/Quote acceptance), or
pays a deposit or invoice, or
instructs us to start work.

3) Quotes and scope

Quotes are valid for 30 days unless stated otherwise. The scope of work is the Services described in the quote/proposal. Anything not explicitly included is out of scope and may be quoted separately.

4) Payments

Website build (design/development)

A 50% non-refundable deposit is due before work starts.
The remaining 50% is due within 30 days of the website being approved or deemed approved (see Section 6).

Hosting & Maintenance / Care Plan

Hosting & Maintenance is payable either by direct debit or upfront payment if agreed in writing.
Where paid by direct debit, we will send a direct debit link when the quote is accepted. The Client must set it up before the website is published.
Hosting & Maintenance has a minimum term of 12 months from the date the website is ready to publish (approved or deemed approved), unless otherwise agreed in writing.

5) Late payment, suspension and recovery

If an invoice becomes overdue, we may suspend Services (including taking the website offline) until payment is received. The Client is responsible for all reasonable costs of recovery of overdue sums.

6) Reviews, approvals and deemed approval (anti-stall)

To keep the project moving, the Client agrees:

Review timeframe: The Client will review each draft and either approve it or request amendments within 5 working days of it being sent.
Included amendments: Unless stated otherwise in the quote, the website build includes 2 rounds of reasonable amendments. Further changes or new requests may be charged.
Final approval request: When we request final approval, the Client must respond within 10 working days.
Deemed approval: If the Client does not respond within 10 working days of a final approval request, the website will be treated as approved (deemed approved) and ready to publish.
Billing start: Hosting & Maintenance billing starts from the date the website is approved or deemed approved, whether or not the Client asks us to delay launch.

7) Client content and responsibilities

The Client must supply all content (text, images, logo, offers, service details, areas covered, contact details) in a timely manner and warrants that they have the rights to use it. The Client is responsible for the accuracy and legality of all content and claims (including pricing, qualifications, regulated claims, and any required disclaimers).

8) Project pauses and restart fee

If the project cannot progress due to missing content, feedback, approvals or access for more than 14 days, we may pause the project.
If paused for more than 30 days, a restart fee of £100 applies to resume work.

9) Copyright, licences and ownership

Until all invoices are paid in full, all working files, code and the website build remain our property. Once paid in full:

The Client owns their provided content and branding.
The Client is granted a licence to use the website as delivered.
Premium themes/plugins/licences supplied under our Hosting & Maintenance plan remain licensed for use only while the plan is active (unless otherwise agreed in writing).

10) Third-party services

Where Services include third-party products (hosting providers, plugins, domains, email, analytics, payment gateways), availability and performance are subject to those third parties. We are not responsible for outages or failures caused by third-party systems beyond our control.

11) Hosting & Maintenance minimum term and cancellation

Hosting & Maintenance is a minimum term of 12 months unless otherwise agreed in writing.
After the minimum term it continues monthly unless cancelled with 30 days’ notice.
If the Client cancels Hosting & Maintenance before the end of the minimum term, the Client must pay an early termination fee equal to the remaining monthly payments for that minimum term (unless otherwise agreed in writing).

12) Limitation of liability

We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss (loss of profits, revenue, business, goodwill). Our total liability for any claim is limited to the fees paid for the Services that gave rise to the claim. Nothing in these Terms limits liability where it cannot legally be limited.

13) Termination

We may terminate Services immediately if the Client breaches these Terms (including non-payment). If terminated, all work completed to date remains payable and any outstanding invoices become due.

14) Governing law

This Agreement is governed by the laws of Northern Ireland and the parties submit to its courts.