Doorstep and other off-premises sales

Doorstep selling is a specific type of off-premises sales that occurs when a seller visits a consumer’s home or workplace to sell goods, services, or digital content face-to-face. 

Off-premises sales more broadly include any sales made during or immediately following a meeting between a trader and consumer at a location that is not the seller’s usual business premises, such as trade fairs or excursions.

If you sell goods, services or digital content to consumers during a visit to their home (known as doorstep selling), or at any place that is not your usual business premises, there are specific rules you need to follow.

Doorstep and other off-premises sales are ruled by the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. These regulations apply whether the consumer invites you or you make an unsolicited visit.

If you agree a sale, in most circumstances you must provide customers with a 14-day cooling off period. During this period, customers can cancel if they simply change their mind. See right to cancel consumer contracts.

However, there are certain contracts which are exempt from the right to cancel. See exemptions from the right to cancel consumer contracts.

Additional consumer protections

The regulations have specific rules to protect consumers from unfair practices during off-premises sales. These include:

• Prohibition of premium rate helplines - sellers cannot require consumers to use premium rate phone lines for customer helplines related to the contract.
• No default opt-outs for additional charges - contracts cannot include default options that automatically add charges (e.g., insurance cover). The consumer must explicitly opt in.

If you carry out door-to-door sales, you must check to see if there are any No Cold Calling signs, similar to the one below, displayed at any property you visit or zones in the area.

If you see a No Cold Calling sign or any request to leave a property, you must not call at the house unless the occupier has invited you.

You should also be aware of signage in the area you are operating in. Certain residential areas are designated No Cold Calling Zones, meaning you cannot call to any houses in that area unless invited.

No Cold Calling Zone Signs will usually be displayed on lampposts and in other visible places throughout the No Cold Calling Zone area.

If you call uninvited to a property displaying a No Cold Calling sign or to properties within a No Cold Calling Zone, you could be committing a criminal offence.

When conducting door-to-door sales you should:

• Consider the time – do not call very early in the morning or late at night unless the customer has asked you to.
• Show valid identification if possible.
• Always leave when asked to do so.
• Consider if the customer is vulnerable. A person can be vulnerable due to their age, physical or mental health, their gullibility or even the circumstances they are in. If you think a person is not in a position to agree to a contract, walk away and give them time to think it over. Encourage them to discuss the contract with an appropriate person before signing, for example, a family member, friend or neighbour.
• Never claim to be a member of a trade association or signed to a code of conduct if you are not.
• Never try to pressure a customer into buying your products, for example, by making exaggerated claims about crime rates in the area or by stating that you could lose your job if you don’t make a sale.
• Ensure that all staff you employ are fully trained on the legal requirements when doorstep selling, as you could be held liable for anything they do or say.

If you fail to consider and act upon the steps above, you could be committing an offence under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, and you could face prison or a fine if convicted.

See how to comply with the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.

If you sell goods, services or digital content to consumers away from your business premises, then there is certain information that you must give to your customers before and after they enter into a contract with you, including:

• Your business name, geographical address and, where applicable, a telephone number and email address to allow customers to contact you quickly and efficiently.
• A description of the product, including as much information as possible.
• The total price, including delivery costs and any other applicable charges. Prices must be inclusive of VAT, and if a price can’t be calculated in advance, you must explain how it will be calculated, e.g., how much you charge per hour.
• Information on payment and performance of the contract, for example, how long you will take to complete a service or how long goods will take to be delivered.
• Information on a consumers right to cancel, including the cancellation process. You must provide consumers with a cancellation form, which must follow the same format as the model cancellation form provided in the regulations.
• If you are expecting consumers to pay for the cost of returning the goods, you must tell them about this beforehand.
• If you offer a service contract, a consumer may expressly request that you start your service within the cancellation period. You must tell them that if they later decide to cancel the contract before works are complete and within the 14 day period, then, they will be required to pay you reasonable costs for the service you have delivered up to the time of their cancellation. See services provided during the cancellation period.

You must provide consumers with information in a way that is clear, easy to read and understand. You must provide the information on paper or, if the consumer agrees, on another durable medium, for example, in a personally addressed letter or email. 

If you fail to provide consumers with information on their right to cancel (including informing them that they will be responsible for the cost of returning the goods or that they will have to pay for any services started within the cancellation period), then you will be committing a criminal offence. It is important that you keep records to prove that you have provided this information.

Exemptions from full information requirements for certain off-premises contracts

Some contracts are exempt from the requirement to provide the full list of information. 
These contracts include:

• Contracts for £42 or less – doorstep and other off-premises contracts for £42 or less are exempt under the regulations; however, information about the price and characteristics of the product must always be provided.
• Repair or maintenance services contracts costing less than £170 – you will still be required to provide your name and address, the price and a cancellation form - see repairs and maintenance contracts.   

There are certain contracts where the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges Regulations) do not apply - see exemptions from the right to cancel consumer contracts.

The exempted contracts most relevant to doorstep sales include:

• Financial Services e.g., banking, credit, insurance or personal pensions - however if credit or insurance is sold along with contracts for goods or services these will be known as ancillary contracts and the regulations will still apply.
• The construction of new buildings or substantial construction of new buildings e.g., barn conversions. This exemption does not apply to extensions to existing buildings which will still be covered.
• Residential letting contracts, but contracts with estate agents in relation to the sale or letting of properties will still be covered.
• Supply of consumables by regular rounds people e.g., delivery of milk or coal. The visits must be frequent and regular to a customer’s home, residence or workplace.

Once a contract has been agreed you must: 

• Provide a copy or confirmation of the contract on paper or another durable medium, no later than when goods are delivered or services start.
• Only take upfront deposits if necessary, for example, to purchase materials needed to start the work, and always ensure that any deposits you take are reasonable and proportionate.
• Deliver goods within 30 days unless another date is agreed.
• Provide services as soon as possible, ensuring that any agreed timescales are honoured.
• Perform services with reasonable care and skill and in accordance with any description you have made.
• Ensure goods are of satisfactory quality and as described.
• Get agreement from the customer before commencing any additional work which is in addition to the original contract. You will also need to provide the required information which is related to this additional work, for example, any new description, the price, and information on the right to cancel.      

Repairs and maintenance contracts

For repairs and/or maintenance contracts, you may not need to provide the full list of required information if:

• the contract is a service only contract
• the customer has explicitly asked you to carry out a service for the purpose of repairs or maintenance (for uninvited visits then you must provide the full list of information)
• you are going to perform the service immediately
• the cost of the contract is £170 or less

That information that should be provided on a durable medium e.g., paper or a personally addressed email includes:

• your name and business address (if you are acting on behalf of another trader their name and business address)
• the total price inclusive of VAT or where the price cannot be reasonably calculated in advance, details of how the price will be calculated and an estimate of cost
• any delivery costs or additional charges
• a cancellation form where the right to cancel exists - see right to cancel consumer contracts

The following details should be ideally provided on a durable medium, but alternatively, they can be made available, for example, via your website:

• characteristics of the product
• their right to cancel, the process for cancellation and details of where the right to cancel does not exist and where the right to cancel is lost

If you visit a consumer in their home and leave a quotation (or send one later) giving them time to decide before entering into the contract, the contract will not be considered an off-premises contract. Instead, it will be treated as an on-premises contract, meaning that you will only have to provide the information required for on-premises contracts. 

However, if the customer decides to enter into the contract during or immediately after your visit, the contract will be classified as an off-premises contract. In this case, you must comply with the full rules for off-premises contracts. This includes providing the full list of information and providing customers with their cancellation rights.

If you sell goods, digital content or services to a consumer in their home (or by another off-premises method) that costs more than £42, in most circumstances the consumer will have a 14-day right to cancel. This right gives consumers 14 calendar days to change their minds and cancel a service and/or return goods. They do not have to give a reason for doing so.

The cancellation end period can vary depending on the type of contract and other relevant circumstances, for example, if goods are delivered in instalments.

If you do not provide the customer with information on their cancellation rights, then the customer’s right to cancel can be extended by up to 12 months. The customer will not have to pay for any services provided or goods they have used.

You must make the customer aware of the process for cancellation and provide them with a model cancellation form. The customer does not have to use the form and may cancel by another method of communication, for example, by phone or email.

After the customer makes you aware they want to cancel:

• The contract will come to an end.
• You must refund the customer all that they have already paid you including any basic delivery costs if applicable. Refunds should be made no later than 14 days from the day after the customer gives you notice of cancellation. If the customer is returning goods, you must refund them within 14 days of receiving the goods back, or if sooner, within 14 days of the customer providing proof of return.
• If you left any goods with the customer when the contract was made that cannot normally be, due to their nature, returned by post (for example paving slabs or a large piece of furniture), you must collect without any charge.
• The customer will be responsible for the cost of returning any other goods, provided you have told them before the contract was made that they will have to pay to return.
• Ancillary contracts – for example, an extended warranty sold with a home improvements contract, will also be cancelled. It is your responsibility to inform any business with whom you have arranged an ancillary contract that the contract has been terminated.

For further information on cancellation rights, see right to cancel consumer contracts.

In most circumstances, you should not start any work until the 14-day cooling off period has passed. However, the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations do allow you to begin a service within the cancellation period and charge for these services provided that:

• the customer has expressly requested that you begin within the cancellation period
• you have advised the customer that they will be liable to pay for any services provided up until the point of cancellation
• you make the customer aware and get their acknowledgement that if services are fully performed during the cancellation period, they will lose their right to cancel

Any charges for services provided up to the point of cancellation should be reasonable and proportionate.

If the contract is for goods and services combined, otherwise known as sales contracts, then the customer will still be able to cancel the goods side of the contract and receive a refund. For example, a customer pays for the supply and fitting of a fireplace and asks that you install it within the cancellation period.

In these circumstances, the customer can still remove and return the fireplace for a refund but will be liable for the fitting charges (if you have advised them before the contract was formed that they would be liable for these costs).

If you fail to inform customers that they are liable for any charges for services performed within the cancellation period, fail to provide them with information on their right to cancel or if the customer does not request that you begin the services within the cancellation period, then the customer will not have to pay any charges.

Consumers who enter into off-premises contracts will usually have 14 calendar days to change their minds. However, there are certain contracts which are exempt from the right to cancel.

Those most relevant to doorstep selling are:

• Off-premises contracts for £42 or less.
• Off-premises contracts where the consumer has contacted you to carry out urgent repairs or maintenance, for example - a customer calls you out to fix a significant water leak that is causing damage to their property. Any additional work carried out whilst at the customers property that is not part of the urgent repairs or maintenance will still carry a right to cancel.
• Goods that are clearly personalised or made to a customer’s specification, for example made to measure blinds for non-standard sized windows.

To conduct door-to-door sales, you must have a pedlar’s certificate. Pedlar certificates are issued by the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The licence must be produced when requested. You could receive a fine or imprisonment if you operate without a licence.

Under the Companies Act 2006, sole traders and partnerships must display owner names, business names, and contact addresses on invoices and receipts.

Under the Company, Limited Liability Partnership and Business (Names and Trading Disclosures) Regulations 2015, limited Companies and limited Liability Partnerships must display registered business names, company numbers, and registered addresses on business documents.