These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) set out the basis on which Swift Web Design provides web design, development, hosting and related digital services to our clients and the terms on which you may use our website.
By using our website or instructing us to provide any services, you agree to be bound by these Terms.
1. About us
1.1 Swift Web Design (“Swift Web Design”, “we”, “us”, “our”) is a partnership established in England.
1.2 Our correspondence address is:
Swift Web DesignOffice 11538
182–184 High Street North
East Ham
London
E6 2JA
United Kingdom
1.3 Details of the partners of Swift Web Design are available on request.
1.4 We are not currently VAT-registered, so UK VAT is not charged on our fees at the time of publication of these Terms. If that changes, we will update these Terms and notify clients where required.
1.5 You can contact us using the details on our website’s Contact page.
1.6 Swift Web Design carries comprehensive professional indemnity and public liability insurance appropriate for the digital and web design services we provide. Further details of our coverage can be provided to clients upon request.
2. Definitions
In these Terms:
- “Client”, “you”, “your” means the person, business or organisation purchasing services from us.
- “Contract” means the agreement between you and us for the supply of services, comprised of these Terms, any proposal or quotation we issue, and any other document we expressly agree forms part of the agreement.
- “Services” means web design, development, hosting, support, maintenance, consultancy and any other services we agree in writing to provide.
- “Deliverables” means websites, designs, code, graphics, documents and other outputs we create for you under the Contract.
- “Working Day” means Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays in England and Wales.
3. When these Terms apply
3.1 These Terms apply to all agreements between Swift Web Design and the Client. Any terms proposed by you that are inconsistent with or in addition to these Terms will not apply unless we expressly agree to them in writing.
3.2 By accepting a proposal, paying an invoice, sending written confirmation to proceed, or otherwise instructing us to begin work, you accept these Terms.
3.3 We may update these Terms from time to time. The version in force when you accept a proposal or place an order will apply to that particular Contract.
4. Proposals, quotations and orders
4.1 Any proposal or quotation we provide is an invitation to treat only and is not legally binding until you accept it and we confirm acceptance.
4.2 Proposals and quotations are typically valid for 30 days from the date of issue, unless we state otherwise. After that period, we may need to review and update them.
4.3 The scope of work is defined by the combination of:
- the proposal or quotation;
- any agreed specification or sitemap; and
- any written clarifications we confirm by email.
4.4 If there is any conflict between documents, the following order of priority applies (highest first):
- Any specific written variation agreed between us;
- The proposal or quotation;
- These Terms.
5. Scope of work, revisions and changes (change control)
5.1 Our fees are based on the agreed scope of work. Unless stated otherwise in the proposal:
- Website builds include 5 rounds of revisions at no extra cost. Further rounds beyond that are billed at a discount off our standard Pay-As-You-Go rate, shown on our pricing page.
- Branding services (logo, brand guidelines and similar) have their own revision counts, which vary by service and are listed on our pricing page.
- A “revision” means adjustments to the existing design or content, not a completely new concept.
5.2 Requests that fall outside the agreed scope – including additional functionality, pages, integrations, complex content migration, or further design concepts – will be treated as change requests and may incur additional fees.
5.3 We will always tell you in advance if a requested change is likely to increase the price or alter timescales, and will not proceed with chargeable changes without your approval.
5.4 If you ask for something outside the agreed scope, we will confirm in writing what it involves, what it will cost, and how it affects your delivery date, before any of it is charged. Work on a change request starts once you approve that in writing. Until then we carry on with the originally agreed scope so the project keeps moving.
5.5 Where timeframes are discussed, they are estimates only. We will act reasonably to meet them, but we are not responsible for delays caused by:
- your late provision of content, feedback or approvals;
- delays caused by third parties (e.g. hosts, registrars, plugin authors); or
- events beyond our reasonable control (see Force Majeure below).
5.6 Any delivery date we give assumes you supply the content, assets, feedback and approvals we ask for by the dates we agree together. If something we need is still outstanding after 10 working days, we may pause your project and restart it at the next available slot in our schedule. We will always warn you before that happens, and there is no restart fee the first time a project is paused.
6. Client responsibilities
6.1 You are responsible for:
a. Content and materials
Providing all text, images, logos, branding assets and other materials needed for the project in a timely manner and in suitable formats.
b. Permissions and rights
Ensuring you have obtained all necessary permissions, licences and rights to use any content you supply (including fonts, images, logos, videos, copy, and any third-party materials), and that using them will not infringe the rights of any third party.
c. Accuracy and compliance
Ensuring that all information you provide for your website is accurate and complies with all applicable laws and regulations relevant to your business or sector (for example, advertising rules, financial promotions, medical claims, or professional regulations).
d. Approvals
Reviewing proofs, test links and drafts carefully and giving feedback and approvals within the timeframes we reasonably request.
6.2 We may rely on your approvals (including approvals given by email) as confirmation that you are happy for us to proceed to the next stage. You are responsible for checking for any errors or omissions at each stage.
6.3 You agree not to use our Services or any Deliverables for any illegal or unlawful purpose.
7. Fees, deposits and payment terms
7.1 Our fees for Services will be set out in our proposal, quotation, invoice, or agreed email.
7.2 Unless otherwise agreed in writing, our standard payment structure for project work is:
- Deposit: a non-refundable deposit (for example, 20–50% of the total project fee) payable in advance to secure the project and before we begin substantial work; and
- Balance: the remaining balance payable on completion of the project and before the website is made live, or as otherwise set out in the proposal.
7.3 Hosting, domain renewals and other recurring services are usually billed in advance for the period stated (for example, monthly or annually) if not included with another package.
7.4 Invoices are payable within 14 days of the invoice date, unless stated otherwise. Payment details will be shown on each invoice.
7.5 If any invoice is not paid by the due date, we may, without prejudice to any other rights:
- suspend or cease work on your project;
- delay or take down your website or hosting; and/or
- withhold Deliverables, files and login details until payment is received.
7.6 A late payment fee of 10% of the outstanding invoice value applies per week that an invoice remains unpaid past its due date (calculated on the original invoice value, not compounded on previous fees). For example, a £100 invoice unpaid for one week becomes £110, and after a second week becomes £120.
7.7 You are responsible for any bank charges, currency conversion fees or other fees incurred in making payment.
7.8 All fees are in pounds sterling (GBP) unless we state otherwise.
8. Domains, hosting and email
(This section applies where we register, manage or host domains or websites for you.)
8.1 Domains
8.1.1 We can assist with domain name registration or management. Unless otherwise agreed in writing:
- Domains purchased on your behalf are registered in your name or your business’s name where possible;
- You are ultimately responsible for renewing your domain(s) before expiry.
8.1.2 We will normally send a reminder one month before renewal is due, giving you that month to pay the renewal cost, but it is your responsibility to ensure that renewal fees are paid in good time. If payment is not received in time, the domain will not be renewed and may become available to others. We are not liable if a domain lapses or is lost because renewal instructions or payment were not received in time.
8.1.3 If you choose to transfer a domain away from us, we will co-operate with the transfer within reasonable timescales. We may charge a reasonable administration fee for handling transfers.
8.2 Hosting
8.2.1 Where we provide hosting, this will be through a third-party hosting provider chosen by us. While we select reputable providers, we cannot guarantee 100% uptime or uninterrupted service.
8.2.2 Hosting fees typically include server space and access but may not include:
- email services;
- advanced security services;
- complex server-side changes; or
- significant development or troubleshooting work.
8.2.3 Any work outside the standard hosting plan (for example, major troubleshooting, performance work, complex migrations or emergency recovery caused by third-party changes) may be charged at our then-current hourly or fixed rates.
8.2.4 We may suspend hosting or take your website offline (temporarily or permanently) if:
- invoices remain unpaid after the due date;
- we reasonably believe your site is being used for unlawful or harmful purposes; or
- necessary for urgent security or maintenance work.
We will give you as much notice as reasonably possible, except in an emergency.
8.3 Moving away from our hosting
8.3.1 You are free to move your website to another host at any time, provided all outstanding invoices have been paid.
8.3.2 We can provide a copy of your website files and/or database where applicable. Any time spent packaging, assisting with or performing the migration may be chargeable.
9. Support and maintenance
9.1 Any ongoing support or maintenance (for example, updates, small content changes, backups) will be described in your plan or proposal.
9.2 Unless you are on a defined support or maintenance plan, our obligation to provide support after launch is limited to fixing genuine bugs in the work we have produced that are reported to us within a reasonable period (for example, 30 days) of launch.
9.3 Support does not normally include:
- new features or functionality;
- significant redesigns;
- third-party software conflicts caused by changes or plugins added after launch without our involvement; or
- issues caused by you or a third party editing or modifying the site.
9.4 We will normally respond to support requests during our usual working hours and within reasonable timescales, but we do not offer an emergency or 24/7 response service unless expressly agreed.
10. Intellectual property
10.1 Our rights before payment
10.1.1 Unless otherwise agreed in writing, we retain all intellectual property rights (including copyright and database rights) in all Deliverables, designs, layouts, code and materials we create until we have received payment in full for the relevant Services.
10.1.2 Until full payment is received, you are granted a limited, revocable licence to use any test or development versions of the Deliverables solely for review and testing. You may not publish, share, sell, sub-license or transfer them.
10.2 Rights after payment
10.2.1 Once full payment is received for a project, and subject to these Terms:
- you receive a licence to use the final compiled website and associated Deliverables for your own business purposes;
- where applicable, we will assign to you the copyright in bespoke design and content we have expressly created for you (excluding our pre-existing materials, third-party materials and open-source components).
10.2.2 You acknowledge that modern websites commonly include open-source software and third-party components, which are used under their own licences and cannot be transferred or assigned by us.
10.3 What we keep
10.3.1 We retain:
- all rights to our pre-existing materials, tools, code libraries, frameworks, templates, scripts and processes;
- the right to reuse non-client-specific parts of our work for other projects; and
- the right to reference our work for you in our portfolio, case studies and marketing materials, including screenshots, unless you specifically ask us not to (for example, for confidential projects).
10.3.2 Unless you have paid a specific fee for removal, we reserve the right (but not the obligation) to include a discreet “Website by Swift Web Design” credit and link in the footer of the website.
10.4 Third-party rights
10.4.1 You confirm that you have obtained all necessary permissions and licences for any materials you supply. If a third party brings a claim alleging that content you provided infringes their rights, you will be responsible for dealing with that claim and for any losses we suffer as a result.
11. Third-party services, plugins and SEO
11.1 Our Services may involve integrating third-party tools and services such as:
- plugins, themes and extensions;
- analytics tools;
- payment gateways;
- fonts and icon sets;
- email marketing or CRM systems; or
- external APIs and scripts.
11.2 These services are subject to their own terms and conditions and privacy policies, which you are responsible for reviewing and complying with.
11.3 We cannot guarantee the availability, pricing, performance or continued operation of any third-party service. If a third-party service changes, is withdrawn, or introduces issues, we are not responsible for resulting disruption, but we will assist you in finding alternatives and implementing changes as a chargeable service.
11.4 We may carry out basic search engine optimisation (SEO) best practice as described in your proposal. However, we do not guarantee any particular search engine ranking, position, traffic level or business outcome.
12. Data protection and data processing
12.1 Both parties will comply with applicable data protection law, including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, in relation to any personal data processed under the Contract.
12.2 Typically:
- you are the data controller for personal data collected through your website and related services; and
- we act as your data processor when we host, maintain or access that data on your behalf.
12.3 Our obligations as a processor
When acting as a processor, we will:
- Only process personal data in accordance with your documented instructions (including those set out in these Terms and any related agreement), unless required to do otherwise by law.
- Take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction or damage.
- Ensure that persons authorised to process personal data are subject to appropriate confidentiality obligations.
- Only engage sub-processors (for example, hosting providers, backup services or email delivery services) under a written contract which imposes similar data protection obligations; and remain responsible for their performance.
- Notify you without undue delay if we become aware of a personal data breach affecting your data, and provide reasonable assistance with investigations and notifications, at your cost where appropriate.
- Provide reasonable assistance (at your cost, where appropriate) to help you respond to data subject requests and comply with data protection impact assessments where the Services reasonably require it.
- On termination of the Contract, delete or return personal data we hold on your behalf, within reasonable timescales, unless we are required to retain it by law or for legitimate record-keeping purposes.
12.4 Further details of how we handle personal data are set out in our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms.
13. Acceptable use and content standards
13.1 You must not use our Services or any Deliverables to:
- break any law or regulation;
- distribute malware, viruses or other harmful code;
- send unsolicited bulk emails or spam;
- promote hate, violence, discrimination, or illegal activities;
- publish unlawful, defamatory, obscene or infringing content; or
- infringe the rights of any other person or organisation;
- engage in resource-intensive activities that degrade server performance or reputation, such as cryptocurrency mining, unauthorised scraping, or hosting malicious scripts.
13.2 If we reasonably believe that your website or content breaches this clause, we may:
- suspend or remove the offending content;
- temporarily suspend hosting or Services; or
- in serious cases, terminate the Contract (see Termination).
We will, where lawful and reasonably possible, inform you of the issue and give you an opportunity to resolve it.
14. Warranties and disclaimers
14.1 We warrant that we will provide the Services with reasonable care and skill, using appropriately skilled personnel.
14.2 To the fullest extent permitted by law, all other warranties, conditions and terms implied by statute, common law or otherwise are excluded.
14.3 You acknowledge that:
- technology evolves quickly, and no website can be guaranteed to be error-free or secure against all threats;
- browser behaviour and device compatibility change over time;
- third-party software (plugins, themes, platforms) may introduce issues when updated.
14.4 We do not warrant that any website or service will be:
- continuously available or free from interruptions;
- compatible with every device or browser version;
- free from all vulnerabilities; or
- successful in achieving any particular business result.
14.5 We may utilise artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in the generation of code, design concepts, or drafted content. To ensure the highest quality, all AI-assisted deliverables are thoroughly reviewed, refined, and vetted by our directors before being implemented into your live project.
15. Limitation of liability
15.1 Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes either party’s liability for:
- death or personal injury caused by negligence;
- fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or
- any other liability which cannot lawfully be limited or excluded.
15.2 Subject to clause 15.1, we will not be liable for:
- loss of profit, revenue, sales or anticipated savings;
- loss of data or corruption of data (you are responsible for maintaining appropriate backups, unless expressly included in a maintenance plan);
- loss of business, contracts, opportunities or goodwill;
- any indirect or consequential loss or damage; or
- any loss arising from your failure to keep security credentials (such as passwords) confidential.
15.3 Subject to clauses 15.1 and 15.2, our total aggregate liability arising under or in connection with any Contract (whether in contract, tort, negligence or otherwise) will not exceed the total fees actually paid by you to us under that Contract.
15.4 You agree that the limitations and exclusions in this clause are reasonable in light of the nature of our Services and the fees charged.
16. Term and termination
16.1 A Contract between us begins when you accept a proposal or otherwise instruct us to proceed, and continues until the Services are completed, or the Contract is terminated in accordance with this clause.
16.2 Either party may terminate a Contract on written notice if the other party:
- commits a material breach of the Contract which is not remedied within 14 days of written notice requiring it to be remedied; or
- becomes insolvent, enters bankruptcy or similar proceedings.
16.3 We may terminate or suspend a Contract immediately if:
- you fail to pay any sum due within 14 days of the due date (unless otherwise stated);
- your use of the Services breaches our acceptable use standards or is unlawful; or
- continuing to provide the Services would, in our reasonable opinion, bring us into disrepute or risk legal liability.
16.4 On termination for any reason:
- all sums you owe us become immediately due and payable;
- your right to use our Services (including hosting) ends;
- we may take down any websites hosted by us on your behalf; and
- we will, on request and subject to payment of all outstanding fees and any agreed migration fees, provide reasonable assistance in handing over files or data.
16.5 Termination does not affect any rights or obligations which have accrued up to the date of termination.
17. Consumers and cooling-off rights
(This clause applies only where you are a consumer and UK consumer law applies. It does not apply to purely business-to-business contracts.)
17.1 If you are a consumer and you purchase Services from us online, by email or by phone, you may have a 14-day cooling-off period from the day the Contract is concluded, during which you can cancel for any reason, in accordance with the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.
17.2 If you ask us to start work during the 14-day cooling-off period (for example, by paying a deposit and expressly requesting an immediate start), you acknowledge that:
- you may lose your right to cancel once the Services are fully performed; and
- if you cancel after we have started but before completion, we may charge you for the work already carried out up to the point of cancellation.
17.3 Your statutory rights as a consumer are not affected by these Terms. For more information on your cancellation rights and how our refund process works, please see our Refund Policy.
18. Force majeure
18.1 We are not liable for any failure or delay in performing our obligations under a Contract where that failure or delay is caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to:
- power or internet failures;
- failures or outages of third-party hosting providers;
- strikes, lock-outs or other industrial disputes;
- acts of God, natural disasters, epidemics or pandemics;
- war, terrorism, riots or civil commotion; or
- actions of government or regulatory authorities.
18.2 If such an event continues for more than 30 days, either party may terminate the affected Contract by written notice.
19. General
19.1 Governing law and jurisdiction
These Terms and any Contract between us are governed by the laws of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales will have exclusive jurisdiction, except that consumers may also bring claims in their local courts where mandatory consumer law allows.
19.2 Entire agreement
Each Contract, together with these Terms and any documents expressly referred to in them, constitutes the entire agreement between us and supersedes all previous discussions, correspondence or understandings.
19.3 Assignment and subcontracting
You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under a Contract without our prior written consent. We may assign or subcontract our rights and obligations, provided that this does not materially adversely affect your rights.
19.4 Third-party rights
Unless expressly stated, nothing in these Terms is intended to confer any benefit on any person who is not a party to the Contract, and no third party has any rights to enforce any term of the Contract.
19.5 Severability
If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.
19.6 No waiver
If either party fails to enforce any right or remedy under these Terms, that failure does not waive the right or remedy and does not prevent it from being enforced later.
19.7 Variation
Any variation to these Terms for a specific Contract must be agreed in writing by both parties.
20. Contact
If you have any questions about these Terms or how they apply to you, please contact us using the details on our website’s Contact page.
If a concern is about a refund or cancellation specifically, our Refund Policy sets out how we handle these, including where consumers can get free independent advice if we can’t resolve things between us.
We encourage you to review this page occasionally to stay informed.