The Doorstep Selling Regulations (The Cancellation of Contracts made in a Consumer’s Home or Place of Work etc. Regulations 2008) came into force on 1 October 2008. The Regulations are designed to provide protection to consumers in respect of certain contracts that are entered into under the following circumstances: (a) during a visit by a trader to the consumer's home or place of work, or to the home of another individual; (b) during an excursion organised by a trader away from his or her business premises; or (c) after an offer made by the consumer during such a visit or excursion.

The Doorstep Selling Regulations apply in the case of both solicited and unsolicited visits by traders.

They provide that consumers will have a 7 day period in which to cancel a doorstep contract to which the Regulations apply, and they require that the trader provide the consumer with a notice of a right to cancel.

Non-compliance with the Doorstep Selling Regulations constitutes an offence (which may be punishable by a fine). Furthermore, a contract to which the Regulations apply will not be enforceable against the consumer unless the trader has given the consumer a "notice of the right to cancel" and the information required to be given under the Regulations.

This document includes:

• an explanatory note concerning the Doorstep Selling Regulations
• a draft contract clause to aid compliance with the Regulations
• a draft "notice of the right to cancel" that must be given under the Regulations

The contract clause and notice are both designed to be compatible with our terms of business documents.

This doorstep selling add-on concerns the application of the Doorstep Selling Regulations to contracts for services to consumers only (not contacts for the supply of goods).

The doorstep selling document is 7 pages long (including the cover sheet) and is provided in Word (.doc) format for easy editing.