If you are here looking for an interior design contract for your work then We’ve got a plenty of free templates ready for you.
Getting your dream interior work done is always exciting, but it comes with a lot of challenges and you have to plan a lot of things in order to get it right. The first thing is to hire a professional who is best at interior designing. Next you have to get the paperwork right in order to formally legalize the entire process.
Most of us are not aware of legal stuff, this is why you need to hire a legal professional to write your contract and give you help with all legal formalities. Or you can use a well prepared interior design contract template, customize it as per your need, and get it signed.
Getting the paperwork right is very important. The whole purpose of have a contract is that you and your client clearly understand what are the expectations. An interior contract is important for both homeowner and design company, it keeps everything clear and professional.
In this guide, you can download free contract templates, understand the purpose of having a contract, learn how to prepare it, and much more. So let’s get started!
Contents
Understanding Interior Design Agreement Contract
An interior design contract is an agreement document that is prepared by the designing company to show the client what work will be done, payment terms, budget, expectations, insurance policy etc. A good contract is the one that manage the client’s expectations well. The purpose of creating a contract is to avoid any misunderstandings between the interior designer and the client.
The contract should be read and signed by both the parties.
Here is a video that breakdown Interior Design Proposal, Design Fees, Timeline, and Budget.
5 Reasons Why You Need Interior Design Contract
Interior design contract are important for both design company and homeowners. As a interior company, you need to have a signed contract before you start work on any project.
It’s important to have a signed contract and review it with your client. Do not start working on a new project before finishing the contract.
The word “Client” is used many times in this post. Here the “Client” means “Homeowner”.
Reason 1: Formal Working Relationship
A contract is the best way to review with a client about the work to be done, fees, budget, etc. I’m sure you already had a consultation session with a client where you gave them a sneak peak of what’s could be done.
Once you are moving away from the consultation to the second phase of services i.e. ongoing design services, it’s important to have a contract so both client and company can understand what to expect.
Reason 2: Protect the Legal Rights of both Client and Company
A contract is not there just to protect the company, it protects the rights of a client too. As a interior design company you know how much work you put on a daily basis to get the project right and things can go wrong many times.
Clients are not aware of a lot of things that can happen during an interior design or decoration project. Therefore, its your responsibility to make sure a client understand exactly how you work.
If you are a client or homeowner then you should pay attention to this contract and understand it.
Reason 3: Organized and Streamlined Process
Setting the tone with very client is very important. You have to let them know that you’ve a very streamlines and organzied process. Those processes are followed to help you with every step of the project.
Setting this tone early on let the client know that you know how to get things done organized. Show them how organzied you are. Good clients always appreciate the honesty.
Reason 4: Open Communication
Open communication is very important specially for interior design contracts because there are so many things going on and it’s important for a client to know everything.
As a business, you should always be willing to have an Open communication with a client about the important things that can happen in a project. Having a contract and reviewing it with a client shows how open communication mean to you.
Reason 5: Managing Expectations
As an interior design company, you must set the expectations with a client and make them aware of the things that may go wrong. Let them understand the process that’s coming ahead.
There are a lot of things that can go wrong in a project. There could be many hiccups or bumps in the road, you want to make sure your client is aware of these things that can come up and how you’re going to manage them in order to manage their expectations successfully. A contract helps you do that.
How to write an Interior Design Contract from Scratch?
Even though the free templates are shared later in the post to help you create a contract in minutes. But still if you are looking to create it from scratch then here is a quick guide:
Statement of Work and Scope of Work
Start the contract by giving a company introduction and then write down the Statement of Work and Scope of Work. Here the statement of work means general description of the project and the Scope of Work means highlighting the actual work which will be done, you can talk about the deliverables, payments, installations, time frames, and other aspects.
Budget
Estimated budget of the entire project should be provided to a client. Here you can cover the cost of material, delivery charges, equipments, etc. Make sure to mention that it’s an “Estimated Budget” and the actual cost could vary depending on several factors.
Fees
Make sure to clearly outline what will be your fees. Whether you will be charing on hourly basis or flat fee. A lot of disputes happen between company and a client over the fees so make sure to state it very clearly and remove all the room for confusion.
Purchasing and Procurement
Mention who will be doing the Purchasing and Procurement. Different companies have different business policies when it comes to Purchasing and Procurement. Depending on your business policy, you can inform the client whether all purchases will be made through you or based on your recommendations.
So there are some of the clauses that you need to add in an interior design contract. There are many other clauses which can be added such as:
- Changes and Revisions
- Client Involvement
- Cancellations and Refunds
- Documents and Drawings
- Copyright
- Photographs and Publicity
- Insurance
- Health and Safety
- Warranty
- Disputes
All the important clauses are already covered in the FREE templates we have provided below. Check them out to have detailed understanding of interior design contract.
Free Interior Design Contract Templates
A bunch of free templates are shared in this section in an editable format. Do check them out and download the one which is suitable as per your need or requirement.
Interior Design Services Agreement
Residential Interior Design Contract
This agreement is suitable for residential interior design work. Getting a dream residential interior done is always exciting but things can go here and there so make sure to have a proper agreement in place to ensure smooth work and no disputes.
Signing an Interior Design Contract is Important
An interior design contract without signs of both the parties is just a piece of paper. Without signatures, the agreement holds no value.
Both the parties i.e. client and company must read the agreement very carefully and sign it only if you agrees to everything that is mentioned in the agreement.
We have noticed that many people just sign the agreement without even reading it properly which leads to confusion and disputed. Always ensure to read the contract very carefully and only sign it once you agree to the things which are mentioned in it.
Conclusion
Each project is different and you may need to adjust or customize the templates as per your current need or requirement. The whole point of creating an interior design contract is to legalize the entire process and to reduce the chances of possible disputes.
Creating such a contract is not everyone’s cup of tea, a certain level of understanding and experience is required for creating these contracts. Both client and a company must pay attention to this agreement contract in order to secure their legal rights.