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7 articles
A sales manager signs a supply agreement; an administrator confirms a variation by email; a branch employee accepts a quotation. None has board approval, yet the company may still be bound. This explainer sets out how apparent authority works in UK contract law and how SMEs can check authority before a casual yes becomes enforceable.
Texts, emails and WhatsApp exchanges can satisfy the legal tests for a binding agreement, even where neither side intended a formal document. This explainer sets out when informal messages cross the line, the evidence that matters in a UK dispute, and practical habits for keeping routine chat from creating unintended obligations.
The words ‘subject to contract’ are often treated as a guaranteed shield against premature liability. In practice, they are only as strong as the conduct that surrounds them. This guide explains where the phrase protects a small business, where it can be outflanked, and how to keep negotiations from turning into an accidental contract.
A retention of title clause is often the only thing standing between an unpaid supplier and a queue of unsecured creditors. But the clause that reads well in your terms and conditions is not always the clause that survives an administrator's scrutiny. Here is how the mechanism works, where it fails, and what to fix before you need it.
A personal guarantee can turn a limited company’s borrowing into a director’s personal liability. This guide explains all-monies and continuing clauses, what to negotiate before signing, and how to respond when a lender makes demand.
A single large customer can flatter turnover while quietly creating existential risk. This guide sets out the early signals of payment distress, the contractual tools available to SMEs, and the point at which polite chasing should give way to formal recovery.
A contract can look routine while quietly transferring cost, risk and control away from your business. This review sets out five clauses that deserve particular attention in 2026 and offers a practical checklist and negotiation language for SMEs.