The key legal considerations when hiring out your venue

With its beautiful landscapes and excellent transport links, Kent is often a prime choice for venue hire for weddings, conferences, corporate days out and much more. Whilst venue hire is a lucrative and additional source of income, it is important to ensure that certain elements are in place to minimise risk and maximise return.

As the venue owner you will, so far as possible, want to exclude liability arising from the event by ensuring any hire contract includes an appropriate disclaimer together with a clause by which the hirer agrees to indemnify you for all damage, injury or loss occurring at or arising out of their event (which is not due to your own negligence).

Insurance is absolutely crucial. As well as your own insurance for the premises, you should contractually require third party hirers to take out suitable insurance, to support the indemnity referred to above.

The contract should be very specific and clear about cancellation and the costs involved. It is usually best to have a staggered cancellation policy, depending on the size of the event and amount of notice given. You should ensure that deposits are clearly stated to be non-refundable.

Other legal considerations include health and safety obligations, permits, licences and advertising.

This content is correct at time of publication