I built a website for a friend, and someone who saw it contacted me about creating a similar site for them. The pay would be good for the amount of work, and I'd be custom-coding it with HTML and Tailwind. Since this person would be a real client rather than someone I know personally, I want to handle the project properly.
I'm considering delivering only the website files while having the client host everything under their own account. The site may use Formspree for forms, but I don't want to be held responsible if that third-party service has problems. I also don't currently have an LLC. I'm thinking about using a written contract that clearly defines the deliverables and limits my liability to the project fee.
What should I include in the agreement? Am I responsible for providing the privacy policy, terms and conditions, or website content, or should those come from the client? Is this arrangement reasonably safe in Canada, and are there other issues I should address before accepting the work?
3 Answers
Don’t assume that not having an LLC means you can’t take the job, but do keep the business side separate and document everything. Get the client’s legal name and billing details, use clear invoices, and confirm who owns the final code and any third-party assets. Since this is in Canada, a short consultation with a local lawyer or accountant would be more useful than relying on a generic contract downloaded online. You can also suggest that the client use a reputable policy service, paid for under their account, if they need privacy or terms documents.
Have the client create and pay for their own hosting, form-service, domain, analytics, and policy-generator accounts. You can configure them, but the accounts should remain theirs. That makes the ownership and responsibility much clearer after handoff. Your agreement should also cover maintenance, security updates, future fixes, and what happens if they ask for work outside the original scope.
Use a written agreement, even if the project seems simple. Define exactly what you’re delivering, the timeline, how revisions and acceptance work, who provides the text and images, and when payment is due. A deposit up front is sensible. Also state that the client owns and controls their hosting and third-party accounts, and that you aren’t responsible for outages or failures caused by services such as Formspree. A liability cap can help, but it should be written clearly and may not protect you from every type of claim, so getting a Canadian lawyer to review your template would be worthwhile.
Make it explicit that you’re building the structure and implementation, not guaranteeing the legality or accuracy of the client’s content. If they want you to write or supply content, treat that as a separate service and price it accordingly.
For a basic informational site with no cookies, accounts, or e-commerce, the legal requirements may be limited, but that depends on what data the site and host process. The client’s business is generally responsible for deciding what privacy notices and terms it needs, so they should provide or approve that material rather than expecting you to create legal documents.