Reading a venue hire contract: the clauses that matter

What do you lose if you cancel at six months, three months, a month? And — the one people forget to ask — what happens if the venue cancels on you? A contract that is silent on the second is worth a conversation.

Get the inclusions listed rather than described. Bedding and towels, firewood, cleaning, parking, tables and chairs, crockery, heating: each of these is included at some venues and charged at others, and the gap between assumptions is where budgets break.

How much is held, what triggers a deduction, who assesses it, and when is it returned? Reasonable venues are specific. Vague language here is where disputes live.

A hard music curfew, a maximum headcount, and check-in and check-out times all shape your schedule. Read them before you build the agenda rather than after.