Before you sign anything: a contract checklist

Why work from a checklist?

We're rarely relaxed when we sign. The clerk is waiting, the removal van is outside, everyone at the new job is smiling, and reading five pages “just because” feels awkward. A checklist helps because it takes away the decision about what to look at: you simply go through it, point by point.

Your signature shows that you accept what the document says. Not what was said out loud, not what you assumed, but what's written down. So every point on the list comes back to one question: is exactly what you agreed actually on the page?

1. Ask for time, and ask in advance

The best check is one you have time for. If you can, ask for the contract a few days before signing, by email or on paper, so you can read it calmly at home.

• Ask for the full text in advance. Including attachments and the standard terms and conditions.
• Take it home if you need to. A fair counterparty usually doesn't mind you taking a day to think.
• Notice pressure. Lines like “today only” or “everyone signs it, it's just a formality” don't necessarily mean anything bad, but they're exactly when to slow down.
• Ask questions freely. If you don't understand a sentence, ask what it means, and if it matters, ask for it to be clarified in writing.

2. The parties and the details

The first page usually says who is entering into the contract. It looks dull, but a typo here can cause trouble later, so check it item by item.

• Your name, exactly. Spelt as on your official documents, with every part of a double-barrelled name.
• Your details. Address, date of birth, document number if included. A single mistyped digit counts.
• The other party. For a person, their full name; for a company, its full legal name and registration number, not just the brand name.
• Who signs on the other side? For a company, someone authorised to sign on its behalf. If you're unsure, ask in what capacity they're signing.
• Contact details. Contact and notice addresses: this is where official letters will go.

3. What exactly are you agreeing to?

This is the most important part of the list. Go through the contract and find each of the points below. If you can't find one, that tells you something too: ask about it.

• The subject. What do you get and what do you give? Which flat, which role, which service, in what quantity and quality?
• The amounts. Price, fee or salary, and whether it's gross or net, monthly or one-off. If it appears in figures and in words, the two must match.
• Payment. When, how, to whom, and what happens after how long a delay.
• Deposit or advance. How much, and when and on what conditions it comes back.
• Deadlines. Start, delivery, handover, and what happens if either side is late.
• Duration. Fixed term or open-ended, and how long it runs.
• Termination. Who can end it, when, with how much notice, and whether that costs anything.
• Automatic renewal. Whether it renews by itself, and by when you have to say if you don't want it to.
• Penalties and charges. What happens if you don't perform, or leave early.

Your signature covers what's written down, not what was said.

4. Referenced documents and attachments

Many contracts are short but refer to other documents: standard terms and conditions, a price list, house rules, a job description, an inventory. These often form part of the contract, which means your signature may accept them too.

1. 1
   List the references. Every sentence that says “as set out in the schedule”, “under our terms and conditions” or “according to the current price list”.
2. 2
   Ask for each one. Don't settle for “it's on the website”: download or ask for the version that applies now.
3. 3
   Check every attachment is there. If the contract mentions three schedules, all three should be attached.
4. 4
   Keep a copy of each. The version valid when you signed, with the date. Later this may be your point of reference.

5. Blank fields and empty lines

If you remember only one point from this guide, make it this: never sign a document with important details left blank. A blank amount, date or name can be filled in afterwards, and not necessarily the way you had in mind.

• Fill it in or strike it through. If a field doesn't apply to you, draw a line through it or write “not applicable”.
• Fill in the date too. If the date is blank, when you signed may be disputed later.
• Large empty spaces. If there's a big gap between the last paragraph and the signature line, draw a diagonal line through it so nothing can be added later.
• An unfilled form to sign. If you're asked to sign now and “we'll fill in the rest later”, ask them to fill it in first.

6. Pages, versions and copies

In a multi-page contract the formal details matter too, because they make sure everyone is talking about the same text later.

• Page numbers. Ideally numbered “1 of 5, 2 of 5”. Count them, check every page is there and in order.
• Initials on each page. If asked, initial the bottom of every page with your short signature. It makes swapping a page afterwards harder.
• The same version. If you negotiated by email, check the printed copy is the final, agreed version and not an earlier draft.
• Number of copies. How many originals are being made, and whether each party gets one.
• Every copy identical. If you sign several copies, page through each of them.

7. Spoken promises and handwritten changes

“Don't worry about that, it's just part of the template.” “Of course we'll cover the redecorating.” “Our probation period is really shorter than that.” If something matters and was only said out loud, get it in writing too.

• Ask for it to be written in. One sentence in the contract or a signed addendum is worth more than any spoken promise.
• Handwritten changes. If you correct or cross something out by hand on the spot, both parties should initial next to the change, and date it if possible.
• Struck-out clauses. A crossed-out sentence should stay readable, so the original is visible, and both parties should initial it.
• Don't sign on a “we'll fix it later” basis. Once signed, changing it needs the other party's agreement.

8. The moment you sign

If everything checks out, it's time to sign. Even here, a few small things can matter a lot later.

• Use your formal signature. The one on your identity documents and at your bank. If you have more than one, we explain the difference between formal and everyday signatures separately.
• Use permanent ink. A ballpoint or ink pen, never pencil or an erasable pen. More on choosing a pen here.
• Sign where marked. On the signature line, everywhere it's needed, and with your printed name and the date if required.
• A witness, if required. Some contracts may need witnesses to sign too. What a witness actually confirms is covered in a separate piece.
• Never sign a blank sheet. Whatever the reason given, don't sign a page the text will only be added to later.

9. Signing online or on a PDF

Online, the same checklist applies; only the temptation is different. An “I agree” button is far easier to press than putting pen to paper.

• Scroll to the end. And open the referenced documents too, rather than just ticking the box.
• Check where the link came from. If a signing request is unexpected or suspicious, contact the sender through their own known details, not the number in the message.
• Download the final version. After signing, save a copy with all attachments.
• Slow down on your phone. Details are easier to miss on a small screen. We've covered the steps and pitfalls of signing a PDF on your phone separately.

What a pasted-in signature image, a signing service or a certified e-signature is enough for is explained in signing PDFs and e-documents.

10. After you sign

1. 1
   Ask for your own copy. With both parties' signatures, not just yours.
2. 2
   Make a copy of it. A scan or photo, stored somewhere safe.
3. 3
   Put the deadlines in your calendar. Payments, notice periods, the last day before renewal.
4. 4
   File it properly. The original in a folder, with the attachments and correspondence.
5. 5
   Look after images of the signed copy. Don't post it, and send it only to people who need it. See protecting your signature online.

The short list, all in one place

If there's only time for a quick check, these ten questions cover the essentials. You could even write them on a card and keep it in your wallet.

1. 1
   Have I read all of it, including attachments? If not, ask for time.
2. 2
   Are the names and details right? Mine and the other party's.
3. 3
   Do I know what I get and what I give? The subject, the quantity, the quality.
4. 4
   Do the amounts match? In figures and words, gross or net, monthly or one-off.
5. 5
   Do I know the deadlines and duration? Start, delivery, how long it runs.
6. 6
   Do I know how to get out? Termination, automatic renewal, penalties.
7. 7
   Are there no blank fields? Anything that doesn't apply is struck through.
8. 8
   Is every page there, and is it the final version? Page numbers, initials, number of copies.
9. 9
   Is what was promised out loud in writing? If not, I ask for it to be added.
10. 10
    Will I get my own copy? With both parties' signatures.

Questions