Guide
Your cancellation rights when buying at home
Sign something in your own living room and you usually have 14 days to change your mind. Usually — the exceptions matter, and salespeople rarely volunteer them.
The general rule
Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, a consumer who agrees a contract away from the trader's business premises — in your home, at your door, at an exhibition stand — or at a distance, online or by phone, generally has 14 days to cancel without giving a reason. The period usually runs from the day the contract was made for services, and from delivery for goods.
The trader must tell you about this right in writing. If they do not, the cancellation period can extend substantially, which is a strong incentive for them to get it right.
The exceptions that catch people out
Goods made to your specification or clearly personalised are the big one, and it is exactly the situation in several categories we cover. A curved stairlift rail bent to your staircase is made to measure. So, arguably, is a bespoke fitted item or a custom-manufactured sign.
Services you asked to start within the 14 days are the other. If you request that work begins immediately and then cancel, you can be charged for what has already been done. Perishable goods and sealed items unsealed after delivery are also excluded.
How to use it
Say clearly that you are cancelling, in writing, within the period. Email is fine and is far better than a phone call because it leaves a record. You do not have to give a reason, and you do not have to accept an offer to renegotiate instead.
Keep a copy. Refunds are generally due within 14 days of the trader receiving your cancellation, or of goods being returned.
Before you sign, not after
Since the exceptions are exactly where the expensive purchases sit, the practical advice is to settle it in advance. Ask, before signing, whether the goods are treated as made to measure and whether the cancellation right applies. Get the answer in writing.
And do not ask for work to start inside the cooling-off period unless you are certain, because doing so is what gives away the protection.
If it goes wrong later
Cancellation rights are separate from your rights if something is faulty. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described, and services must be carried out with reasonable care and skill. Those apply regardless of any cooling-off period, and long after it.
If a supplier will not engage, check whether they belong to a trade body with an alternative dispute resolution scheme, and whether you paid any part by credit card.
Common questions
Does the 14 days apply if I went to their showroom?
Generally no. The right covers contracts made at a distance or off-premises. A contract signed at the trader's own premises after you visited is normally outside it, though many traders offer their own cancellation terms.
Can a trader charge a cancellation fee?
Not for exercising the statutory right within the period, though they can charge for services you asked to be started early. A fee outside the statutory situation depends on the contract terms and must be a genuine reflection of their loss.
What if they did not tell me about my right to cancel?
The cancellation period can be extended by up to a year. That is a strong position to be in, and worth raising directly.
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