A kitchen contract only protects you if it contains specific figures and materials. We cover what to check before signing and what to watch out for.
Why This Matters
Most disputes with furniture companies arise not from poor quality but from vague contract language. "MDF kitchen" means nothing. "19 mm MDF door panels, 3-coat polyurethane paint finish" gives you something to enforce.
1. Parties and Legal Details
- Full legal name of the company — not just the trading name
- Company registration number — verify it exists in the official register
- Name and title of the signatory — confirm they are authorised to sign contracts
- Your full name and address, or company details if a business order
2. Subject of Contract — Exact Description
This is the most important section. Every item must be described specifically:
- Carcass material: chipboard brand and thickness (e.g. Egger 16 mm melamine)
- Door material: painted MDF / PVC film / HPL — with substrate thickness
- Worktop: material, thickness, manufacturer or grade (postforming, quartz, acrylic)
- Hardware: brand of hinges, drawer runners, lift systems (Blum, Hettich, etc.)
- Colour, finish, article number — per the material manufacturer's specification
- Reference to approved drawings or plans — attached as an appendix to the contract
If the contract just says "hardware" with no brand, expect the cheapest available. Always specify the brand and product line.
3. Timelines
- Production lead time — a specific date or number of working days from deposit payment
- Delivery date — separate from production
- Installation date or window
- Penalty for delays: a percentage of the contract value per day of overrun
- Right to cancel and recover the deposit if delay exceeds a defined number of days
4. Price and Payment Schedule
- Total price — stated clearly in figures
- Deposit amount — typically 30–50%; a deposit above 70% with no good reason is a warning sign
- Conditions for the second payment: usually on delivery or after installation
- How design changes requested by the client affect the price
- What is included: delivery, installation, appliance connection — or billed separately
5. Delivery and Installation
- Who is liable for damage during transit
- Site readiness requirements: walls, floor level, electrics — what must be done before installation
- Scope of installation: fitting carcasses, hanging doors, adjusting hardware, connecting the sink
- Post-installation clean-up — who removes packaging and off-cuts
6. Acceptance
- Handover procedure: a written acceptance certificate signed after inspection
- Time limit for reporting visible defects — typically at handover or within 3–5 days
- Recording snags: all defects noted in the certificate before you sign
- Important: do not sign the acceptance certificate until everything is complete and satisfactory — it is much harder to raise appearance complaints afterwards
7. Warranty
- Carcass warranty — 12 months minimum, 18–24 months is standard
- Hardware warranty — typically 12 months
- Door warranty — clarify separately; PVC film near the hob and sink is often excluded
- Definition of a warranty claim vs normal wear (surface scratches from use are not covered)
- How to make a claim: contact details, response time, and remedy timeframe
8. Liability
- Penalty for late delivery by the supplier
- Client liability for late payment
- Dispute resolution process: written complaint first, then court — and which jurisdiction applies
Red Flags in a Contract
- "Materials of equivalent quality" — means they can use anything
- No drawings or plans attached — impossible to verify what was agreed
- Deposit above 70% before production starts
- No late-delivery penalty, or less than 0.1% per day
- Warranty shorter than 12 months or absent entirely
- Company cannot provide registration details for verification
Before signing, photograph or scan the dimensioned drawings. If something doesn't match on installation day, you'll have a documented reference to fall back on.