Terms of business.

Last updated: 9 September 2026

1. About the business

The service provider is Nicholas James Gregory, a sole trader trading as Decorating by Nicholas James and Decor by Nick, based in Frome, Somerset, United Kingdom.

The full correspondence address for formal notices is provided on quotations and invoices and can be requested using the contact details above.

2. Services

Services can include interior decorating, exterior painting and protective finishes, wallpapering, sash-window preparation and refinishing, kitchen spraying or refurbishment, and related preparation or minor repair work described in the quotation.

Website descriptions are general information. The exact service supplied is the work expressly listed in the accepted quotation and any later written variation.

3. Enquiries, surveys and quotations

• A website, email, telephone or WhatsApp enquiry is a request for information and does not create a booking or contract.
• A quotation is based on the information and access available when it is prepared. It may include assumptions, exclusions, provisional allowances and a validity period.
• Measurements, surface condition, access requirements, drying time, product availability and hidden defects can affect price or programme.
• Unless the quotation states otherwise, acceptance must be confirmed in writing. A contract is formed when acceptance is confirmed and the booking is agreed.

4. Scope, preparation and changes

Decorating results depend on the condition of existing surfaces. Reasonable care and skill will be used to inspect and prepare visible areas, but concealed defects, damp, failed previous coatings, rot, movement, contamination or other conditions may become apparent only after work begins.

If unexpected work or a requested change affects price, materials or timing, it will be discussed before the additional work proceeds wherever reasonably possible. Agreed changes should be recorded in writing.

5. Customer responsibilities

The customer is expected to provide safe and timely access, disclose known hazards or defects, secure valuables and fragile items, keep children and pets away from working areas, and arrange any utilities or permissions identified in the quotation. Furniture and possessions should be moved as agreed before work starts.

6. Colours, materials and samples

Customers are responsible for approving colours, sheen levels, wallpaper batches, finishes and samples before application. Screens, lighting, surrounding colours and manufacturing batches can alter appearance. Additional work caused by a change after approval may be chargeable.

Suitable equivalent products may be proposed if a specified product is unavailable, but substitutions will be discussed where they materially affect appearance, performance or price.

7. Timing, access and delays

Dates are agreed in good faith. Exterior work, drying and curing can depend on weather and site conditions. Reasonable schedule changes may also be needed because of illness, supplier delay, unsafe conditions, unexpected preparation or events outside reasonable control. Material changes will be communicated as soon as practical.

8. Price and payment

The quotation or invoice states the price, any deposit or staged payments, due dates and whether materials are included. VAT will be shown only if applicable. The customer should raise any genuine invoice query promptly and pay undisputed amounts by the stated due date.

9. Cancellation rights

Where a consumer contract is agreed at a distance or away from business premises, statutory cancellation rights may apply, commonly for 14 days. When those rights apply, the required cancellation information will be provided in a form the customer can keep.

If the customer asks for work to begin during an applicable cancellation period, an express request may be required. If the contract is then cancelled, the customer may have to pay a proportionate amount for work already supplied. Statutory exceptions and rights remain unaffected.

Outside any statutory cancellation right, cancellation or postponement will be handled reasonably in light of notice given, committed materials, non-refundable supplier charges and work already completed. Any project-specific cancellation arrangement should appear in the quotation.

10. Completion and concerns

Work will be supplied with reasonable care and skill. The customer should inspect completed work when reasonably possible and report a concern promptly, with photographs where useful, so it can be assessed and an appropriate remedy considered.

Normal ageing, fair wear, building movement, moisture, substrate failure, misuse, work by others and failure to follow care guidance are not defects in the decorating service itself. This does not remove any legal remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded.

11. Project photographs

Photographs uploaded with an enquiry are used to assess the requested work and prepare a response or quotation. Customers should upload only images they are entitled to share and should avoid including unrelated people, documents or private information.

Photographs may be taken to record condition, progress and completion. Images that identify a customer, address or private information will not be published for marketing without appropriate permission. Permission to use portfolio photographs can be withdrawn for future use by contacting the business, although this may not require recall of material already lawfully printed.

12. Liability and consumer rights

Nothing excludes or limits liability where the law does not allow it, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or breach of statutory consumer rights. Subject to that, responsibility is limited to losses that are reasonably foreseeable and directly caused by a breach.

If you are a consumer, the service must meet rights provided by law, including the requirement to use reasonable care and skill. Advice is available from Citizens Advice consumer services.

13. Website use

Website content is provided for general information and may be updated without notice. Reasonable care is taken with accuracy, but photographs, descriptions and service-area information do not form a project-specific promise unless included in an accepted quotation.

Site text, branding and original design must not be copied for commercial use without permission. External links, including WhatsApp, are provided for convenience and are governed by the destination provider.

14. Governing law

These terms and any non-contractual dispute are governed by the law of England and Wales. Consumers retain any mandatory right to bring proceedings in another UK jurisdiction where applicable.

15. Contact and complaints

Please raise a concern directly with Nicholas so it can be investigated and resolved fairly. Email nick@decorbynick.com or telephone 07541 178413. The privacy handling of complaints is explained in the privacy notice.