Which Hosting Agreement?

The standard web hosting agreement templates we have currently available are suitable for use in relation to relatively straightforward hosting arrangements involving shared servers.

The premium web hosting agreement templates cover not only shared hosting, but also a range of related services: dedicated hosting, co-location services, domain name registration, SSL certificate provision, support services and email services.

The two "terms" style documents broadly favour the interests of the host over the interests of customers. The two web "agreement" style documents can be easily adapted to favour either party, or indeed to balance the parties' interests.

Key Provisions of Hosting Agreements

Implementation and transition

A host may be responsible for transferring a website from its own development servers, or for assisting with the transition of a website from a third party's servers. These optional provisions, including in both the standard and premium hosting contracts, are designed to account for these possibilities.

Services: standard agreements

In the standard hosting contracts, the services consists of the hosting of one or more specified websites or web applications, plus ancillary services. Various optional sections are included in the templates:

• A defined level of resources can be promised to the customer.


• The hosting company may or may not give the customer direct access to the website (for instance, via ftp).


• The host may provide email services (e.g. POP3, IMAP, webmail) to the customer. Mailboxes may be subject to specified storage limits.


• The hosting company may provide a helpdesk.


• A back-up service may also be provided.