Venue Hire Agreement Template (UK)

If alcohol will be served, the venue needs a licence or a TEN

Under the Licensing Act 2003, no supply of alcohol may be made on licensed premises unless there is a designated premises supervisor (DPS) holding a personal licence, and every sale must be authorised by a personal licence holder. If the venue is not already licensed for the sale of alcohol, the hirer or venue will usually need to apply for a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) — a lightweight route for a one-off event, but with strict limits (broadly, an event of up to 168 hours and up to 499 people) and an application deadline of at least 10 working days before the event. This template requires stating who is responsible for the venue's premises licence or a TEN, rather than asking the question and doing nothing with the answer.

One security deposit, defined once, that behaves consistently

The widely circulated free version has a non-refundable reservation deposit in one clause and then forfeits a "security deposit" that clause never created. This template defines a single security deposit up front, states plainly what it is and isn't refundable against, and ties every later reference — overtime, damage, cancellation — back to that same deposit.

State the capacity limit and who carries event insurance

A venue-hire contract that asks for a guest count and never checks it against the space's fire-safety capacity is missing the single most safety-critical term in the document. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the person in control of the premises must carry out a fire-risk assessment and manage occupancy accordingly. This template requires stating the venue's capacity limit and makes the hirer carry event or public-liability insurance, rather than leaving liability unaddressed entirely.

Clause-by-clause guide

Parties and event details

Owner and hirer, the event date, type of event, and the space being reserved.

Capacity limit

States the venue's fire-safety capacity and requires the guest count to stay within it.

Fees and security deposit

A single, consistently defined security deposit alongside the venue rate and balance due, with one clear due date.

Alcohol service

An optional clause allocating who is responsible for the venue's premises licence or a Temporary Event Notice, and requiring alcohol served under it to comply with the Licensing Act 2003.

Insurance

Requires the hirer to carry event or public-liability insurance and, where the venue requires it, produce a certificate of insurance.

Overage and cleaning/repair fees

Fees for running past the reserved time and for cleaning or repair beyond normal wear, charged against the one defined security deposit.

Cancellation

A single, non-contradictory refund schedule tied to how far in advance the event is cancelled.

Governing law and signatures

The law governing the agreement, and the owner's and hirer's signatures.

UK compliance checklist

Alcohol licensing and fire-safety duties are broadly UK-wide in structure but sit under separate legislation in Scotland and Northern Ireland — confirm the specific regime for your venue's location.

• Confirm the venue has a premises licence or apply for a Temporary Event Notice

  In England and Wales, no supply of alcohol may be made unless the premises are licensed under the Licensing Act 2003 (with a designated premises supervisor holding a personal licence), or the event is covered by a Temporary Event Notice applied for at least 10 working days in advance. Scotland has a separate regime under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, and Northern Ireland has its own licensing legislation — check the equivalent local requirement.

  GOV.UK — Alcohol licensing

• Check the Temporary Event Notice limits

  A TEN broadly covers an event of up to 168 hours with a capacity of up to 499 people, and a single premises is limited in how many TENs it can hold per year — confirm the current limits before relying on a TEN for a larger event.

  GOV.UK — Temporary Events Notice

• Confirm the venue's fire-safety capacity

  The person in control of the premises must carry out a fire-risk assessment under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (England and Wales) and manage occupancy within the assessed capacity; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own, broadly similar fire-safety legislation.

• Require evidence of insurance

  Many venues require the hirer to provide evidence of public-liability insurance, sometimes with the venue named as an interested party, before the event date.

How to complete the agreement

1. Enter the parties and event details. Add the owner's and hirer's details, the event date and type, and the space being reserved.
2. Set the capacity limit and guest count. Enter the venue's fire-safety capacity and confirm the expected guest count stays within it.
3. Enter the rate, deposit and payment schedule. Fill in the venue hire rate, the security deposit, the balance due, and when full payment is required.
4. Decide on alcohol service. Switch on the alcohol-service clause if drinks will be served, and state who is responsible for the premises licence or Temporary Event Notice.
5. Add insurance and sign. Enter the hirer's insurance details, agree the cancellation schedule, and sign.

Frequently asked questions

Related templates

• Bartending Contract Template (UK)