Client Architect Agreements
Client Architect Agreements for a Solo Practice
Setting up on your own means the client agreement is now yours to get right. Here is what matters most when you are a sole practitioner, and where early advice pays for itself.
A new solo practice cannot compliantly take on work without a written client agreement, so it is one of the first things to put in place, alongside registration and professional indemnity insurance. It is also the document that decides whether you get paid on time, how far your liability runs, and whether you keep control of your designs.
Most sole practitioners start from the Australian Institute of Architects CAA2024 or a registration board short form. That is sensible, but a standard form is a starting point, not a finished answer. A short review tailored to the work you actually do, and to the cover you actually hold, closes the gaps that cause the most trouble for small practices.
The challenges
Uncapped liability against limited cover
Without a limitation of liability that matches your professional indemnity policy, a single claim can reach well beyond your insurance and your practice. This is the exposure that most threatens a sole practitioner.
Getting paid, and cash flow
A solo practice feels late payment immediately. Without clear fee stages, invoicing terms and a right to suspend for non-payment, you can end up financing a client who has stopped paying.
Scope creep
Clients ask for more as a project develops. If the agreement does not define the scope and how additional services are charged, that extra work quietly becomes unpaid work.
Residential clients and consumer law
Work for a homeowner brings the Australian Consumer Law and residential building legislation into play. Terms drafted with a commercial client in mind may not hold up for a domestic client.
No in-house support
A sole practitioner has no in-house legal or contracts team to lean on, so the terms are only as good as the form that was signed, and the review that went into it.
The opportunities
One agreement you can reuse with confidence
A single, well-tailored agreement that fits your typical commission can be reused across clients, so every engagement starts from solid, familiar terms.
Liability capped to your cover
A limitation of liability set to align with your insurance keeps a claim within your policy rather than reaching your practice.
Fees protected
Clear payment terms and a right to suspend give you a straightforward response to late payment, instead of a difficult conversation with no contractual footing.
Common questions
What should a solo architect’s client agreement include as a minimum?
At a minimum it should define the scope of services and how additional services are charged, set out the fee basis and payment timing, give you a clear right to suspend for non-payment, limit your liability to a level your professional indemnity insurance supports, and deal with copyright and moral rights in your designs. For residential clients it also needs to sit correctly alongside the Australian Consumer Law.
Should I use the Institute CAA2024 or have an agreement tailored for me?
The CAA2024 is a sound starting point for many solo practices. Whether to tailor it depends on the projects you take on and the cover you hold. A short review can confirm the standard form suits your work, or identify the handful of changes worth making, before you rely on it across every client.
How do I make sure I get paid as a sole practitioner?
Set your fee in defined stages, invoice on a clear schedule, and include a right to suspend services if payment is late. These terms turn late payment into a contractual issue you can act on, rather than lost time you cannot recover. In many states, consultants also have rights under security of payment legislation.
When should I sort out my client agreement?
Before you take on your first commission. A written agreement is required before you provide architectural services, and putting it in place early means every engagement starts from terms that protect your fees and limit your liability from day one.
Keep reading
Client Architect Agreements overview
What a Client Architect Agreement covers and how it differs from a building contract.
ContinueGuide: setting up your agreement for a new practice
A plain-English walk through the terms that matter most when you start out.
ContinueDiscuss your agreement
Talk through your engagement terms with a solicitor who is also a registered architect.
Continue