Powered by Lexis+®
Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom
CASE STUDY

“We rely on LexisNexis to give us a definitive answer, quickly and reliable every time so that we can be confident in the advice we use to help our clients.”

Shelter

Access all documents on Business liability

Business liability meaning

What does Business liability mean?
business liability describes liability arising from acts or omissions in the course of a trade, profession or other business, and from the occupation or use of premises for business purposes. It commonly covers obligations in contract, tort (delict in Scotland) and statutory duties, including negligence, occupiers’ liability and product liability. In England & Wales and Scotland, the term is used and defined for the purposes of the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 (UCTA). UCTA subjects exclusion and limitation clauses that seek to exclude or restrict business liability to statutory controls (including the reasonableness test), and prohibits exclusion of liability for death or personal injury resulting from negligence. It also extends to liability arising from the occupation of premises used for business purposes of the occupier. In Northern Ireland, similar controls apply under the Unfair Contract Terms (Northern Ireland) Order 1987. In Ireland, “business liability” is a descriptive expression rather than a defined statutory term. Exclusion and limitation clauses in business-to-business contracts are principally governed by common law and specific statutes; there is no direct UCTA‑equivalent reasonableness test for B2B terms, though non-excludable consumer protections and sectoral regimes apply. The concept is central to commercial contracts, risk allocation, exclusion and limitation clauses, indemnities and insurance.
Speed up all aspects of your legal work with tools that help you to work faster and smarter. Win cases, close deals and grow your business–all whilst saving time and reducing risk.

View the related Checklists about Business liability

CHECKLISTS
TUPE 2006 business transfers and service provision changes: practitioner checklist covering due diligence, information and consultation, ELI, redundancies, data protection and post-transfer steps (England, Scotland and Wales)

This checklist summarises the actions to undertake and the matters to weigh up when the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE 2006), SI 2006/246 are engaged on a business disposal or a change in service provision, where appropriate. It additionally flags up the pertinent Practice Notes and Precedent materials. It is not produced for clients, though it can be tailored for them if required. See also the following TUPE-related checklists: What transfers under TUPE, and who is liable—checklist Pension issues on a TUPE transfer—checklist Checklist—immigration-related requirements on a TUPE transfer Drafting a tripartite settlement agreement—checklist Legal background For a summary of TUPE 2006’s general effect and obligations, consult TUPE and asset purchases—overview. Obtain essential information Pin down exactly what is being transferred or contracted out (this could be a business, a business unit, or another economic activity) and how that will be described in the relevant operative documentation, as necessary. See Practice Notes:...

Read More Right Arrow
CHECKLISTS
B2B product safety and liability contracting: UK drafting checklist—standards, warranties/indemnities, insurance, audits, data retention, recalls, governing law/jurisdiction, and post‑Brexit EU issues

This checklist This checklist highlights the principal issues to address when preparing contractual terms for business to business agreements on product safety and liability. See Practice Note: Product liability risk management for producers for guidance on controlling risk ahead of new supply arrangements, including carrying out appropriate due diligence on other relevant businesses in the supply chain. Identify all applicable laws (eg Sale of Goods Act 1979, Sale and Supply of Goods Act 1994, Consumer Protection Act 1987, General Product Safety Regulations 2005, SI 2005/1803, Consumer Rights Act 2015 and Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024), as well as any standards and codes of practice that govern the products. Take into account specific legislation for the manufacture, import and sale of particular goods such as fireworks, cosmetics, toys, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, personal protective equipment (PPE), gas appliances, food and animal feed, and automotive. See Practice Notes: Consumer protection for defective or dangerous products—legal bases, Product liability and defective products and General Product Safety Regulations...

Read More Right Arrow
CHECKLISTS
UK B2B Services Agreements Negotiation Checklist: Customer, Supplier and Balanced Positions Across Key Clauses

Introduction This checklist sits alongside the more detailed Practice Note: Negotiation guide—services agreements. It serves as a quick-look aide and concentrates on the principal, generic points that commonly surface across most forms of services agreement. It leaves out certain specialist matters addressed in Practice Note: Negotiation guide—services agreements that tend to arise only in particular categories of services arrangements or those of greater complexity (eg acceptance testing, audit rights, TUPE, step-in rights, benchmarking and exit assistance). It sets out the customer’s and the supplier’s optimal stances for each topic, then offers a proposed middle-ground position (which is not intended to be comprehensive). For deeper analysis and explanation of each point, refer to Practice Note: Negotiation guide—services agreements. For balanced precedent contracts, which implement much of what is explored here and in the negotiation guide, see Precedents: Services agreement—one-off supply—balanced, Services agreement (ongoing supply)—balanced and Framework services agreement—single contract with call-off orders—balanced. This checklist is relevant only to business-to-business dealings in commercial practice...

Read More Right Arrow

View the related News about Business liability

NEWS
England and Wales civil litigation update: 168th Practice Direction update, Hague Judgments framework, rulings on malicious falsehood, employee fraud and broker negligence, plus jurisdiction, French blocking statute and crypto developments

In this issue: Key DR developments Claims and remedies Cross-border disputes Dates for your diary Useful information Daily and weekly news alerts Key DR developments Practice Direction update 168th PD update: Approval has been given by the Master of the Rolls and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice to the 168th update to the Practice Directions under the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR). This update alters CPR PD 51ZC, prolonging the small claims paper determination pilot until 1 December 2024; that change took effect on 31 May 2024. It also revises CPR PD 74A to provide for the registration of foreign judgments for recognition and enforcement pursuant to the Hague Judgments Convention. The amendments to CPR PD 74A will commence when the Hague Judgments Convention comes into force in the UK—see LNB News 06/06/2024 6—168th Practice Direction update. Guidance and reports Birmingham Business and Property Courts’ local guidance updated: The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary (CTJ)...

Read More Right Arrow
NEWS
EAT faults tribunal's agency analysis; potential vicarious liability for independent fit-to-fly examiners; disability discrimination case remitted in Anderson v CAE Crewing Services [2024] EAT 78

Anderson v CAE Crewing Services Ltd [2024] EAT 78 On 22 May 2024, the EAT issued a judgment holding that the lower tribunal had wrongly concluded CAE Crewing Services bore no liability for the actions of two doctors who examined flight attendant Jessica Anderson for a fit-to-fly certificate. Judge James Tayler found the Employment Tribunal had misapplied the law by framing the question as whether the doctors conducting the fitness-to-fly examinations were agents of the employer. Having reached a non-liability finding, the tribunal then gave reasoning on Anderson’s substantive disability discrimination claims that was incomplete and inadequate, he said. The judgment records that in January 2019 Anderson entered into a contract with CAE Crewing Services, a business that supplies airlines with cabin crew. Members are expected to hold fit-to-fly certificates issued by aviation medical examiners. An examiner assessed Anderson in December 2018; she also has a heart condition...

Read More Right Arrow
NEWS
Banking and finance weekly: ECCTA measures, Takeover Code changes, Supreme Court shipping ruling, FCA transparency and consolidated tape, ring-fencing reforms, green loans and ESG disclosures, sanctions (14 November 2024)

In this issue: Sustainable finance and ESG weekly round-up Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 Lending Acquisition finance Shipping finance Real estate finance Sustainable finance Debt capital markets Derivatives Regulation for banking lawyers Sanctions Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Useful information Sustainable finance and ESG weekly round-up For a summary of this week’s Sustainable finance and ESG developments, see Sustainable finance and ESG weekly round-up—14 November 2024. Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (Commencement No 3) Regulations 2024 (SI 2024/1108): Provisions in ECCTA 2023 on civil recovery of cryptoassets in Scotland took effect on 7 November 2024, and measures introducing the UK-wide offence of failure to prevent fraud will commence on 1 September 2025. See: LNB News 07/11/2024 12. Unique Identifiers (Application of Company Law) Regulations 2024 (SI 2024/Draft): These draft Regulations would widen...

Read More Right Arrow

View the related Practice Notes about Business liability

PRACTICE NOTES
UK Business Investment Relief (remittance basis): clawback events, extraction of value, mitigation deadlines, mixed funds interaction and CGT—archived following FA 2025

ARCHIVED This archived Practice note reviews the clawback of business investment relief (BIR), the remittance relief for investment into UK companies. It covers: extraction of value how to avoid a chargeable remittance after a potentially chargeable event the order in which disposals are treated the interaction with the mixed funds rules the capital gains tax (CGT) position STOP PRESS: Abolition of non-dom regime and introduction of residence-based IHT regime The Finance Act 2025 (FA 2025), which received Royal Assent on 20 March 2025, legislates to abolish the remittance basis of taxation and introduce a residence-based regime from 6 April 2025. FA 2025 also replaces domicile as the key criterion for inheritance tax liability. Additional changes include amendments to the excluded property rules, removal of protected settlements status for offshore trusts, and revisions to overseas workday relief. For details on these reforms, see Practice Notes: The abolition of the remittance basis of taxation from 2025–26 and A new residence-based...

Read More Right Arrow
PRACTICE NOTES
UK Bribery Act 2010: offences, corporate and senior officer liability, failure to prevent, extraterritorial reach, facilitation payments, penalties and the adequate procedures defence - practical guide for lawyers

The Bribery Act 2010 (BA 2010) Enacted to secure the UK’s adherence to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, the Bribery Act 2010 (BA 2010) delivers an effective framework to address corruption across public and private spheres, updating the UK’s anti-corruption regime and supplanting Prevention of Corruption Act 1906 and Prevention of Corruption Act 1916. BA 2010 carries significant consequences for any company incorporated in, or trading from, the UK. Its global reach covers bribery undertaken by a business, or by third parties acting for it, regardless of where in the world the conduct occurs...

Read More Right Arrow
PRACTICE NOTES
UK and EU private-sector supply chain sustainability: a practitioner’s guide to ESG due diligence, supplier codes, contractual controls and risk mitigation

Embedding sustainability This Practice Note considers supply chain sustainability through the wider lens of sustainable procurement and environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance, concentrating on leading themes in UK and EU private sector practice. It offers practical direction on setting up a supplier code of conduct and building a comprehensive supply chain sustainability programme that addresses: Human rights and labour standards Environmental impacts and deforestation Corruption and litigation exposure Risk management across the supply chain Public procurement sits outside the scope of this note. For further information on supply chain sustainability in the UK, including details on UK regulations, see Practice Note: Supply chain sustainability—UK. For further information on supply chain sustainability in the EU, including details on EU regulations, see Practice Note: Supply chain sustainability—EU. For further information on sustainable public procurement in the UK, see Practice Note: A guide to sustainable public procurement. Supply chain sustainability has moved from the margins to a central business priority. Although...

Read More Right Arrow

View the related Precedents about Business liability

PRECEDENTS
Settlement agreement precedent (Scotland) for civil court or arbitration disputes, including release, agreement not to sue, confidentiality and joint minute

This Agreement is dated [ date ] Parties [ insert name of the pursuer ], a company registered in Scotland (no [ insert company number ]), whose [ registered office OR principal place of business ] is at [ insert address ] (the Pursuer) [ and ] [ ; ] [ insert name of defender ], a company registered in Scotland (no [ insert company number ]), whose [ registered office OR principal place of business ] is at [ insert address ] (the Defender). Each being a Party and, together, the Parties. Whereas (A) [ Insert details of the background to the dispute eg ‘The Parties entered into a contract for the supply of certain goods etc ]. (B) A dispute has emerged between the Parties regarding [ insert details of the dispute ] (the Dispute). (C) [ Proceedings were raised by the Pursuer against the Defender on [ date ] by way of [ Summons OR...

Read More Right Arrow
PRECEDENTS
Product Safety Incident, Recall and Corrective Action Plan Template aligned with PAS 7100:2022 and GPSR 2005

1 Management commitment Person accountable for the Product Safety Incident Plan (PSIP) [ Insert name and contact details of senior person in the organisation responsible for leading, developing and periodically reviewing the policy, and reporting on its operation to the Board ] Plan Review Date [ Insert date of next plan review ] 1.1 [ Insert organisation name ] aims to ensure every product it [ produces AND/OR distributes ] is safe, of high quality and meets all applicable legislation and standards. [ Insert organisation name ] evaluates those products and acts to remove, or, where that is not achievable, to reduce, any identified safety risks. 1.2 [ Insert organisation name ] achieves this through quality assurance, ongoing product monitoring [ , review of customer complaints and product returns, ] and risk assessment, in accordance with the relevant section of the PSIP. 1.3 The PSIP has been shaped with contributions from across the business, including [ eg design, production, quality assurance, customer services,...

Read More Right Arrow
PRECEDENTS
Mutual commercial agreement template with boilerplate, data protection, and anti-bribery/tax evasion/fraud/modern slavery schedules (England and Wales)

This Agreement is entered into on [ date ] Parties [ insert name of Party A ] [ of OR a company incorporated in [ England and Wales ] under number [ insert registered number ], with its registered office at OR [ insert address ] ] (Party A); and [ insert name of Party B ] [ of OR a company incorporated in [ England and Wales ] under number [ insert registered number ], with its registered office at OR [ insert address ] ] (Party B), (each of Party A and Party B being a party and, together, Party A and Party B constitute the parties). Background Party A conducts the business of [ insert description of Party A’s business ]. Party B conducts the business of [ insert description of Party B’s business ]. Party A and Party B have agreed to [ insert description of proposed transaction ] on the terms...

Read More Right Arrow

View the related Q&As about Business liability

Q&As
Overriding interests on registered land: chancel repair liability and 5‑year LTA 1954 lease after transfers for value

This response addresses a situation where a party asserts the benefit, as overriding interests, of a five-year business lease and of chancel repair liability. Both arose before the land was registered yet were not recorded against the title, and the question is whether they could constitute overriding interests. Chancel repair liability Chancel repair liability has historically been difficult to pinpoint or verify because there is no single central register that sets out all such liabilities (see Practice Note: Chancel repair liability)...

Read More Right Arrow
Q&As
Business rates on unused premises in liquidation—expense, exemptions and IR 2016 r 6.42

Are business rates payable? In England and Wales, liability to business rates turns on occupation. Commercial premises in occupation attract the full charge, while empty premises may escape liability where an exemption applies. Occupied commercial property is charged at the full rate without reduction. One such relief covers a non-domestic hereditament that is either the subject of a winding-up order under the Insolvency Act 1986, or is being wound up voluntarily under that Act. The legal basis is the Non-Domestic Rating (Unoccupied Property) (England) Regulations 2008, SI 2008/386, reg 4(k). When is a property occupied? A company will be rateable as the occupier only if it is in ‘actual possession’ and exercises a ‘sufficient measure of control to prevent strangers from interfering’. Both elements are required to establish rateable occupation status...

Read More Right Arrow