Terms of Service

1. About Elkwood

Elkwood is operated by:

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old to use Elkwood services or create a client account. By using Elkwood, you confirm that you are legally capable of entering into a binding agreement.

3. Our Services

Elkwood provides website design, hosting and related services for businesses. Our services may include:

• Website design and development
• Website hosting
• Content updates and amendments
• Domain registration
• Access to a client area
• Access to a client community
• Educational resources and guides

The exact services provided depend on the plan selected by the customer.

4. Homepage Demo Feature

Elkwood provides a homepage demo feature which allows visitors to generate a demonstration homepage based on limited business information. This demo may request:

• Business name
• Industry
• Target location

This information is used to generate a home page demonstration. The demonstration is one possible design direction, not a completed or published website. Home page demos:

• Are generated dynamically
• May include example content, photography and contact details that must be checked or replaced before launch
• Can be saved securely with the consultation so you can return to it in your account
• Are not published as your live website

You can use the suggested direction as a starting point or tell us what you would change. The final website is built to the agreed brief after your first successful monthly payment.

5. Client Accounts

Users may create a client account to access the Elkwood client area. The client area allows customers to:

• Track the progress of their website build
• Communicate with the Elkwood team
• Request amendments
• Access support resources
• Participate in the client community
• Manage billing through Stripe's customer portal

You are responsible for maintaining the security of your login credentials.

6. Consultation Process

Before building a website, Elkwood may request that the client complete a short consultation to gather information about the business and its requirements. This consultation typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. Elkwood may request additional information such as:

• Logos
• Images
• Business descriptions
• Service details

Failure to provide necessary information may delay the build process.

7. Website Build Timeline

Once the homepage direction and complete brief are agreed, your first successful monthly payment starts the build. Your first full-website proof is due within three (3) working days of that payment. This is a review copy, not a promise that your domain will be live within three working days. Delays may occur if:

• Additional clarification is required
• The client has not provided necessary materials
• Technical issues occur outside Elkwood's control

8. Website Review and Initial Amendments

Once the initial website build is complete, the client will receive a temporary preview link to review the website.

Clients may request amendments before approving the website. These amendments may include:

• Content changes
• Image replacements
• Layout adjustments
• Design tweaks

Reasonable revisions needed to bring the first proof into line with the agreed brief are included before launch. A substantial change of direction, new functionality or work beyond the agreed website scope is not a routine amendment. We will explain any separate work and its price before you decide whether to proceed.

The homepage demo and consultation take place before payment. Elkwood begins the full standard website build only after the homepage direction and scope are agreed and the first £25 monthly payment succeeds.

9. Ongoing Website Updates and Amendments

Active Elkwood subscription customers may request routine updates to their existing website at any time, without a fixed numerical limit, subject to the fair use policy below. Typical requests may include:

• Updating text or service descriptions
• Replacing images or graphics
• Updating contact information
• Adding or removing sections of content
• Layout adjustments
• Small design refinements

Elkwood aims to complete most amendment requests within one to three (1–3) business days excluding public holidays, although response times may vary depending on workload and the complexity of the request.

10. Fair Use Policy

Routine amendments are included in the £25 monthly service so the website can remain accurate and current. There is no fixed cap on the number of in-scope requests, but this is an ongoing care service rather than a new design or development project each month.

Included requests generally concern an existing page or section: text edits, image replacements, contact details, service or product information, small layout adjustments and modest design refinements. We may group related requests into a single update and agree a practical schedule for unusually large or frequent batches. We will explain any scheduling change rather than silently refusing an in-scope request.

Examples of work outside scope may include:

• Development of new software functionality
• Ecommerce systems or booking platforms
• Complex integrations with third-party systems
• Large-scale redesigns or full website rebuilds
• Extensive additional pages not covered in the original consultation

Where a request falls outside routine care, we will explain the reason and may offer it as separately priced work. We will not charge for that work without your agreement. If you are unsure whether a change is included, ask us before requesting it.

11. Consultation and Monthly Payment

The homepage demo and consultation do not require card details. Once the direction and scope are agreed, Elkwood will provide secure Stripe Checkout for the monthly service:

• No card is required for the homepage demo or consultation
• The first £25 monthly payment is taken when the client chooses to start the build
• The subscription renews monthly unless cancelled
• A successful first payment starts the full website build and delivery clock

Payments are processed securely through Stripe. A payment does not approve or publish the website. The client reviews the full-website proof and gives separate approval before launch.

12. Subscription Services

For subscription customers, Elkwood provides:

• Hosting
• Maintenance
• Ongoing updates and amendments (subject to fair use)

Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled. Customers may manage their subscription through the Stripe customer portal.

13. Cancellation

Customers may cancel their subscription at any time. After a paid subscription begins, the website will remain active until the end of the current billing cycle. After that billing period ends, the website may be taken offline.

14. Refund Policy

Elkwood offers a 30-day money-back guarantee beginning on the date of the first paid subscription charge. If a customer is not satisfied during that period, they may request a full refund of the initial payment. Refund requests must be submitted by contacting Elkwood. After that period, payments are non-refundable.

For full details, please see our Refund & Cancellation Policy.

15. Website Ownership

Elkwood provides the website as a managed monthly service.

16. Domain Registration

If you already own a domain, it remains yours. We normally recommend keeping it with your current registrar and connecting it to Elkwood hosting. No Elkwood domain handover fee applies to a domain you already owned.

If Elkwood registers a new domain as part of your website service, Elkwood holds and manages it while your subscription is active. If you later ask to take that domain with you, a one-off £20 domain handover administration fee applies. This is Elkwood’s fee, not a universal registrar charge. A receiving registrar may charge separately for its transfer or renewal service. We will confirm the domain and registration details before registering anything.

Domain registration, connection and public launch take place only after your first successful subscription payment and approval of the full website. Payment begins the build; it does not publish the homepage demo or the final website.

Registrar transfer rules depend on the domain ending and circumstances. For example, .com domains can be subject to a 60-day restriction after registration, a registrar transfer or certain changes of registrant, with exceptions. UK domains follow Nominet’s separate rules. Connecting DNS is different from transferring a domain to another registrar. We will explain any applicable restrictions before arranging a transfer.

17. Client Responsibilities

Clients agree that:

• All materials provided to Elkwood are owned by the client or properly licensed
• Elkwood may use provided materials to create the website
• The client is responsible for ensuring they have the legal right to use any content supplied

Elkwood is not liable for copyright infringement resulting from client-provided materials.

18. Backups and Data Retention

Clients are responsible for maintaining their own copies of any materials provided to Elkwood. While Elkwood may maintain backups for operational purposes, long-term storage of client materials is not guaranteed.

19. Community Participation

Elkwood may provide a client community where users can interact with other business owners. Users must follow the Community Guidelines. Elkwood reserves the right to remove content or suspend accounts that violate community rules.

20. Service Availability

Elkwood aims to maintain reliable service availability. However, uninterrupted service cannot be guaranteed. Downtime may occur due to maintenance, infrastructure issues or circumstances outside Elkwood's control.

21. Limitation of Liability

Elkwood shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental or consequential damages resulting from the use of our services. This includes loss of business, revenue, profits or data.

22. Changes to These Terms

Elkwood may update these Terms or related policies from time to time to reflect changes to our services, legal requirements, or operational practices.

When updates are made, the revised version will be published on the Elkwood Studios website with an updated revision date.

Where changes are significant, we may notify users through the website or by email.

Continued use of Elkwood services after changes have been published constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

23. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes arising from these Terms shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

24. Contact

For questions about these Terms, please contact:

info@elkwoodstudios.com

You may also wish to review our Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Refund & Cancellation Policy and Community Guidelines.