Terms & Conditions

1. Services Provided

We provide professional web development, website optimisation, maintenance and technical support services. Projects may include:

• Custom WordPress development and theme builds
• Front-end design and coding
• Performance and Core Web Vitals optimisation
• SEO improvements and on-page optimisation
• Analytics setup and tracking
• Ongoing website maintenance
• Technical troubleshooting and support

The exact scope of work for your project will be outlined in a quote, email or written agreement prior to commencement.

2. Project Scope & Changes

A project is considered started once scope, pricing and general timelines have been agreed in writing.

If you request changes beyond the agreed scope, these may be treated as additional work and quoted separately. Examples of out-of-scope work include:

• New pages or layouts that were not originally discussed
• Additional design concepts or major re-designs after approval
• New integrations or third-party services not mentioned initially
• Extra revision rounds beyond those included in the proposal

No additional charges will be applied without discussing and confirming them with you first.

3. Pricing, Invoicing & Payment

3.1 Payment Structure

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the following structure is generally used:

• Projects below $1,000 AUD: 100% upfront payment
• Projects between $1,000 and $3,000 AUD: 50% deposit, 50% on completion
• Larger projects: staged or milestone-based payments

Invoices are payable within 7 days of issue, unless otherwise agreed.

3.2 Late Payment

If payment becomes overdue, we may pause work until payment is received. Access to files or the website may also be withheld. In some cases, a reasonable late fee (e.g. 5% after 14 days) may be applied.

4. Refunds, Cancellations & Termination

4.1 Refund Policy

Our work is service-based and time-intensive. For this reason, refunds are generally not available once work has begun, including planning, design, development, research or meetings.

4.2 Cancellation Before Work Begins

If you choose to cancel the project before any work has started, a refund of any deposit paid may be considered, minus any administrative or preparatory time already invested.

4.3 Cancellation After Work Begins

If a project is cancelled after work has started:

• Completed work up to the cancellation date remains billable
• Deposits are non-refundable
• Any outstanding milestones for completed phases must be paid

4.4 Cancellation by HL Tech Solutions

In rare circumstances, we may need to cancel a project (e.g. illness, capacity issues or misalignment). In such cases, you will receive all completed work and, if applicable, a refund for any work not yet performed.

5. Timelines & Client Responsibilities

We aim to deliver projects within agreed timelines, but meeting those timelines depends on receiving required input from you.

You agree to:

• Provide content, images, logins and access details when requested
• Review work and provide feedback within a reasonable timeframe (typically 2–4 business days)
• Respond to emails or questions that affect progress

Significant delays in communication or content delivery may push out the project timeline. If a project remains inactive for more than 30 days, it may be considered paused and could require a restart fee.

6. Revisions

Unless otherwise specified, projects include a reasonable number of revision rounds per phase (e.g. design, content layout).

Revisions should be provided as consolidated feedback where possible. Additional revision rounds, or major changes after approval, may be billed separately.

7. Delivery, Handover & Ownership

7.1 Ownership After Full Payment

Once the project is fully paid for:

• You own the final website files and designs
• You may edit, move or manage the website as you wish
• You are responsible for ongoing content and updates unless a maintenance plan is in place

7.2 What We Retain

We may reuse general techniques, internal tools, starter code or processes developed during your project for other work. Unused concepts, drafts and early-stage explorations remain our intellectual property.

8. Third-Party Services & Costs

Some parts of your website may rely on third-party providers, such as:

• Web hosting and domain registrars
• Premium plugins or themes
• Analytics, tracking or marketing tools
• External APIs and integrations

You are responsible for ongoing fees charged by these providers unless explicitly included in our quote. We are not liable for issues caused by third-party changes, downtime, security vulnerabilities or policy updates.

9. Website Security & Disclaimer

We follow best-practice approaches for performance and basic security, but no website can be guaranteed 100% secure or available at all times.

You are responsible for:

• Using strong passwords and access control
• Keeping plugins, themes and core software updated
• Selecting a reliable hosting provider

A separate maintenance plan is strongly recommended for ongoing updates, backups and security checks.

10. Portfolio Use

We may showcase the finished website or parts of the project in our portfolio, on social media or in marketing materials, unless you request otherwise in writing before the project starts.

11. Liability Limitation

To the fullest extent permitted by law:

• We are not liable for indirect, incidental or consequential losses
• We do not guarantee specific SEO rankings or financial results
• Our total liability is limited to the amount you have paid for the project in question

12. Governing Law

These Terms & Conditions are governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia. Any disputes will be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of Victoria.

13. Acceptance

By engaging HL Tech Solutions for any service, you confirm that you have read, understood and agree to these Terms & Conditions.