British Landlords Association

For businesses advertising products and services to landlords across England, Scotland and Wales

Business-to-business terms. These Terms and Conditions apply to advertising services supplied by BLA to business advertisers. They form part of the Contract when incorporated into an Advertising Order, proposal or Advertising Services Agreement accepted by BLA and the Advertiser.

How these terms apply

These Terms and Conditions are issued by THEBLA.CO.UK LIMITED, company number 11017663, trading as the British Landlords Association (BLA), whose registered office is stated above. They apply between BLA and the business identified as the Advertiser in the applicable Advertising Order.

BLA supplies advertising, sponsored content, directory listings, landing pages, enquiry forms, newsletters, email campaigns, social media promotion, webinars and related media services. The Advertiser wishes to purchase the Advertising Services specified in the Advertising Order for promotion to BLA’s landlord and property audience across England, Scotland and Wales.

BLA will supply, and the Advertiser will pay for, the Advertising Services in accordance with the Contract. The Advertiser confirms that it contracts wholly or mainly for business purposes and not as a consumer.

Contract documents and priority

The Contract consists of the following documents, in descending order of priority where there is a conflict:

• the Advertising Order and any expressly agreed Special Conditions;
• any data-processing or data-sharing schedule signed by both parties;
• these Advertising Terms and Conditions; and
• BLA’s written campaign specifications or content guidelines supplied for the relevant service.

A proposal, rate card or sales presentation is descriptive only unless it is expressly incorporated into the Advertising Order.

1  Definitions

In these terms, Advertiser means the business named in the Advertising Order. Advertising Materials means all copy, logos, trade marks, images, video, audio, links, claims, offers, data, instructions and other materials supplied or approved by the Advertiser. Advertising Services means the services described in the Advertising Order. BLA means THEBLA.CO.UK LIMITED trading as the British Landlords Association. Campaign means the agreed advertising activity. Contract means the documents listed above. Fees means the charges stated in the Advertising Order, excluding VAT. Media Work means the planning, creative, technical, compliance, administrative and publishing work described in clause 8. Order means the Advertising Order accepted by BLA. Term means the period stated in the Order.

A reference to writing includes email. A reference to legislation includes amendments and replacement legislation. Headings do not affect interpretation.

2  Eligibility and BLA approval

Advertising Services are available only to businesses that BLA considers relevant to landlords, property investors, letting professionals or the property sector. BLA may carry out identity, regulatory, reputation, sanctions, credit or suitability checks before or during the Term.

BLA may decline an Order or any Advertising Materials where it reasonably considers the advertiser, offer or content to be unlawful, misleading, unsuitable for BLA’s audience, inconsistent with BLA’s values, damaging to reputation, or likely to create regulatory or complaints risk. BLA is not required to publish material merely because it has accepted payment; where practicable, BLA will give reasons and allow a reasonable opportunity to correct the issue.

3  No endorsement or guaranteed business

Advertising with BLA does not make the Advertiser a member, agent, partner, representative, approved supplier or endorsed provider of BLA unless the Order expressly says otherwise. The Advertiser must not state or imply that BLA guarantees, recommends, regulates or has verified the Advertiser’s products, services, advice, performance or financial standing.

BLA does not guarantee impressions, clicks, enquiries, leads, conversions, sales, revenue, search ranking, exclusivity or any other commercial result unless a specific written guarantee appears in the Order. Audience figures and forecasts are estimates based on information available when given.

4  Orders and campaign delivery

An Order becomes binding when accepted by BLA in writing, signed by both parties, accepted electronically, or when BLA begins work at the Advertiser’s request, whichever occurs first. BLA will use reasonable care and skill to deliver the Advertising Services during the Term.

Publication dates are subject to the Advertiser supplying complete, compliant materials and approvals by the stated deadlines. BLA may make reasonable scheduling, placement, format or technical changes where required by editorial needs, platform changes, deliverability, audience protection or circumstances outside BLA’s reasonable control. BLA will use reasonable efforts to provide materially equivalent value where a booked placement cannot be delivered.

5  Advertiser responsibilities

The Advertiser must cooperate promptly, nominate an authorised contact, supply accurate materials in the requested format, meet approval deadlines and provide any information reasonably required for legal, regulatory, technical or brand review.

The Advertiser is responsible for the products and services it promotes, for fulfilling offers and enquiries, and for all statements and omissions in Advertising Materials, including materials prepared by BLA from the Advertiser’s brief and approved by the Advertiser. Approval may be given by email and must not be unreasonably delayed.

• maintain all licences, permissions, registrations, professional indemnity cover and regulatory approvals required for its business and advertising;
• ensure prices, savings, availability, qualifications, testimonials, comparisons and performance claims are current, clear and supported by adequate evidence;
• inform BLA promptly of any material complaint, investigation, suspension, insolvency event, data incident or regulatory action relevant to the Campaign; and
• handle landlord enquiries fairly, promptly and in accordance with applicable law.

6  Advertising standards and regulated content

Advertising Materials must comply with all applicable laws, regulations, industry codes and regulator guidance, including the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct and Promotional Marketing (CAP Code), consumer-protection law, intellectual-property law, data-protection law and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 where applicable.

The Advertiser must hold documentary evidence for objective claims before submission. Materials must be identifiable as advertising where required and must not conceal material information, create a false impression of urgency or scarcity, imitate editorial content, or include unlawful discrimination, harmful content, malware or deceptive links.

Where an advertisement concerns mortgages, credit, investments, insurance, legal services, tax, energy, health, safety or another regulated area, the Advertiser must obtain all required approvals and include mandatory disclosures. BLA may require evidence of Financial Conduct Authority authorisation or approval of a financial promotion, Solicitors Regulation Authority or equivalent status, or other sector credentials. BLA’s review is not legal or regulatory approval.

7  Fees, payment methods and taxes

The Advertiser must pay the Fees and VAT shown in the Advertising Order. Annual-package Fees are invoiced and payable annually in advance within 14 days of the invoice date. Monthly figures shown in marketing material are equivalent monthly rates only and do not create a monthly payment plan or monthly cancellation right.

The Advertiser must select one of the following payment methods in the Advertising Order: (a) bank transfer; or (b) payment through Stripe. BLA is not required to begin or continue work until the required payment has cleared, unless BLA agrees otherwise in writing.

For bank transfer, the Advertiser must use only the bank details shown on a genuine BLA invoice or separately confirmed by BLA through an established contact route. The Advertiser must quote the invoice number or other requested reference. The Advertiser must verify any notified change of bank details directly with BLA before payment. Payment is made only when cleared funds reach BLA’s nominated account.

For Stripe, the Advertiser must make BLA aware that Stripe is its chosen payment method by contacting [email protected] or the contact stated in the Advertising Order. BLA will then set up and provide the secure Stripe payment link, invoice, checkout or annual payment mandate. The Advertiser must not send full card or bank-security details by email. Stripe setup is not complete until the Advertiser has followed the secure instructions, any required authentication has succeeded, and BLA has confirmed activation or received cleared payment.

Where the Advertiser authorises an annual Stripe payment arrangement, it authorises collection of the annual amount on the date stated in the Advertising Order or the applicable invoice. A Stripe arrangement does not convert the annual, fixed-term Contract into a monthly cancellable contract. The Advertiser must keep its payment details current and contact BLA promptly if a payment method must be changed. BLA may retry a failed collection and may require payment by bank transfer.

The Advertiser is responsible for its own bank, foreign-exchange or card-issuer charges. BLA will bear its ordinary merchant-processing fees. BLA will issue VAT invoices where required. The Advertiser may not withhold, reduce, charge back or set off payment except where required by law or where a card transaction is genuinely unauthorised.

If payment is overdue or reversed, BLA may suspend work or publication, remove or pause live advertising, adjust campaign dates, require immediate payment of all outstanding sums, and charge statutory interest and reasonable recovery costs available for late commercial payments. Suspension does not extend the Term unless BLA agrees otherwise.

8  Contractual cooling off cancellation and early Media Work

Because the Advertiser is contracting as a business, no statutory consumer cooling-off right applies. BLA nevertheless grants a contractual cooling-off period of 14 calendar days beginning on the date the Contract is formed, unless the Order states a different period.

The Advertiser may cancel during that period by emailing BLA at the cancellation address stated in the Order. The notice must identify the Advertiser and Order and clearly state that cancellation is requested.

Advertisers often require campaigns to launch quickly. By asking BLA to start before the cooling-off period ends, the Advertiser expressly requests early performance and accepts that BLA will commit staff time and production capacity immediately.

If cancellation is made within the cooling-off period and Media Work has already commenced, BLA will deduct a Media Work charge of £2,000 plus VAT from any refund, or invoice that amount if insufficient money has been paid. This charge reflects reserved capacity and the work normally undertaken at speed following an Order. Media Work may include:

• campaign onboarding, advertiser verification, internal briefing and account setup;
• audience, sector, keyword, competitor or campaign research;
• campaign strategy, messaging, content calendar, placement planning and media scheduling;
• drafting, editing or proofreading advertising copy, articles, advertorials, landing-page text, email copy, newsletter content, social posts, headlines or calls to action;
• graphic design, image sourcing or editing, logo preparation, layout, artwork resizing and brand adaptation;
• creating or configuring the Advertiser’s unique full page, contact details, logo display and online enquiry form;
• technical build, link checks, mobile formatting, tracking links, campaign tags, analytics or reporting setup;
• compliance, editorial, claim-substantiation, brand-safety or regulatory review;
• email-template build, list-segmentation planning, deliverability checks, test sends and scheduling;
• newsletter, website, social-media, webinar or dedicated-email slot reservation;
• liaison with the Advertiser, revisions, approvals, project management and supplier coordination; and
• any other production or preparatory work reasonably required for the ordered Campaign.

If BLA has not started Media Work, BLA will refund sums paid for the cancelled services. If the Advertiser does not cancel within the cooling-off period, the full cancellation rules in clause 9 apply. BLA may waive or reduce the Media Work charge in writing at its discretion. Nothing in this clause limits any non-excludable statutory right.

9  Cancellation after the cooling off period

After the cooling-off period, the Advertiser may request cancellation, but the annual Fees remain payable and are non-refundable except where BLA agrees otherwise in writing or has materially breached the Contract and failed to remedy that breach within a reasonable period after written notice.

If BLA agrees to an early cancellation, it may make that agreement conditional on payment of outstanding Fees, committed third-party costs, and reasonable production or removal costs. BLA may leave already published content available for archival, legal or editorial purposes unless the Order or law requires removal.

10  Content production approvals and corrections

Where BLA creates content, it will normally provide a reasonable approval opportunity. Unless otherwise stated in the Order, the quoted Fee includes up to two reasonable rounds of amendments requested together. Additional or late revisions may be charged at BLA’s then-current rate after notice.

The Advertiser must check names, contact details, URLs, claims, prices, disclaimers and offer terms. If the Advertiser does not respond by the approval deadline, BLA may postpone publication; silence does not amount to approval unless the Order expressly provides otherwise.

The Advertiser must notify BLA promptly of an error. BLA will use reasonable efforts to correct errors caused by BLA. BLA’s responsibility for a material publication error is limited, at its option, to correction, re-performance, replacement placement, a reasonable credit or refund of the affected service.

11  Enquiry forms leads and data protection

Where BLA provides an online enquiry form, the form is a communication route and does not guarantee genuine, complete or suitable enquiries. The Advertiser must not use lead information for a purpose that the individual would not reasonably expect.

Each party must comply with applicable data-protection and electronic-marketing law, including the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and PECR. The Order or an additional schedule will identify the parties’ controller, joint-controller or processor roles where necessary. Neither party may assume that the other is its processor without a written agreement.

BLA does not sell or provide its membership database to Advertisers. BLA may send approved campaigns to recipients using BLA-controlled systems where BLA has determined an appropriate lawful basis and complied with applicable electronic-marketing rules. Contact details will be shared with an Advertiser only where this is disclosed to the individual and there is an appropriate lawful basis, such as the individual submitting an enquiry or giving valid consent.

The Advertiser must keep personal data secure, restrict access, provide required privacy information, respect objections and withdrawals, maintain suppression records where appropriate, and notify BLA without undue delay of any personal-data breach affecting Campaign leads or shared data.

12  Intellectual property

The Advertiser retains ownership of its pre-existing materials and grants BLA a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence during the Term and for a reasonable archival period to host, reproduce, adapt, resize, format, distribute and promote Advertising Materials solely to deliver and publicise the Campaign.

The Advertiser warrants that it owns or has permission to use all Advertising Materials and that BLA’s permitted use will not infringe third-party rights. BLA retains ownership of its brand, website, templates, layouts, processes, audience data, analytics methods and original materials created independently of the Advertiser.

Unless the Order transfers ownership, bespoke creative work produced by BLA remains BLA’s property; after full payment, the Advertiser receives a non-exclusive licence to use the final approved work for the Campaign. Working files, unused concepts and BLA templates are excluded.

13  Complaints takedown and suspension

BLA may edit, label, reject, pause, move or remove Advertising Materials without liability where reasonably necessary to investigate a complaint, protect users, comply with law or regulator guidance, address technical or security risk, or protect BLA’s reputation. BLA will notify the Advertiser where lawful and practicable.

The Advertiser must respond promptly and provide evidence requested in relation to a complaint. If the issue results from the Advertiser’s materials, conduct or regulated status, the Advertiser remains liable for Fees and reasonable remediation costs.

14  Confidentiality

Each party must keep the other’s confidential business, pricing, campaign, security and technical information confidential, use it only for the Contract, and disclose it only to personnel and advisers who need it and are bound by confidentiality. This duty does not apply to information that is public through no breach, already lawfully known, independently developed, lawfully received from a third party, or required to be disclosed by law.

15  Warranties, indemnity and liability

Each party warrants that it has authority to enter into the Contract. BLA warrants that it will perform the Advertising Services with reasonable care and skill. All other warranties are excluded to the fullest extent permitted by law.

The Advertiser will indemnify BLA and its officers, employees and contractors against third-party claims, regulatory costs, losses and reasonable legal expenses arising from the Advertiser’s products or services, Advertising Materials, breach of clauses 5, 6, 11 or 12, or unlawful use of Campaign leads, except to the extent caused by BLA’s breach or negligence.

Neither party is liable for indirect or consequential loss, or for loss of profit, revenue, business, anticipated savings, goodwill or data. BLA’s total aggregate liability arising from the Contract will not exceed the Fees paid or payable under the relevant Order during the 12 months before the event giving rise to liability.

Nothing limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of title, or any liability that cannot lawfully be limited or excluded.

16  Termination

Either party may terminate the Contract immediately by written notice if the other commits a material breach that cannot be remedied, or fails to remedy a remediable material breach within 14 days after written notice. BLA may also terminate or suspend immediately if the Advertiser fails to pay, loses a required authorisation, becomes insolvent, creates a serious legal or reputational risk, or repeatedly fails to cooperate.

On termination, accrued rights remain unaffected. The Advertiser must immediately pay all sums due, including Fees that are non-refundable under clause 9. Clauses intended by their nature to survive termination, including confidentiality, intellectual property, indemnity, liability, data protection and governing law, will continue.

17  Events outside reasonable control

Neither party is liable for delay or failure caused by an event beyond its reasonable control, including failure of hosting, email, social or telecommunications platforms; cyberattack; power or internet failure; industrial action; epidemic; natural disaster; government action; or changes imposed by a publisher or regulator. The affected party must take reasonable steps to minimise the impact. If material performance is prevented for more than 60 days, either party may terminate the affected services on written notice, with a fair adjustment for services already delivered and non-cancellable costs.

18  General terms

The Contract is the entire agreement about its subject matter and replaces prior discussions, without excluding liability for fraud. A variation is binding only if agreed in writing by authorised representatives. The Advertiser may not assign the Contract without BLA’s written consent. BLA may use contractors and may assign the Contract as part of a business transfer, provided this does not materially reduce the Advertiser’s rights.

Nothing creates a partnership, joint venture, agency, employment or fiduciary relationship. A delay in enforcing a right is not a waiver. If a provision is invalid, it will be modified to the minimum extent necessary and the remainder will continue. No third party may enforce the Contract under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.

Notices must be sent by email and, for termination or legal notices, also by prepaid post to the addresses in the Order. Email notices are deemed received on the next business day if no delivery failure is received.

This Agreement may be signed in counterparts and by electronic signature. Each counterpart is an original and together they form one agreement. A signed copy delivered electronically has the same effect as delivery of a paper original.

19  Governing law and disputes

The Contract and any non-contractual obligations are governed by the law of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction. Before starting proceedings, senior representatives of both parties will try in good faith for at least 14 days to resolve the dispute, unless urgent relief is required.

Contact details

British Landlords Association, THEBLA.CO.UK LIMITED
1st Floor Front Offices, Nightingale House, 1-3 Brighton Road, Crawley, United Kingdom, RH10 6AE
Website: https://thebla.co.uk/  |  Advertising and cancellation email: [email protected]