A cooling off period is a window after signing in which you can cancel a contract without giving a reason and without penalty. It does not apply to every contract, which is the single most common misunderstanding. This page sets out when it applies, how long you get, and what happens when the right was never explained to you at the point of sale.
The short answer
Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, you generally get 14 days to cancel a contract made at a distance (online, by phone, by post) or away from a trader's business premises (in your home, at a hotel presentation, at an event). The 14 days usually run from the day you receive the goods, or from the day the contract was made where you bought a service.
You do not need a reason. You do not need the trader's agreement. The right exists because you did not have the chance to inspect what you were buying, or because you were approached somewhere other than a shop.
When a cooling off period does not apply
This is where most people are caught out. There is no automatic 14 day right when:
- You bought in person, in a shop. A contract signed on trade premises usually carries no statutory cancellation right at all. Any right you have comes from the trader's own returns policy.
- The item was made to your specification or personalised.
- The service has already been fully performed within the 14 days, with your agreement and after you were told you would lose the right.
- It is a contract type that is specifically excluded, which includes certain property, financial and transport arrangements.
Some sectors run their own separate rules. Insurance and consumer credit have their own cancellation windows, and property arrangements sold abroad may be governed by the law of the country where the contract was signed.
What happens if the cooling off period was never explained
Traders selling at a distance or away from their premises have a legal duty to tell you about your cancellation right before you commit. Where that information was not given, the cancellation window does not simply run out on day 14.
Under the regulations, if a trader fails to give the required cancellation information, the 14 day window can extend by up to 12 months. If the trader supplies the information late, the window restarts from the point they provide it.
This matters more than it sounds. It means a contract you assumed you were locked into may still be cancellable long after the original two weeks, purely because of what you were not told at the time. Whether it applies depends on what was handed to you at the point of sale and what the paperwork actually says.
Contracts signed under pressure
A separate question from the cancellation window is whether the sale was conducted properly. Common issues people raise with us:
- A long presentation followed by a decision requested on the same day.
- Paperwork signed without the cancellation terms being read out or pointed to.
- Finance arranged at the same appointment, sometimes by a third party, without affordability being checked.
- A price that dropped sharply the moment the buyer said no.
- A contract handed over after signing rather than before.
None of these on their own decides anything. What they do is make it worth reading the original agreement properly rather than assuming the deadline has passed.
Where this comes up most
The pattern above is very common in holiday product and timeshare sales, which is a large part of the work we do. A presentation, a same day decision, finance arranged in the room, and a cancellation right that was either not mentioned or was described as something that did not apply. If that is your situation, our page on selling a timeshare covers what the realistic routes out are.
It also comes up in home improvement sales, subscription services that auto renew, and anything sold at an event or in a hotel function room.
How to cancel within the window
- Do it in writing. A phone call leaves no record. Email or letter, keep a copy.
- Be plain. State that you are cancelling under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, give the contract reference and the date it was signed.
- Send it before the deadline, and keep proof of when you sent it. The cancellation takes effect when you send it, not when the trader gets round to reading it.
- Do not wait for permission. You are notifying the trader, not requesting their agreement.
- Keep everything, including the original agreement, any finance paperwork and any correspondence.
Where the trader refuses, disputes the date, or claims the right never applied, the next step is a written response setting out the position and the relevant regulation.
Where Oxthorpe Barwell fits
We prepare the correspondence. That means reading the original agreement, working out which cancellation route realistically applies, and drafting the letters for you to send in your own name. We do not act for you and we do not deal with the trader on your behalf.
You can do all of this yourself at no cost, and for a straightforward in date cancellation most people should. Where it tends to be worth getting help is when the deadline has passed and the question is whether it was ever properly started, or when the trader has already refused once.
Oxthorpe Barwell is a document administration and letter writing service based in Solihull. We are not a law firm, we are not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and we do not provide legal advice. Nothing on this page is advice about your own contract. It is general information about how the regulations work.
Before you get in touch
- Find the original agreement and anything signed on the same day, including finance.
- Note where it was signed: your home, a shop, an event, online or over the phone.
- Note the date, and whether anything was given to you in writing about cancelling.
- Keep a record of anything you have already sent the trader and what they said back.