{"id":177815,"date":"2022-10-27T07:12:40","date_gmt":"2022-10-27T06:12:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/?p=177815"},"modified":"2024-05-07T05:31:18","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T04:31:18","slug":"signing-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/commercial-contracts\/signing-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Ways in Which Signing a Document Can Lead to Complications for Your Business in England"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In the course of acting for your business, you will agree to various forms of commercial deals. You will record most of these deals through a signed commercial contract. In most situations, the signature of a commercial agreement is relatively straightforward. However, complications during the signing stage can sometimes arise and prove costly for your company. This article will explore four ways in which the signature of a commercial contract can negatively affect your organisation.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is a Commercial Contract?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A commercial agreement is a document in which businesses record the main terms of a commercial arrangement. Like all legal documents, the more complex examples can be lengthy and contain dozens of clauses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Absent exceptional circumstances, commercial contracts tend only to be <a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/commercial-contracts\/signed-contract-not-binding\/\">legally binding if both parties sign<\/a> the document correctly. As a result, it is uncommon for an unsigned written agreement to have binding legal authority over the businesses involved. Let us explore four ways that signing a contract can lead to potential complications for your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Incorrect Signature<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Occasionally, a business will make an honest attempt to <a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/commercial-contracts\/signing-a-business-contract\/\">sign a commercial agreement<\/a> but do so incorrectly. One of the most common examples includes a company director signing a deed but forgetting to get it adequately witnessed. This is particularly common in the case of electronic signatures and digital signatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div  class=\"box box--icon box--info\">\n    <p>Signing commercial documents on behalf of a company can be more technically challenging than signing as an individual, as there are various rules in place for different types of commercial agreements. Most of these measures exist to ensure the company has genuinely agreed to the terms of the document and to combat fraud.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<a href=\"#content-next\"\n   class=\"block p-4 mt-10 text-xl font-bold text-center text-white no-underline bg-gray-800 rounded-t-xl\">\n    Continue reading this article below the form\n    <i class=\"text-xl fa-regular fa-arrow-down\"><\/i>\n<\/a>\n<div class=\"px-6 pt-10 pb-12 mb-10 text-center bg-gray-100 rounded-b-xl sm:px-12 test\">\n    <div class=\"mb-8 text-2xl font-bold text-orange\">\n        Need legal advice?\n        <br>\n        <span class=\"text-lg not-prose\">\n                            Call <a href=\"tel:+448081968584\" class=\"not-prose\">0808 196 8584<\/a> for urgent assistance.\n                <br>\n                Otherwise, complete this form, and we will contact you within one business day.\n                    <\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n    \n\n<div class=\"not-prose flex justify-center text-left 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Signing Without Review<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Not all signature-related issues stem from an incorrect signature. Instead, some business owners verbally agree to potential terms. Consequently, upon receipt of the written agreement, <a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/commercial-contracts\/commercial-contract-mistakes\/\">sign it without thoroughly reviewing it<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, doing so may lead to <a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/commercial-contracts\/not-read-terms-and-conditions\/\">unexpected future consequences<\/a> for your organisation. Two prominent examples include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>the contract consists of unexpected clauses that you did not initially discuss with the other party and your business is not ready for (or would not have agreed to); and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>the contract does not accurately describe what the parties verbally agreed (for example, recording a different rate of pay from that discussed within initial conversations).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div  class=\"box box--icon box--info\">\n    <p>Whilst some commercial contracts can be lengthy, you must review them before signing, as a signature is likely to legally bind your company to its terms. Unfortunately, any refusal to follow the contract&#8217;s wording may constitute a breach of contract and result in compensation being payable by your organisation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Only One Party Signing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Another issue that may arise is when only one party signs the contract. In most cases, the contract will not be binding on the other party absent their signature. This is because the primary way of accepting the terms of an agreement is through a signature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are some exceptional circumstances in which the other business may be taken to have accepted the contract absent signature. However, these situations are limited. One of the main examples would be where the other party acts per the contract wording despite not signing it. In this case, a court may hold that they have accepted its terms through their conduct.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, it is uncommon for a business in England to be held liable for an unsigned contract. Furthermore, such a claim can lead to expensive and time-consuming litigation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Signed Document Lost in the Post<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine that you have signed an important commercial contract and sent it to the other business by post. However, the document gets lost in the post and awaits a signature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you place a reminder in your diary to chase up the other party if a countersigned copy has not been received, you should be able to re-send a further signed version for their signature. This provides clarity on whether the other organisation did not receive the original document or does not wish to sign it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The worst scenario is to forget you are awaiting a return contract and risk the other party arguing the contract is not binding as you did not follow up for their signature. To avoid this, some businesses favour electronically signing electronic documents by email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The attempted signature of a commercial contract can lead to issues in various ways, whether through the signature not being valid or the contract not being read or signed by both parties. One of the key takeaways is to do everything possible to ensure that both parties correctly sign a commercial agreement, this being accepted as good practice. If your business faces a situation where this does not appear possible, it is important to consider obtaining legal advice on the status of the unfinalised contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you need help validly signing and finalising commercial agreements, our experienced <a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/contract-lawyers-lp\/\">contract lawyers<\/a> can assist as part of our LegalVision membership. For a low monthly fee, you will have unlimited access to lawyers to answer your questions and draft and review your documents. Call us today on <a href=\"tel:+448081968584\" class=\"AVANSERnumber dynamic-number\">0808 196 8584<\/a> or visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/membership\/\">membership page<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\"><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1666850556366\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>What are the main potential risks when facing an unsigned commercial contract?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">The main issues include the fact that the other company may hold that the paper document (or digital Word document) does not bind them. Unfortunately, disputes over whether businesses are bound by the contents of important documents tend to end up in an expensive legal battle.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1666850569065\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>Is the use of e-signature technology riskier than physical signatures?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Not necessarily, no. E-signatures are equally as binding on a company as a physical signature and, where suitable digital signature technology is used, can potentially provide more certainty as to the identity of the person signing.<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n<div class=\"not-prose m-feedback-prompt\">\n    <!-- Thumbs up\/down bar -->\n    <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__main\">\n        <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__title\">Was this article helpful?<\/div>\n        <div>\n            <!--span class=\"m-feedback-prompt__button--text\">Thanks!<\/span-->\n            <button type=\"button\" class=\"m-feedback-prompt__button m-feedback-prompt__button--yes\"\n                    data-analytics-link=\"feedback-prompt:yes\" aria-label=\"Agree\">\n                <i class=\"fa-regular fa-thumbs-up fa-3x\"><\/i>\n            <\/button>\n            <button type=\"button\" class=\"m-feedback-prompt__button m-feedback-prompt__button--no\"\n                    data-analytics-link=\"feedback-prompt:no\" aria-label=\"Disagree\">\n                <i class=\"fa-regular fa-thumbs-down fa-3x\"><\/i>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <!-- Feedback form -->\n    <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__form\">\n        <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__form--thanks \">\n            <div>Thanks!<\/div>\n            <p>\n                We appreciate your feedback \u2013 your submission has been successfully received.            <\/p>\n        <\/div>\n        <form id=\"contact-form\" class=\"m-feedback-prompt__form--form\" action=\"\" method=\"post\">\n            <input type=\"hidden\" id=\"authenticity_token\" name=\"authenticity_token\" value=\"9eb4f72322\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wp_http_referer\" value=\"\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177815\" \/>            <input value=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/commercial-contracts\/signing-problems\/\" type=\"hidden\" name=\"currenturl\"\n                   id=\"currenturl\">\n            <input value=\"Four Ways in Which Signing a Document Can Lead to Complications for Your Business in England\" type=\"hidden\" name=\"currenttitle\"\n                   id=\"currenttitle\">\n            <label>\n                <!-- display on thumbs-up -->\n                <span class=\"m-feedback-prompt__feedback m-feedback-prompt__feedback--yes\">\n                    Can you tell us <span class=\"font-semibold\">why<\/span> you found it helpful?\n                <\/span>\n\n                <!-- display on thumbs-down -->\n                <span class=\"m-feedback-prompt__feedback m-feedback-prompt__feedback--no text-lg\">\n                    How can we better improve this article?\n                <\/span>\n                <textarea name=\"feedbackmessage\" id=\"feedbackmessage\" required><\/textarea>\n            <\/label>\n\n            <div class=\"m-feedback-prompt__form--error\" id=\"form-submit-error\"><\/div>\n            <button id=\"submit-contact-form-button\" type=\"submit\" name=\"commit\" class=\"m-feedback-prompt__form--submit\"\n                    data-analytics-link=\"feedback-prompt:submit\">\n                Submit            <\/button>\n        <\/form>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the course of acting for your business, you will agree to various forms of commercial deals. You will record most of these deals through a signed commercial contract. In most situations, the signature of a commercial agreement is relatively straightforward. However, complications during the signing stage can sometimes arise and prove costly for your<a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/commercial-contracts\/signing-problems\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"sr-only\">&#8220;Four Ways in Which Signing a Document Can Lead to Complications for Your Business in England&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13349,"featured_media":3207,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"2926,2346,2821,177110,177032,171755","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[20,21,361,536],"class_list":["post-177815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commercial-contracts","tag-small-business","tag-medium-business","tag-signing-contract","tag-small-business-owner"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is 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Qualifications: Professional Skills Course - Law, University of Law; Legal Practice Course - Law, College of Law; Bachelor of Laws, University of Southampton.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/tom-sutherland-72b4509b\/"],"url":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/author\/thomassutherland\/"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/commercial-contracts\/signing-problems\/#faq-question-1666850556366","name":"What are the main potential risks when facing an unsigned commercial contract?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The main issues include the fact that the other company may hold that the paper document (or digital Word document) does not bind them. 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