5 Benefits of Having a Written Contract for Your Business

16th March 2023

Any formal written agreement or purely verbal pledge can be considered a contract. For instance, a handshake agreement to do a task where the only item in writing is a quote on the back of an envelope could result in the creation of a contract.

Any agreement to perform a service for payment to a hirer is a contract, regardless of its form. The hirer promises to compensate you for the work you agree to perform for them. In the event of a breach of contract, where either party fails to fulfill their obligations, legal remedies can be sought to address the breach.

A verbal or written agreement to perform services in return for a reward, typically payment, is referred to as a contract. The justice system will uphold the arrangement. The Myers Law Group can provide more information if you want to prepare a written contract.

 

What Exactly Is a Written Contract?

A written agreement is a document that specifies each party’s obligations and promises. It helps everyone, especially in complicated deals, to remember what was agreed upon.

Your written contract must contain two essential elements in order to be enforceable in court. They are the agreement and the consideration. Although the agreement portion is quite simple, a consideration may be more challenging to comprehend. It occurs when each party to the contract is required to obtain something of value.

 

Advantages of Writing a Contract for Your Business

Written contracts have several advantages, some of which are as follows:

 

1.      Evidence of Details

It can legally serve as proof of the specifics of whatever you and the other party have mutually agreed upon, which is one of the reasons why a written contract is necessary for your start-up business or any type of deal. It offers the most comprehensive explanation of the understanding between business owners or investors regarding the services provided by a third party or payment responsibilities to your hired employees. The written contract should explicitly identify each of these points as evidence.

 

2.      Recognition and enforcement

Business contracts should always be put in writing, as some contracts must be in writing in order to be upheld. Contracts for the sale of real estate, longer-term real estate leases, and agreements to settle another party’s debts are a few examples, although they are not the only ones. Also, specific contracts for the sale of products under the Uniform Commercial Code must be in writing, such as those for sales of items costing $500 or more.

 

3.      Secrecy

The option to agree to secrecy and non-disclosure restrictions protecting sensitive information is one of the main advantages of having written contracts in business transactions. The parties to the agreement are required by law to keep confidential the business dealings they engage in and the information they disclose with one another, and any party found in violation of this obligation will be held accountable.

 

4.      Written agreements provide security

This is especially true when a business partner contributes a sizable sum of their own money, assets, or labour to a venture. If the partnership dissolves or the company fails, participants will not be protected in the absence of a written agreement specifying the return of seed money, possession of the intellectual property, or even the awards of shares of the business based on work contributed.

 

5.      Written contracts provide clarity

The fundamental cause of many verbal contracts failing is that parties alter, memories deteriorate, and people’s accounts of events frequently diverge.

Implied agreements are inadequate when a debate focuses on issues like company plans, duties, and money management. Writing down agreements enables all parties to assess how the other stakeholders perceive their agreement. Before committing to the business, stakeholders can address and negotiate any points raised by a written contract that is in dispute or cause uncertainty.