Website Design & Hosting — Terms of Service

These Terms of Service apply between JL Digital Solutions ("the Provider") and any client purchasing a website design and hosting service from the Provider ("the Client"), and set out the terms on which the Provider designs, hosts, and maintains a website for the Client. By paying the first invoice issued by the Provider, the Client confirms they have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these terms.

1. Services

The Provider will design and build a website for the Client and provide ongoing hosting and management for as long as this Agreement is active. This includes:

Website design and build, including any contact / quote form
Hosting and technical management of the site
Minor post-launch support as part of the monthly fee
Requested changes or edits beyond minor support, billed separately per request

2. Fees

Once-off design fee: payable before the site is published
Monthly management fee: billed on the 1st of each month for as long as the Agreement is active
Additional changes/edits requested after launch: billed per request, quoted in advance

Fees are payable in South African Rand. The Provider will confirm current pricing with the Client in writing before work begins.

3. Term and cancellation

This Agreement runs on an annual basis for each individual Client, renewing automatically each year unless cancelled. Either party may cancel the individual agreement with 30 days' written notice (email is sufficient) before the next renewal date. There is no penalty for cancelling — outstanding fees up to the cancellation date remain payable. This clause covers a Client choosing to end their own agreement; see Clause 6 for what happens if the Provider closes JL Digital Solutions entirely.

3a. Non-payment

If a monthly fee is not received within 7 days of the due date, the Provider may suspend the website until payment is received. If payment remains outstanding for 30 days, the Provider may treat the Agreement as cancelled by the Client, and Clause 6 (closure terms) does not apply to this scenario — an involuntary cancellation for non-payment is not the same as the Provider closing the business.

4. Ownership

The Client owns their domain name and all rights to their business content, branding, and logo.
The website itself is built and hosted by the Provider for the duration of this Agreement.
On request, the Provider can export a copy of the Client's site at any time for the Client's own records.

5. Hosting guarantee

JL Digital Solutions is an active, ongoing business, and the Provider intends to keep hosting and supporting Client websites for the long term — well beyond any minimum period. As a firm commitment to the Client, the Provider guarantees that the Client's website will remain hosted, live, and supported for a minimum of one full year from the Agreement start date, and for as long as this Agreement continues to renew beyond that.

6. If the Provider closes the business

Closing a small business is never done lightly. If the Provider ever decides to stop operating JL Digital Solutions, this will be a planned, gradual process rather than a sudden shutdown, and the Client's website will not simply disappear. The following applies:

The Provider will stop taking on new clients and give all active clients at least two months' written notice before closing.
During this notice period, the Client's website continues to be hosted and managed exactly as normal, with no change in service.
At closure, the Client's website remains published and live, hosted on the Provider's GitHub account, with no downtime and no action required from the Client.
The Provider will also give the Client a complete copy of their website's source code, so the Client has full, independent ownership and is free to move the site to their own hosting at any time, if and when they choose to.
From the date of closure, the Provider's obligations under this Agreement end, and the Provider is no longer responsible for maintaining, updating, or fixing the website. Continued hosting on the Provider's GitHub account beyond this point is provided as a courtesy, not a guaranteed ongoing service.

7. Domain and renewals

The Client registers and owns their own domain name, using their own email address, with a registrar of their choice (e.g. 1-Grid). Once registered, the Client will provide the Provider with login access so the Provider can manage the DNS/nameserver settings needed to connect the website. The Client remains responsible for paying their own domain renewal directly with the registrar.

8. Limitation of liability

The Provider will take reasonable care in building and maintaining the Client's website, but does not guarantee uninterrupted uptime, search engine rankings, or business outcomes resulting from the website. The Provider is not liable for losses arising from third-party services the site relies on (e.g. domain registrars, hosting platforms, payment providers). This limitation continues to apply after this Agreement ends, including after the Provider closes the business.

9. General

This Agreement is governed by the laws of South Africa. Any changes to this Agreement must be agreed in writing by both parties.