Website development warranty: what it covers and what it does not

What warranty is usual for a website build

Website developers usually give a 12-month warranty on their work. That is market practice, not a term set by law. So every developer writes the conditions into their own contract, and they vary a lot.

When you compare offers, the warranty is often a single line. It looks the same everywhere until you need it. Then you find out how long it lasts, what counts as a bug and who pays for the fix.

Why our work gets 24 months, not 12

We give a 24-month warranty on the work we do. If a bug of ours shows up in that time, we fix it free. That is twice the usual term on the market.

Some bugs do not appear in the first month. They show up when the site goes through its first season, sale or year end. A longer warranty means we stand behind our code for longer.

What a website warranty covers

The warranty applies to the development work we did. It covers bugs caused by us that were not noticed when the work was accepted. For example, a form does not send, the cart totals are wrong or a page breaks on mobile.

We fix such bugs free and do not count the hours. Just write where and what does not work.

What the warranty does not cover

The warranty does not cover:

• version updates of WordPress, WooCommerce or another platform
• theme and plugin updates
• changes in third-party APIs and services, e.g. payment or shipping integrations
• faults caused by improper use or by edits you make yourselves

These are not bugs in our work. WordPress and plugins update all the time, and payment and shipping providers change their interfaces without us. Such work is done at the hourly rate of €40/h or under maintenance.

What happens after the warranty, and where maintenance fits

After the 24 months, work is done at the hourly rate of €40/h. The same rate applies during the warranty when a job falls outside its scope.

For updates and outside changes there is monthly maintenance, from €40/month. The warranty answers for our bugs, maintenance for what changes around the site. Together they cover both sides.

What to check in a developer's contract

Before signing, ask for the warranty terms in writing and check:

• the term in months and when it starts
• what counts as a bug and what counts as new work
• what the warranty does not cover, listed specifically
• what happens when the term ends
• the hourly rate after the warranty and whether it includes VAT

If there is no list of exclusions, the dispute will start with the first update. In our contract the warranty and its limits are set out in separate clauses. A website from €1,500, a WooCommerce store from €2,500. Get in touch.