A website maintenance agreement defines the ongoing relationship between a website owner and their web developer or agency. Without one, disputes about what's included in the monthly fee, response times, and liability for downtime are common.

• Clearly define what is "maintenance" vs "development" — grey area causes disputes
• Liability for downtime: hosting provider failures are often force majeure
• Security patches: timescale matters — clarify who is responsible
• Data backups: frequency, retention period, and responsibility must be clear
• IP in updates: if developer creates new features, who owns them?

Legal reference: Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982; UK GDPR (if handling visitor data)