What legal documents do I need for an event planning business?

To establish an event planning or event management business in the UK, you will need to prepare and register a variety of legal documents. Key requirements include:

• Registering your business name with Companies House (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/companies-house).
• Obtaining Employers' Liability Insurance and business insurance (e.g. public liability, professional indemnity).
• Securing Local Authority approval (if operating from a commercial premise) and a lease agreement (if renting premises).
• Having Health and Safety policies and procedures in place, compliant with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidelines (https://www.hse.gov.uk/).
• Complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018 for privacy and data protection policies and procedures (https://ico.org.uk/).
• Obtaining a Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) and registering for Value Added Tax (VAT) if applicable (https://www.gov.uk/vat-registration).
• Getting a Hire Agreement that is tailored to your services and specific requirements.