The problem
Every hirer should sign the hire agreement: numbers allowed, insurance, alcohol and music licensing, safeguarding for children's parties, cleaning and damage. With 12 agreements a month printed, handed over or posted, chased and filed at about 25 minutes each, that is 300 minutes, 5 hours a month, and when a party damages the kitchen the signed copy is often missing.
What the AI does
Legalesign is an e-signature service: you send a document for signing, track whether it has been signed and keep an audit log. Upload your hire agreement as a template, send it to each hirer with their date and room filled in, and hand over the key or door code only once it's signed. The Solo Basic plan is $13£10€12A$19C$19 a month plus VAT with fair use of 20 documents, enough for one booking secretary. Signed agreements are stored with their audit log, so the trustees can find one quickly if there's a dispute.
A worked example
A community hall in Banbury takes about 10 one-off party and event hires a month and renews 2 regular hirers' annual agreements each month. The volunteer booking secretary currently meets each hirer to sign a paper copy.
Before
12 paper agreements a month at about 25 minutes each: 5 hours
After
12 online agreements at about 5 minutes each: 1 hour
What it's worth
About $80£60€71A$115C$113 a month in volunteer time saved, against about $16£12€14A$23C$23 for Legalesign. 4 hours a month saved (5 minus 1), valued at an assumed $20£15€18A$29C$28 an hour. Solo Basic is $13£10€12A$19C$19 a month excluding VAT ($16£12€14A$23C$23 with it) for fair use of 20 documents; Pay As You Go is $2£1.50€1.79A$2.88C$2.82 a document, which would be $24£18€21A$35C$34 plus VAT for 12.
How to set it up
- Check your hire agreement is current, ideally against a template from your insurer or umbrella body, and that trustees have approved it.
- Sign up for Legalesign Solo Basic and upload the agreement as a template.
- Send a test agreement to yourself and sign it on a phone to see what hirers will see.
- Send each hirer their agreement when the booking is confirmed and release the key or code only once it's signed.
- Keep a simple list of hires with the date each agreement was signed.
What goes wrong
- Fair use on Solo Basic is 20 documents a month. A busy summer may need the next plan or pay as you go for the extra.
- Legalesign's page isn't clear on reminders for the lower plans, so check for unsigned agreements yourself a week before each hire.
- A signed agreement doesn't check the hirer's insurance or license. Ask for proof where your conditions require it.
- Children's party bookings may involve safeguarding conditions; make sure the agreement says who is responsible for supervision.