Policies and paperwork settings protect your business legally while setting clear expectations with customers. Configure cancellation policies, health requirements, and legal documents that customers must agree to before booking.

Automatic agreement storage for legal protection

When a customer books with Petboost for the first time, their agreement to your terms, conditions, and waivers is automatically stored alongside their account.

What's tracked:

Benefits:

How it works:

Customers agree to your uploaded terms in these places:

Staff creating a customer or booking does not collect the tick for them. The customer still sees the terms banner the first time they log in.

Mission Control lists customers who have not agreed to required terms and have at least one future active booking.

Each card is one upcoming booking. If the customer has a mobile number, tap Send SMS request. The SMS includes a sign-in link that opens that appointment with the terms dialog.

To text more than one customer:

You can also send one request from an appointment. On the calendar, open Manage on that appointment and choose Send terms request.

A successful send writes an owner diary note: Terms & conditions request SMS sent. That note appears on the customer's Timeline & Notes tab.

The send uses the transactional SMS path. Communications Booster is not required.

If the customer is at the desk and will not use their phone, use Kiosk Mode instead.

Set rules for when and how customers can change or cancel appointments.

Whether customers can change or cancel their appointments

The setting is the Allow changes and cancellations toggle.

On - Customers can change/cancel

Off - No changes/cancellations

Cancellation Fee Percentage and Change & Cancellation Notice Period show only while the toggle is on, because they only apply when customers can change or cancel.

Recommendation: Allow changes/cancellations with appropriate notice period and fees to balance flexibility with business protection.

Percentage of appointment cost charged as cancellation fee (0-100% in 5% increments)

How it works:

Common Settings:

Example: $100 grooming appointment with 50% cancellation fee:

Considerations:

How far in advance customers must notify for changes/cancellations

Time Configuration:

Common Settings:

Example: 24-hour notice period:

How cancellation fees are applied:

If a customer says they can't cancel through the customer portal, check these settings:

Pro tip: If customers frequently ask "why can't I cancel?", add a note to your booking confirmation explaining your cancellation policy, including the notice period and how to contact you for exceptions.

Best Practices:

Protect your business and other pets by requiring health documentation.

Turn on Require vaccination certificate to make proof of vaccination or a titre test, uploaded before they can book, a condition of booking online. Petboost checks each certificate's label and dates, not the document itself.

Once it is on, Require vaccine review & approval appears. With approval on, appointments stay Pending until you approve the uploaded certificate, and you enter its dates when you approve. Certificates waiting for you appear under Mission Control > Attention Required > Vaccinations to Review.

A service can override either setting on its own Policies & Paperwork page. When the business switch is on and some services store it off, the switch shows "N services use their own setting (off), so this rule does not apply to them". The same badge shows on Fields & Forms for the matching field.

When it is off:

When to require:

What should be required:

Recommendation: Always require vaccination certificates for any service where pets interact or share space. Titer test results are also accepted as proof of immunity. It's both legally important and protects all pets in your care.

Five more requirement toggles sit under Advanced options at the foot of the tab. Turn that switch on to see them. Each one must be satisfied before a customer can complete a booking:

If any of them is already on, Advanced options opens by itself and shows how many are set.

Each toggle is a business-wide default. The dropdown next to it shows which services override it, and you can turn a requirement on or off for a single service under Advanced options on that service's Policies & Paperwork tab. To see which requirements a specific customer still has to complete, open the pet's profile and choose Simulate > Profile Completion.

The customer adds the missing detail once, on the pet profile, and it stays on file for every later booking.

This is not a done-for-you finished document. The Policy Builder walks you through a click-through wizard and builds a starting-point Word template from the answers you put in. You download that copy, edit it to suit your business, and we strongly recommend investing in about an hour with a legal professional to review it before you use it live. The whole point is to bring down the legal cost and involvement so you are not starting from a blank page - it does not replace that review. It is not legal advice.

How to access:

How it works:

After generating:

Important: The Policy Builder produces draft templates only. They are not done-for-you finished documents and they are not legal advice. Always have a qualified legal professional review your documents before use in a live business environment.

Pricing: The first few sections of the builder are free. Completing all sections requires a one-time purchase. Subscribers on Pro, Flex, Max, or Enterprise plans receive an automatic 20% discount.

Progress saving: Your answers are saved automatically. You can close the builder and return later to continue where you left off.

Upload and manage legal documents that customers must review and accept.

Upload your terms and conditions document (PDF format)

What to include:

Status:

Best Practices:

Upload your liability waiver document (PDF format)

What to include:

Status:

Why waivers matter:

Checkbox language customers see:

"I have read and agree to the Terms & Conditions and Waiver"

What happens:

Legal enforceability:

Consider:

Recommended approach:

Always require for:

Verification:

Essential documents:

Maintenance:

Q: Can I change my cancellation policy after customers book?
A: Yes. Petboost applies the policy saved on the booked service when the appointment is cancelled, so a change also reaches appointments already booked. Each service keeps its own copy of the policy. When you publish a change to the business default, turn on Also update services. Every service listed is ticked; untick any that should keep its own policy.

Q: What if a customer has an emergency and can't give 24 hours notice?
A: You can manually waive cancellation fees on a case-by-case basis. The policy protects you but you maintain flexibility.

Q: Are digital signatures/agreements legally binding?
A: Yes, digital agreements with timestamps are legally enforceable in most jurisdictions. Our system captures all necessary information.

Q: What if customers don't have vaccination records?
A: They can't book until records are uploaded (if required). They must contact their vet to obtain current vaccination certificates or titer test results.

Q: Do I need a lawyer to create these documents?
A: Strongly recommended. Proper legal documents protect your business. Many lawyers offer pet services business packages.

Q: Can customers cancel without a fee if they cancel early enough?
A: Yes, if they cancel before your notice period (e.g., 24 hours), no fee is charged.

Q: What happens if I don't upload terms and conditions?
A: You can still operate, but you have less legal protection. Highly recommended to upload proper legal documents.

Q: How do walk-in clients sign my terms if they will not do it on their phone?
A: Use Kiosk Mode on a front-desk tablet. The client enters their mobile and taps Review {your business} terms & your details. The Paperwork tab on their profile stores agreements they have already accepted. It does not capture a new signature on your device.

Q: A customer I added myself has not agreed to my terms. How do I chase them?
A: They see your terms first thing when they log in. To text them now, open Mission Control > Attention Required > Terms Not Agreed and tap Send SMS request. Use Bulk SMS Mode to send to more than one customer. Each send is logged on Timeline & Notes. If they are at the desk, use Kiosk Mode.

Q: Can I have different policies for different services?
A: Yes. Each service has its own cancellation policy, terms and waiver. Open the service and select Policies & Paperwork. When an appointment has several services, the highest cancellation fee and the longest notice period apply.