Trader agreements are short, and the important parts are usually in a handful of clauses. Read them before your first claim, not after your first dispute.
The clauses that matter most
Payment timing. The number of days, and the trigger. “Within 24 hours of sign-off” and “within 10 business days of registry acceptance” are very different promises.
Rate lock. Is the rate fixed when you lodge a complete claim, or when the trader decides to settle? Anything that lets the rate move after lodgement shifts market risk onto you.
Fees. Processing, admin, registry or monthly. You want a plain statement that there are none, or a full list.
Failed or rejected claims. Who pays when a claim fails validation or is later invalidated? See STC clawback for how that exposure arises.
Exclusivity and minimums. Some agreements require you to send all certificates to one trader, or a minimum monthly volume to keep a rate.
Termination. Notice period, treatment of claims in flight, and whether you can leave without penalty.
Other items to tick
- Who acts as the registered agent in the REC Registry, and under what authority.
- GST and RCTI treatment, including who issues the invoice.
- Dispute process and governing law.
- Data handling for customer details on assignment forms.
Red flags in the wording
Watch for phrases such as ‘at the trader’s discretion’, ‘subject to market conditions’ and ‘as soon as practicable’ applied to payment or rates. They leave the decision with the trader. Also watch for automatic renewal, unilateral changes to terms by email, and fees introduced by a schedule that sits outside the main agreement. None of these is unusual on its own, but together they tell you who the contract was written for. Ask for the wording to be changed, or take it as a sign about how a dispute will go.
What this means for installers
A good agreement is short and readable. When you compare traders, line the clauses up side by side using the choosing a trader checklist. If you are exiting an agreement, the switching page explains the sequence, and the pricing page shows what a published rate with no fees looks like.