Door-to-door sales and cooling-off rules a tree business meets, by country
Sales made at a customer's home can carry a right to cancel. This page sets out what the US Federal Trade Commission rule, the UK Consumer Contracts Regulations, New Zealand's consumer protection site and Consumer Protection BC say.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. Each row restates one office's wording. The rules apply to sales to consumers, meaning households, and the offices say where a sale falls outside them.
The rules side by side
| Place and source | Sales covered | Cancellation period as stated |
|---|---|---|
| United States: Federal Trade Commission, 16 CFR Part 429 | Door-to-door sales of consumer goods or services at US$25 or more at the buyer's home, or US$130 or more at other places away from the seller's place of business | Until midnight of the third business day after the transaction |
| United Kingdom: Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 | Off-premises contracts between a trader and a consumer, except where the payment is not more than £42 | For a service contract, the end of 14 days after the day the contract is entered into |
| New Zealand: Fair Trading Act, as described by the ministry | Uninvited direct sales of products or services over NZ$100 for personal, domestic or household use, negotiated at home, at work or by phone | Five working days from receiving the written agreement |
| British Columbia, Canada: Consumer Protection BC | Door-to-door sales, in a regulator post that gives one example | Within the first 10 days for any reason, in the post's example |
| Ontario, Alberta, Quebec and the other provinces | Not published | Not published |
| Ireland: Competition and Consumer Protection Commission | Services sold on the doorstep, with the detail on the page about consumer rules in Ireland | 30 days from entering the contract, against 14 days for online and phone sales |
| Australia | No official page found on October 9, 2026 | No official page found on October 9, 2026 |
United States
The federal rule defines a door-to-door sale as one where the seller personally solicits the sale, including in response to an invitation by the buyer, and the buyer's agreement is made away from the seller's place of business. It names hotel rooms, fairgrounds and the buyer's workplace as examples. The rule says it is an unfair and deceptive practice for the seller not to give a completed receipt or contract copy, in the buyer's language, with a statement that the buyer may cancel before midnight of the third business day, and two copies of a notice of cancellation form. It defines a business day as any calendar day except Sunday or a federal holiday.
The rule lists transactions it does not cover. Two matter to a service trade. One is a sale where the buyer started the contact and asked the seller to visit the home to repair or maintain the buyer's personal property. The rule says that if the seller sells additional goods or services on that visit, other than replacement parts needed for the repair, the extra sale does not fall within the exclusion. The other is a buyer-initiated emergency, where the buyer gives a separate dated and signed handwritten statement describing the emergency and waiving the right to cancel within 3 business days.
United Kingdom
Regulation 27 applies the right to cancel to distance and off-premises contracts and excludes off-premises contracts where the payment is not more than £42. Regulation 29 says the consumer may cancel without giving any reason, and regulation 30 sets 14 days for a service contract. Regulation 28 lists contracts where the right does not apply, including one where the consumer has specifically requested a visit from the trader to carry out urgent repairs or maintenance. The same regulation says that exception does not stop the right applying to services in addition to the urgent repairs requested.
New Zealand
The ministry's page says an uninvited direct sale is one where a trader sells products or services over NZ$100 for personal, domestic or household use, negotiated at the home or workplace or by phone, without an invitation for that reason. It says the seller must give a copy of the sales agreement with a summary of the right to cancel, and that the buyer may cancel for any reason within five working days of receiving the written agreement. It adds that a householder can direct salespeople not to enter, and that a direction to a named person lasts for two years.
Canada
The only Canadian source read is a post by Consumer Protection BC, dated November 16, 2020. It says the regulator oversees contract requirements and cancellation rights in direct sales, and gives 10 days as the period in the case it describes. The post is a consumer story, not the statute, so the row says what the post says and nothing more.
For storm-season approaches, see the official warnings on the page about storm tree scams.
Sources
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 16 CFR Part 429, Cooling-off period for sales made at homes or at certain other locations, current to October 7, 2026, read October 9, 2026
- legislation.gov.uk, The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, regulations 27 to 30, latest available revised text, read October 9, 2026
- New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Telemarketing and door-to-door sales, read October 9, 2026
- Consumer Protection BC, Door-to-door sales: a consumer story, posted November 16, 2020, read October 9, 2026