Can a contract I make myself work?

Question

What's happening is that I'm going in on a trip in June with some people. I've booked rooms for Dallas with my card, and normally the other people give me cash/check to pay for their part of the hotel. Recently I've had people drop out after the "due date" (example, one dropped out only days before we were to leave) and ended up giving the money back even if it hurt everyone else financally for this trip even if I said no refunds.

Well, I want my word to stick, and I was thinking if I wrote up a sort of contract and use a recipt book (which I already have) it would help. The thing is is that I don't know if it will stick legally is I write it. Would I need a lawyer? I don't really want to use one considering it's not a really extreme amount of cash.

So if I made one myself, would it stick legally? If so, would I need witnesses or anything?

Thanks!

Answer 1

If the amount in contorversey is more than $500 or the event will take place more than 1 year after the contract is signed, you do need some type of writing...this is called the Statute of Frauds. If the amount is less than $500 the law doesn't REQUIRE you to have a written agreement, but it does save a lot of hassle if you need to go to court to collect the debt.

You can write a contract yourself and have the person sign it. Spell out exactly what you're going to do and what the person is expected to do. Make sure to be very clear about what amount of money is due at what time and list any policy you intend to enforce regarding refunds. Make sure both you and the person going on the trip sign it, and make sure you give a copy to the person as well as retaining one for yourself. It would also be a good idea to include a clause that requires any changes to be made in the future be in writing.
If you've already made the reservation, you may not be able to enforce a retroactive agreement, but an agreement like this can be useful in the future. You may check at a local stationary or office supply store, they sometimes have pre-printed contract forms you can use.

Answer 2

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