A mooring agreement is usually a few pages long and rarely negotiable, which tempts people to skim it. That is a mistake: the clauses decide what you actually pay, how easily you can leave, and whether you are allowed to do the things you assumed you could. Here is what to look for.
Licence or lease?
Almost every UK mooring agreement is a licence: a personal permission to keep your boat at a specified place. It does not normally grant exclusive possession of land or water, it is personal to you, and the operator generally retains the right to move your boat within the site.
A lease is less common and grants a more formal property interest. It can offer stronger security of tenure, but usually brings more obligations and a longer commitment. If an agreement is described as a lease, it is worth taking advice before signing.
The practical consequence is that a mooring licence gives you far less security than a tenancy. Notice periods and termination clauses therefore matter more, not less. This applies whatever the berth looks like — the paperwork is much the same for a pontoon berth, a linear mooring or a towpath mooring, as our guide to mooring types and long-stay moorings overview set out.
What a mooring agreement should contain
Your name, the boat's name and index number, and the specific berth designation.
Start and end dates, or confirmation that the agreement rolls monthly after an initial term.
The fee, the payment schedule, and whether VAT is included.
Exactly what is included and what is charged separately.
The notice period and the termination process, on both sides.
Site rules, and confirmation that they form part of the agreement.
Insurance requirements.
Deposit amount, how it is held, and the conditions for its return.
Whether residential or liveaboard use is permitted.
Clauses to read carefully
Notice period
One to three months' written notice is typical. Check two details: whether notice must align with the end of a calendar month or quarter, and whether the operator's notice period matches yours. An agreement letting the operator end it on 14 days' notice while binding you to three months is worth questioning before you sign.
Early termination
Some fixed-term agreements make you liable for the full term even if you leave early. Others include a break clause, a fixed penalty, or a pro-rata refund. On a twelve-month contract at Swanley Bridge Marina's published £3,365 for a 60ft berth, the difference between those outcomes is most of £3,000 — worth ten minutes of reading.
Price escalation
Annual increases are usually linked to CPI, RPI or a fixed percentage, and sometimes left entirely at the operator's discretion. Check when new prices are announced, how much notice you get, and whether you can leave without penalty if you do not accept the increase.
What the fee includes
Electricity, pump-out, Elsan, Wi-Fi, showers, laundry, parking, refuse and winter storage are all commonly charged separately. Get the current rate for anything metered — the headline berth fee is a poor guide to the total. Our 2026 mooring costs guide covers the extras to budget for.
Liveaboard and residential use
If the agreement is for leisure use, living aboard may breach both the contract and planning control. Residential permission needs to be explicit and in writing. See residential mooring rules for why the distinction has teeth.
Subletting and transfer
Most licences prohibit subletting or transferring the berth, and many require you to notify the operator if you sell the boat — some give them a right to end the agreement on sale. If you are buying a boat with a mooring "included", confirm directly with the operator that the berth transfers.
Insurance
Operators typically require third-party liability cover as a condition of the agreement, and may require a copy of the policy. Independently, the Canal & River Trust requires at least £2,000,000 of third-party cover to licence a boat, and the Environment Agency requires third-party cover on its waters.
Safety certification
Most sites require a valid Boat Safety Scheme certificate, ordinarily valid for four years. Let it lapse and you may breach both the mooring agreement and your navigation licence at the same time.
Site rules
Usually a separate document incorporated by reference, and often the source of the most day-to-day friction: engine running hours, generator use, pets, guests, working on boats, painting and welding, speed limits, and where you may park. Ask for a copy before signing, not after.
Contract length in the market
Terms of three, six and twelve months are all common, and twelve months is the standard at serviced marina sites. A longer commitment usually does buy a lower rate. Swanley Bridge Marina's twelve-month berths work out at £55 to £59 per foot a year, against roughly £75 per foot at Aqueduct Marina, which sells the same lengths on a rolling monthly basis. Seasonal contracts look cheaper but are dearer per month: York Marina charges £401 per metre for a full year — about £33 a metre a month — against £325.50 for the seven summer months, which is nearer £47.
Deposits
Mooring deposits are not covered by the tenancy deposit protection schemes that apply to residential lettings. Before paying, confirm how the deposit is held, what deductions can be made, and the timescale for its return. Never pay a deposit before you have read the written agreement in full.
If something goes wrong
Put everything in writing from the start so there is a record. Raise the issue with the site manager, then formally in writing if it is not resolved. For small financial disputes the small claims track is often proportionate. Depending on the operator, a trade body or the navigation authority may also have a complaints process, though neither the Canal & River Trust nor the Environment Agency arbitrates private mooring contracts.
A pre-signing checklist
Read the agreement and the site rules in full.
Confirm the berth's maximum length, beam and draught in writing.
Confirm what is included, and the rate for everything that is not.
Check the notice period both ways, and the early-termination position.
Check how and when the price can rise.
Confirm residential or liveaboard status if you need it.
Confirm deposit handling and refund terms.
Visit the specific berth before paying anything.
How to find a long-stay mooring covers the search that leads up to this point.
Compare moorings before you commit
Contract length, price and berth dimensions are listed up front, so you can compare terms before you enquire.
Sources and further reading
Every rule and fee quoted above comes from the navigation authority or government page that sets it. Check these before you commit to anything — fees change annually and licensing rules do change.
This article is general information, not legal or financial advice. Where money or occupancy rights are at stake, take your own advice.