I ain't afraid of no ghost, but they are REALLY frustrating.

Updated September 2026. When I first wrote this, the inactivity clause was a new addition to my terms and I had no idea whether it would hold up. Since then a client has ghosted me mid-project, I have had to enforce the clause in court, and I won. The post now covers what happened, what it cost, and the steps to take if it happens to you.

The Frustration of Being Ghosted by Clients

As a freelance creative, one of the most challenging parts of the job isn’t the creative process. It’s the sudden, unexplained disappearance of clients.

If you’ve ever dealt with this kind of abrupt silence, you know exactly how frustrating it is. You dedicate time, energy and creative thought to a project, only for the client to vanish. Your schedule is organised, your tools are ready, and then — nothing. You’re left with lost time and your cashflow at risk.

How I Protect My Time: The Inactivity Clause

To protect my workflow and set clear expectations from day one, I realised I needed a way to keep clients focused and engaged on what they’re working on with me. So I added an inactivity clause to my terms of business.

Inactivity Clause

If a client is unresponsive for 30 consecutive days (including weekends and holidays), I reserve the right to cancel the contract. In this case, the client is liable for the full project fee as initially agreed upon, covering work completed and time allocated to the project.

Of course, if someone falls ill or there’s some kind of emergency, this won’t come into play — as long as I know. Things happen. The inactivity clause isn’t there to be used as an unnecessary punishment; it’s there to stop a project quietly dying on my desk.

But Does It Work?

Yes. That’s the thing — it’s all very well having a long set of terms, but if they’re not enforceable, they’re pretty much worthless.

I recently had to enforce my inactivity clause with a client who agreed to my terms and then disappeared, leaving my schedule in disarray.

It took over a year to get the case in front of a Sheriff (this case was in Scotland), and I had to go through mediation as part of the process (where I was offered £25 for my work, which was a little wide of the mark). But after a relatively short hearing, the case was awarded to me. The company in question has to pay my project fees, my legal fees and 8% interest, back-dated to this time last year.

Steps to Take

1. Get your terms up to date. Make sure they include protections for you if a client ghosts you, and state that your terms are agreed to as soon as an estimate is signed off.
2. Get proper legal cover in your business insurance. Having legal support on hand is invaluable once you need to start enforcing your terms.
3. Should the worst happen, stay calm. Take your time, record everything and make sure you’re communicating in writing. This will take a while to resolve.
4. Send regular check-ins in the run-up to the 30 days, making sure to mention the clause to the client.
5. When you hit the 30-day limit, have a final email ready to go. It should explain what the next steps are and include an invoice for the project cancellation.
6. If the client keeps ignoring you, or contests the situation, get a Letter Before Action ready. This is an important step in the process of getting what you’re owed. Send it by email and by recorded post to their registered business address. Keep proof of postage.
7. If that’s ignored too, contact your insurers and arrange a call with their legal support partners. (I use PolicyBee, who in turn use ARAG.)

Finally, I’d like to thank Jonathan Greenhorn at Jackson Boyd for his assistance with my case. He was incredibly helpful, and considerate of any challenges my AuDHD brought to the mix.

What did I do after the case? I went and got a tattoo of a ghost from a tattooist in Glasgow. What you do to celebrate is entirely up to you.

Hi! I'm James Kindred. I wrote this!

I have over 25 years of experience in brand strategy, design and technology. My experience in both founding brands and defining meaningful brand strategies for others has given me a unique perspective on how to help businesses grow.