Non-disparagement clause - building work

[howtowriteahaiku]

When we went to sign a contract for some building work (with a design and build company), we noticed there was a non disparagement clause. So you can be subject to litigation if you write a bad review. It seems unfair and after a bit of googling, I saw that this isn't even legal in other countries. I've heard of non-disparagement clauses in contracts between employee and employer, but not in this context. Has anyone come across this before? Is this common when it comes to builders?

Not come across it and I wouldn't sign it either. Any firm that needs to have that must be sub par.

I'd not employ a comany that had anything like that in its contracts. Anything that's 'wrong' that you might do is covered by other legislation, like libel, slander, malicious communications or privacy law etc.- the only reasons I can think of for that sort of clause, or for the likes of NDAs, are grubby (at best) ones.

Interesting! Thank you. They're a pretty big and well-established design and build company in London.