The Franchising Code of Conduct 2025, explained

A franchisor cannot sign a franchise agreement with you until 14 days after it has given you three things: the disclosure document, the franchise agreement in the form in which it will be signed, and a copy of the Code. The clock restarts if the franchisor materially changes the agreement or gives you new earnings information, and any payment you make during the 14 days must be refunded within 14 days if you ask in writing. This is a hard timeline, not a guideline.

After you sign, you have 14 days to change your mind. If you exercise cooling-off, the franchisor must repay all payments you made, less the franchisor's reasonable expenses (which must be set out in the agreement). Cooling-off applies to new agreements and, in defined circumstances, to transfers.

Agreements entered before April 2025 sit under the previous Code; new agreements sit under the 2025 Code. Franchisors must handle both regimes correctly, and issue the version that applies to your agreement. A compliant recruitment process tracks which regime applies to each candidate and flags any mismatch.

The ACCC maintains a public Franchise Disclosure Register. Franchisors must register before signing their first agreement and confirm or update their entry every year; for a franchisor with a 30 June financial year, the disclosure document is due for its annual update by 31 October and the Register entry by 14 November. A franchisor missing from the Register, or with a stale entry, is a signal worth taking seriously.