# Terms & conditions in plain language with max 65-character line length

- **Pattern:** `ab-001403` (`finserv-disclosure.terms-legal.terms-plain-language`)
- **Severity:** high
- **Lifecycle:** active
- **Last modified:** 2026-04-18
- **Canonical URL:** https://auditbuffet.com/patterns/ab-001403
- **License:** CC-BY-4.0 — attribute to AuditBuffet Pattern Catalog (https://auditbuffet.com/patterns/ab-001403)

## Why it matters

Dense legalese and unconstrained line lengths push readers past the comprehension threshold, so users click through Terms they never actually parsed. For financial products, that failure mode matters under CFPB UDAAP guidance and state consumer-protection statutes: regulators and plaintiffs treat unreadable disclosures as effectively absent, which undermines the enforceability of indemnity, arbitration, and limitation-of-liability clauses. The content-integrity and user-experience taxons both apply — jargon-heavy paragraphs running 120 characters wide also hurt accessibility for low-vision and cognitively impaired users covered by WCAG 2.2.

## Severity rationale

High because unenforceable Terms expose the business to regulatory action and invalidated liability protections during disputes.

## Remediation

Rewrite `app/terms/page.tsx` with a 65ch width constraint, swap every unexplained legal term for its plain-English equivalent, and cap paragraphs at five sentences under H2 section headers. Wrap the body in a container with `style={{ maxWidth: '65ch' }}` so lines stay between 50 and 70 characters:

```tsx
<div style={{ maxWidth: '65ch' }}>
  <h2>Use License</h2>
  <p>We grant you a personal, non-exclusive license to use the service.</p>
</div>
```

## Detection

- **ID:** `terms-plain-language`
- **Severity:** `high`
- **What to look for:** Examine the Terms & Conditions page or document. Count the number of legal jargon terms (e.g., "indemnify", "aforementioned", "notwithstanding", "herein", "heretofore") and the number of paragraphs with more than 5 sentences. Check the CSS or layout for a `max-width` constraint that limits line length to no more than 70 characters (typically `max-width: 65ch` or `max-width: 700px`).
- **Pass criteria:** The Terms & Conditions use plain language with fewer than 5 unexplained legal jargon terms per 1000 words. No paragraph exceeds 5 sentences. The page layout constrains line length to no more than 70 characters (e.g., via `maxWidth: '65ch'` or equivalent CSS). The document is organized with at least 3 section headers. Quote the maxWidth CSS value found.
- **Fail criteria:** More than 5 unexplained jargon terms per 1000 words, or any paragraph exceeds 10 sentences, or no line-length constraint exists (lines exceed 80 characters on a standard 1920px screen).
- **Skip (N/A) when:** The project has no Terms & Conditions (e.g., internal tool or free educational resource with minimal legal requirements).
- **Detail on fail:** Quote the specific jargon terms found and the file path. Example: `"Terms at app/terms/page.tsx contain 'indemnification of liability cascading from third-party integration failures' without explanation. 3 paragraphs exceed 10 sentences. No maxWidth constraint — lines render at 120+ characters."`
- **Remediation:** Rewrite your Terms & Conditions in `app/terms/page.tsx` or equivalent for clarity:

  1. **Use plain language:** Replace "indemnify" with "hold harmless" or "not hold responsible". Replace "aforementioned" with "the [thing] we mentioned earlier".
  2. **Shorten paragraphs:** Break dense text into sections with headers. Aim for 3-5 sentences per paragraph.
  3. **Format for web:** Add CSS to constrain line length to 50-70 characters (typically 600-800px width on desktop):

     ```tsx
     /* app/terms/page.tsx */
     <div className="terms-content" style={{ maxWidth: '65ch' }}>
       <h1>Terms & Conditions</h1>
       <section>
         <h2>Use License</h2>
         <p>
           We grant you a personal, non-exclusive license to use our service.
           You agree not to resell, redistribute, or use our service for
           illegal purposes.
         </p>
       </section>
     </div>
     ```

Taxons: content-integrity, user-experience

HTML version: https://auditbuffet.com/patterns/ab-001403