- 1. Definitions
1.1. In these Terms of Business the following definitions apply: 'The Company', 'We', 'Us' , means brand / trade name of HQ Cleaning Ltd
'Cleaner', Cleaning Operative means the person or firm carrying out cleaning services on behalf of the Company.
'Client' means the person, firm or corporate body together with any subsidiary or associated company as defined by the Companies Act 1985 to whom the cleaning services are supplied by the Company.
'Clients Address' means the address where the Client has requested the cleaning service to be carried out.
'Service', 'End of Tenancy Cleaning', 'EOT', 'Move In / Out Cleaning', Deep Cleaning' means the cleaning services carried out on behalf of the Company.
'Cleaning Visit' means the visit to the Clients service address by the Cleaner in order to carry out the Service.
1.2. Unless the context requires otherwise, reference to the singular include the plural and references to the masculine include the feminine and vice versa.
1.3. The Headings contained in these Terms are for convenience only and do not affect their interpretation.
- 2. Contract
2.1 These Terms and Conditions represent a contract between HQ Cleaning Ltd and the Client.
2.2 Both parties shall ensure that their respective responsibilities under this agreement are undertaken in compliance with all statutory regulations and codes of conduct.
2.3 The Client agrees that any use of the Companys services, including placing an order for services by telephone, email, website booking forms shall constitute the Clients acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.
2.4 Unless otherwise agreed in writing by a director of the Company, these Terms and Conditions shall prevail over any other terms of business or purchase conditions put forward by the Client.
2.5 No variation or alteration of these Terms and Conditions shall be valid unless approved in writing by a director of the Company.
- 3. Cost
3.1. All services is charged per job taking into account the current condition, number of rooms, bathrooms, WCs, shower rooms and en-suites. Please note that we do not charge per hour per cleaner and the number of operatives attending your property may vary.The number of operatives in a team cannot affect the initially price.
3.2 The fixed price does not include extras like: carpet shampoo and upholstery steam cleaning, stripping and polishing floors, washing up dishes, dusting books, cleaning walls/ceilings, cleaning balconies/terraces/conservatory, cleaning patios/gardens/. Those extra services are priced separately.
3.3 Deep Sanitising . The Client should assess the level of dirtiness of their property , when property require a deep sanitising. In case if Cleaner will spend more than 5 hours for cleaning session (7 hours for 4 bedroom property) , and Client has not selected Deep Sanitising option on the booking form ,the Client agree to pay additional £50 charge
4. Service Notes
4.1. The Company do not provide the following services :
- Cleaning the windows from outside;
- Cleaning of curtains and blinds;
- Carpet and upholstery cleaning;
- Inside of washing machine, tumble dryer and dishwasher
- Cleaning behind and under the heavy furniture
4.2. The Client should move the furniture 30-40 cm from the wall
4.3. The Client must notify Company in advance if the property in hazardous condition. The Company reserves the right to refuse to provide the service if the Client has not notified the Company of the hazardous condition of the property. The Client agree to pay a £100 charge if cleaning operator arrive at the Clients address and finds that the property is in a hazardous condition.
- 5. Equipment
5.1. The Company shall provide all cleaning supplies and cleaning equipment necessary to carry out the service.
5.2. The Client must provide running water, electricity and sufficient light at the premises where the service takes place.
5.3. For Victorian / Tenement / Georgian style properties client must provide a step ladder which must be safe for use.
- 6. Payment
6.1 Company accept cash , bank transfer and card payment options
6.2 The rates of payment by the Company shall be as agreed between the Company and the Client, or his representative. The Client shall make no reduction or retention from the sum due under any invoice.
6.3 Deposit - The Company has the right to request and the Client agrees to pay a deposit to the reserve the date for the cleaning session. Please note: A deposit is non-refundable. You can reschedule (depending on availability) your cleaning session by giving us 72hrs notice. But in case if you cancel your booking your deposit will not be refunded
6.4 Cash Payment - In case of payment in cash - the Client undertakes to pay the entire agreed / outstanding amount in cash directly to the cleaner(s).
6.5 Bank Transfer - In case of payment by bank transfer - the Client must send the full payment on the day before service is due.
6.6 Card Payment - In case of payment by card - the Client authorizes the Company to charge the Client card for the agreed amount.
6.7 Cancellation fee - The Client agrees to pay the cancellation fee by the way selected at the time of booking. In case of non-payment the Client authorizes the Company to charge the Client card for the agreed cancellation fee amount without further notice.
6.7 In case the Client's card is declined by the non Company fault , such as - 'no funds', 'incorrect card details', 'expired card', 'cancelled card' etc, the Client agrees to pay a penalty to the Company in the amount of £150
6.9 In case of 'Chargeback Claim' (Chargeback fraud) the Client agrees to pay a penalty to the Company in the amount of £250.
- 7. Cancellation
7.1. The Client can cancel the scheduled service by giving no less than 72 hours prior notice in writing.
7.2. There is a cancellation fee of 75% of the service total for cancelling or rescheduling a cleaning visit with less than 72 hours notice.
7.3. The Client must pay the full price of the booked service if:
7.3.1 Our cleaners arrive at the Clients address and are unable to gain access to the Clients home, through no fault of the Company. If keys are provided they must open all locks without any special efforts or skills;
7.3.2 The Client cancels the booked service with less than 72 hours prior notice.
7.4. If the Client needs to change a cleaning day or time the Company will do its best to accommodate him. Any changes to booked services are subject to a 72 prior notice and availability.
- 8. Refunds
8.1. No refund claims will be entertained once the cleaning service has been carried out.
8.2. 20% Refund will be issued only if:
8.2.1 A cleaning operative has not been able to carry out the cleaning due to reasons beyond the Clients responsibility.
8.2.2 The Client Letting Agency or landlord doesnt accepted the cleaning service has been carried out. The Client must provide written statement from the Letting Agency together with video evidence
8.3 Refunds cannot be issued if the client was present in the property, have checked the property condition and had no complaints at that moment
- 9. Complaints
9.1. All services shall be deemed to have been carried out to the Clients satisfaction unless written notice is received by the Company with details of the complaint within 24 hours of the work being completed. All complaints must be received in writing by email no later than 24 hours after the completion of the service. The Company will fully investigate any complaint and attempt to resolve it to the satisfaction of the Client, or alternatively to a reasonable standard.
9.2. The Client agrees to allow the Company back to re-clean any disputed areas/items before making any attempts to clean those areas/items himself or arranging a third party to carry out cleaning or repair services with regards to the above. Failure to do so will void our Company Guarantee and we will consider the matter fully settled. If payment has not been received in full or has been stopped by the Client we will immediately refer the account for collection.
9.3 Complaints cannot be accepted if the client was present in the property, have checked the property condition and had no complaints at that moment
- 10. Claims
10.1. The Client agrees that due to the nature of the service the Company guarantees only to correct any problems reported within 24 hours of the completion of the service. If a problem occurs on a Saturday it must be reported by Monday 12:00 in order to be accepted as a valid claim. Failure to do so will entitle the Client to nothing.
10.2. The Company may require entry to the location of the claim within 24 hours to correct the problem.
10.3. The Client agrees to inspect the work immediately after its completion and to draw the operatives� attention to any outstanding cleaning issues while they are still on site. The operatives will carry out any such additional work to the Clients complete satisfaction.
10.4. If the Client or any third party instructed by the Client is not present at the time of completion of the service then no claims regarding any cleaning issues can be made.
10.5. If the Client instructs a third party to inspect the result from the cleaning then the Company must be notified before completion of the service.
10.6. In case of a third party inspecting or refusing to inspect the result from the cleaning then the Company cannot be held responsible for rectifying any outstanding cleaning issues not mentioned by the third party.
10.7. Any refunds or adjustments must be requested to the Company directly and subject to approval by the Company.
10.8. The Client waives his right to stop payment on his cheque or protest a credit/debit card charge unless the Company fails to make good on the guarantee shown in part 13.
10.9. While the Company operatives make every effort not to break items, accidents do happen. Identical replacement is always attempted but not guaranteed. For this specific reason, the Company requests all irreplaceable items (whether monetarily or sentimentally valuable) be stored away and /or not cleaned by the cleaning operatives.
10.10. In case of damage, The Company will repair the item at its cost. If the item cannot be repaired the Company will rectify the problem by crediting the customer with the items present actual cash value toward a like replacement from a Companys source upon payment of cleaning services rendered.
10.11. The Company shall not be responsible for damage due to faulty and/or improper installation of any item. All surfaces (i.e., marble, granite, etc.) are assumed sealed and ready to clean without causing harm.
10.12. No claims shall be entertained if the Client has an outstanding balance aged more than 30 days.
10.13. Any attempt to commit insurance fraud or any use of false information to commit any type of fraud will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law together by the Company and the Insurance Provider(s). Monetary compensation as well as legal fees may incur.
10.14 Claims cannot be accepted if the client was present in the property, have checked the property condition and had no complaints at that moment
- 11. Liability
11.1. The Company shall not be liable under any circumstances for any loss, expense, damage, delay, costs or compensation (whether direct, indirect or consequential) which may be suffered or incurred by the Client arising from or in any way connected with:
11.1.1 Its failure to carry out its services as a result of factors that are beyond its control. Factors beyond its control include acts of god, floods, severe weather conditions, and inability to gain access to premises, lack of appropriate resources, such as water, electricity, and lighting;
11.1.2 Late arrival of Company operatives at the service address. The Company endeavours to be right on time on any visit but sometimes due to transport related and other problems which are beyond the Companys control, the Company operatives may arrive with a delay or the cleaning visit may be re-scheduled.
11.1.3 An existing damage to Clients property in the form of old stains/burns/spillages etc. which cannot be cleaned/removed completely by the cleaning operative using the industry standard cleaning methods;
11.1.4 Non satisfactory result from the service due to the Client or third party walking on wet floors or using appliances during or shortly after the cleaning process; 11.2. The Company shall not be liable for any damages worth £50.00 or less.
11.2. The Company shall not be liable for any odours arising during and/or after cleaning when this is due to factors such as, lack of ventilation, and/or appropriate heating.
11.3. The Company shall not be liable under any circumstances for any loss, expense, damage, delay, costs or compensation (whether direct, indirect or consequential) which may be suffered or incurred by the Client if the Client has an outstanding balance aged 30 days or more from the date the payment was due.
11.4. We record all incoming and outgoing phone conversations for quality control, record keeping and back-referral for any inquiries or investigations.
- 12. Supplementary Terms
12.1. If the Client requests keys to be collected by the Companys operatives from an address outside the postal code of the Clients address then a £10.00 charge will apply. The charge will cover only the pick up of keys. If said keys need to be returned back to the pick up address or any other address another charge of £10.00 will apply.
12.2. If any estimates of how long it will take the cleaning operatives to do the job required are being provided that is only an estimate based on the average time it takes to clean a home of similar size to the Clients, it being difficult to estimate precisely how long such tasks may take and that a degree of flexibility may be required.
12.3. The quotation excludes the clearing of debris created by tradesman or building work unless otherwise stated.
12.4. Our cleaners are happy to move furniture. Due to Health and Safety regulations one cleaner will attempt to move only furniture that requires no more than one person.
12.5. The Company shall arrange an immediate replacement should an operative cannot attend a scheduled visit, and will inform the Client prior to the visit.
12.6. All fragile and highly breakable items must be secured or removed.
12.7. The Client shall ensure that all valuables are stored away when work is carried out and that the property is supervised by the Client or his representative at all times during the course of the work. The Company shall not be responsible for the Clients failure to comply with this obligation.
12.8. The provisions of this contract are not intended to confer any benefit upon Third parties and the provisions of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999, are hereby expressly excluded from this agreement.
12.9. The Company reserves the right to make any changes to any part of these Terms and Conditions without giving any prior notice. The Company may add to or alter these Terms and Conditions from time to time and any alterations or additions will apply to new business but not to existing contracts. Please refer to your copy of these Terms and Conditions.
- 13. Our Guarantee
13.1 The Company has built its business and reputation by providing its clients with the best possible cleaning service available. Still, the Company realises, that because its operatives are human beings, they sometimes make mistakes. For this reason, the Company offers you a guarantee. If the Client is not satisfied with the Companys service for any reason, the Companys operatives will come back to the Clients home and re-clean to his complete satisfaction.
13.2 Our guarantee is subject to a complaints notice no later than 24 hours after the completion of the service.
- 14. Insurance
14.1. The Company shall insure all work it undertakes. The Companys public liability insurance covers damages caused by a cleaning operative working on behalf of the Company and includes Treatment Risk and Fidelity Risk covers as standard. All claims are subject to an excess of £50.00.
- 15. Referral Credit
15.1. Every Client of the Company will receive a one-time credit of £5.00 for referring our carpet cleaning services to another Client. Credit will be issued after we receive cleared funds from the new Client.
- 16. Law
16.1 These Terms are governed by the laws of Scotland, and are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Sheriff Courts of Scotland.
