Terms & Conditions
1.0 Definitions
1.1. “The Company” – means Serene Eco Cleaning.
1.2. “Cleaner” – means the person carrying out cleaning services on behalf of the Company. Also known as “Cleaning Operative”.
1.3. “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.
1.4. “Service” – means the cleaning services carried out on behalf of the Company.
1.5. “Cleaning Visit” – means the visit to the Client’s service address by the Cleaner in order to carry out the Service.
2.0 Contract
2.1. These Terms and Conditions represent a contract between Serene Eco Cleaning and the Client.
2.2. These Terms and Conditions will supersede any other terms of business or purchase conditions put forward by the Client unless otherwise agreed in writing.
2.3. The Client agrees that any use of the Company’s services, including making a booking for services by telephone, email, website forms, direct messaging or text, shall constitute the Client’s acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.
2.4. No variation or alteration of these Terms and Conditions shall be valid unless approved in writing by the Company.
2.5. The Company operates with a minimum of 2 hours per cleaning visit unless otherwise agreed between the Company and the Client.
2.6 This contract can be terminated at any time by either party (see section 7.0).
3.0 Payment
3.1. All work carried out by the Company at your request, whether experimental or otherwise will be charged accordingly. Any work undertaken by the Company on behalf of the Client is carried out on the basis that the Client has fully approved such work whether or not we have received an official order providing there is evidence of written or verbal confirmation to proceed, including letter, text or email correspondence between the parties.
3.2. Unless otherwise stated, all prices shall be in Pounds Sterling and exclusive of VAT and other duties. All prices are Net and no settlement discount is allowed.
3.3. Payments of amounts rendered by invoice are due within the specified dates on the invoice.
3.4. Payment reminders will be sent periodically to help avoid accounts falling into arrears, with the final remainder being sent on the last day of the payment period (see section 3.9).
3.5. Interest may be applied to any overdue accounts at a rate of 7% per annum plus a £10 late payment fee. Where payment has not been received we reserve the right to withhold services, documents and information, and have the right to cease any further work on the Client’s account, and to terminate the engagement if payments are unduly delayed.
3.6. Consistent late payment will incur a 100% pre-payment for all future work.
3.7. The Company has a statutory right to interest and compensation for debt recovery costs under the late payment legislation if not paid according to agreed credit terms. The Late Payment of Commercial Debt (Interest) Act (1988) states that for debts of less than £1000, the penalty is £40, rising to £70 for debts up to £9,999.99 and £100 above that. Interest is payable at the above rate in section 3.4. The penalties and interest now apply to all businesses regardless of size.
3.8. The Company shall invoice upon service completion or monthly, dependent on the agreed terms with the Client.
3.9. All accounts are payable no later than 7 (Seven) days from date of invoice unless otherwise agreed by the Company in writing. Note that the payment terms are required whether the Client has signed off on the copy or not.
3.10. After the 7 day payment period has passed and no acknowledgement of the final payment reminder received, all further work for the Client will cease. Late payment fees will then come into effect (see section 3.4).
3.11. Any expenses incurred whilst working on the Client’s behalf will be charged and appropriate records will be kept and will be available for inspection. Such expenses may include the use of meeting rooms and other facilities, internal printing, courier charges, and international but not national telephone calls.
3.12. All quotations offered by the Company are deemed valid for a period of 30 (Thirty) days, after which time we reserve the right to revise the said quotation.
3.13. The Company provides services on a one-off and retainer basis.
3.14. One-off jobs such as deep cleans will require a 25% deposit of the quoted amount. A 50% deposit will be required if the booking is made with less than 14 days notice.
3.15. Payments for recurring cleaning services are to be made via bank transfer within 24 hours from the start of the scheduled booking. Clients are provided with the option to set up a direct debit with our payment system GoCardless, where one-off and recurring payments can be managed.
3.15. Any additional work requested that isn’t covered in the original brief will be quoted separately and added to the original invoice.
3.16. All Cleaning service prices are reviewed each year and adjusted in line with inflation, minimum wage increases or any reasonable circumstances.
4.0 Equipment
4.1. The Company will provide all cleaning equipment, supplies and materials required for the Cleaning Visit. If the Client requires the Company to use their solutions or equipment, they must be safe to use/operate, in full working order and must not require any special skills to be used for the purpose of cleaning.
4.2. If the equipment is complicated to operate, the Client must provide clear and detailed instructions to the Cleaner.
4.3. If the Client requires the Cleaner to use their own materials and equipment, such as the vacuum cleaner, the Company cannot accept any liability should anything go wrong with the equipment or as a result of using it.
5.0 Cancellations
5.1. When the Client books a clean, they hold a dedicated space in the calendar no longer available to other customers. The Client may cancel at no cost providing it is at least 48 hours from the start of the scheduled booking.
5.2. The Client agrees to pay the full price of the cleaning visit, if: a) The Client cancels or changes the date/time less than 48 hours prior to the scheduled appointment (excluding cancellations due to illness); b) The Client fails to provide access to the service premises which prevents the Company from carrying out the scheduled work; c) There is an issue with the Client’s keys and the Cleaner cannot let themselves in. If keys are provided they must open all locks without any special efforts or skills.
5.3. Cancellations for one-off jobs will receive a full refund of the deposit provided it is made within the 14-day cooling-off period. Cancellations made outside this window will not receive a refund.
5.4. If the Client needs to change a cleaning day or time the Company will do its best to accommodate them. Requests to change a booking must be made via phone, text or email with at least 48 hours notice. Please note that the Company cannot guarantee that the same operative will be available on the new day and at the time the Client requires. Any changes in the cleaning schedule are subject to availability.
5.5. The Company’s cleaning operatives work Monday to Friday excluding Bank Holidays. If the Client’s cleaning visit is due on a Bank Holiday, the Company will either cancel or reschedule the visit where possible to suiit the Clients needs.
6.0 Refunds
6.1. Refund claims will not be given once the scheduled cleaning service has been carried out. If for any reason the Client is dissatisfied with any aspect they must notify the Company within 24 hours after the cleaning session and this will be rectified.
6.2. Refunds will only be issued if the Client has cancelled a cleaning visit within the allowed time (48 hours) before the start of the scheduled cleaning session and a payment has already been received by the Company.
6.3. Refunds will be issued if a Cleaner does not attend a cleaning visit, payment for which has been already received by the Company.
7.0 Termination
7.1. The Client may terminate this contract at any time providing written notice is given at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled booking. Any later and cancellation terms in section 5.0 will apply.
7.3. The Client agrees to pay the full price of the scheduled cleaning visit if: a) No notice is given; b) The Client provides notice of termination less than 48 hours.
7.4. The Company may terminate this contract at any time and any payments already received for future scheduled cleaning will be refunded.
8.0 Complaints
8.1. If the Client is not happy with any aspect of the service please contact the Company as soon as possible and give us the chance to rectify it. Your custom is very important to us and we want you to be happy with the service.
8.2. If the Client is dissatisfied with a currently occurring cleaning visit, the Company asks that the Client notifies us as soon as they notice anything that might be to their dislike by calling 07832 313 323. Please do not wait until the service is ending.
8.3. Complaints regarding a recent cleaning visit should be made within 24 hours after the cleaning visit ends in order for the Company to rectify it promptly. If the 24 hour window has passed, please still get in touch and we will do our best to rectify any issues to avoid them happening again.
9.0 Holiday
9.1. All staff are entitled holiday, including on bank holidays. The Company will endeavour to provide cover when a Cleaner is on booked holiday, however due to scheduling and staff availability, this may not always be possible and your Cleaner will visit on the next scheduled clean when they return from holiday.
9.2. Clients should provide adequate notice if they have any holiday booked and would prefer to cancel their clean (see section 5.0). Clients can also ask that the Company uses their key to access the property while they are away to carry out the scheduled clean.
10.0 Sickness
10.1. Ultimately sickness does happen and the Company will endeavour to provide cover if a Cleaner is off sick, however due to scheduling and staff availability, this may not always be possible and your Cleaner will visit on the next scheduled clean when they recover.
11.0 Checklists
11.1. The Company shall provide the Client with a checklist on request or ask that the Client leaves a list of priorities for the Cleaner. This means the Cleaner can tick off top to bottom what they are able to do within the booked time.
12.0 Claims
12.1. The Company’s public liability insurance will cover damages caused by a cleaning operative working on behalf of the Company up to £5,000,000.00. In order to keep our prices competitive, all claims are subject to an excess contribution of £50.00 payable by the client.
12.2. The Client agrees that due to the nature of the service the Company guarantees only to correct any problems reported within 24 hours. 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. The Company may require entry to the location of the claim within 24 hours to correct the problem. Any refunds or adjustments must be requested from the Company directly and subject to approval by the Company.
12.3. The Client waives their right to stop payment on their cheque unless the Company fails to make good on the guarantee shown in part 17.
12.4. While the Cleaners 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.
12.5. 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 item’s present actual cash value toward a like replacement from a Company’s source upon payment of cleaning services rendered.
12.6. 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.
12.7. 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.
12.8. Key replacement/locksmith fees are paid only if keys are lost by our operatives.
13.0 Liability
13.1. 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 a 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 Company’s control, the Company operative’s may arrive with a delay or the cleaning visit may be re-scheduled.
13.2. 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: a) A cleaning job not complete due to the lack of hot water or electricity; b) Third-party entering or present at the Client’s premises during the cleaning process; c) Any existing damage to Clients property in the form of old stains/burns/spillages etc. which cannot be cleaned/removed completely by the cleaning operative. Any damages worth £100.00 or less.
14.0 Supplementary Terms
14.1. If the Client requests keys’ to be collected by the Company’s operatives from a third party’s address then a £5.00 charge will apply. The charge will cover only the pickup of keys. If said keys need to be returned back to the third party’s address or any other address, an additional charge of £5.00 will apply.
14.2. The Company reserves the right to re-evaluate rates at any time should the Client’s initial list of tasks change.
14.3. The Company reserves the right to amend the initial quotation, should the Client’s original requirements change.
14.4. If any estimates of how long it will take the cleaning operatives to complete the job are being provided those are only estimates based on the average time it takes to clean a home or an office of similar size to the Client’s, it being difficult to calculate precisely how long such tasks may take and that a degree of flexibility may be required. Please note that one-off cleans may take longer to complete due to longer intervals between cleaning sessions, number and type of cleaning tasks required, when compared to the regular maintenance cleaning of the same property.
14.5. The Client understands that the price they have been quoted may vary according to condition of property and room sizes etc.
14.6. The Company shall endeavour to arrange a replacement cleaner if your regular cleaner cannot attend a scheduled visit, and will inform the Client prior to the visit.
14.7. Post Construction Cleaning (Builders Cleaning), Event Cleaning or badly neglected homes may take up to three times longer than a well-maintained home requiring general cleaning. Therefore the Company advises the Client to ask for our specialist cleaning services: Builders Cleaning or Event Cleaning.
14.8. The Company does not offer housekeeping as part of the cleaning service. This is reserved for holiday lets only. As such, Cleaning Operatives will not do laundry, change bedding or organise cluttered areas. Washing dishes, however, can be requested as part of the cleaning visit.
14.9 The Company asks that the Client makes an effort to de-clutter areas they want cleaning before the scheduled cleaning visit. This will enable the Cleaner to get more cleaning done in time available.
14.9. In line with the Company’s values, Cleaners will not vacuum spiders. Where possible they will be removed and put outside.
14.10. All fragile and highly breakable items must be secured or removed.
14.11. The Company reserves the right to make reasonable changes to the Terms and Conditions in agreement with the other party.
15.0 Complimentary Items
15.1. The Company will replace bathroom bin liners up to 10L with its own compostable liners providing they fit and the bin is at least half full upon inspection. If the Client would prefer the Company to use their bags, they should make the Cleaner aware during the Cleaning Visit and leave them in an accessible location for future Cleaning Visits.
15.2 The Company will supply a toilet brush where none is available or if the current brush is deemed unsatisfactory for the standard of cleaning we aim to provide.
17.0 Our Guarantee
17.1. 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 a Guarantee. If the Client is not satisfied with any areas that have been cleaned, the Company’s operative will come back to the Client’s premises and re-clean those areas free of charge.
Please note that this guarantee will not apply if the condition of the premises has deteriorated since the original cleaning was undertaken.