Terms and conditions
By placing an order either over the phone, email or website, the customer has verbal or written agreement, and is bound to Habitus Livings’ Terms and Conditions.
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1 DEFINITIONS
For the purpose of this Agreement:
1.1 The term “Habitus Living” means Habitus living Ltd (registered in England and Wales, company number 13044644).
1.2 The term “Customer” means the customer whose details are stated on the ‘Cleaning Agreement’. The ‘Cleaning Agreement’ is emailed (or posted if email is not used) once a client has confirmed they would like to book a cleaner.
1.3 The term “cleaner” means a cleaner from Habitus Living's verified cleaners.
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2 INTRODUCTION
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2.1 Habitus Living Ltd shall provide a cleaner subject to these terms and conditions and those of the ‘Cleaning Agreement,’ together these form the ‘Contract.’
2.2 Any changes to the duration of cleaning shall affect the payment to Habitus Living, as per our current pricing.
2.3 The Agreement has no minimum term and is from the date of the first clean, specified on the ‘Cleaning Agreement.’ The Agreement shall continue until either Habitus Living or the client terminate services.
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3 PAYMENT
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3.1 By placing an order the client agrees to these terms & conditions and the payment terms.
3.2 The customer agrees to pay the fees as detailed on the ‘Cleaning Agreement’ via Standing Order, BACS, or Direct Debit. Standing orders must be arranged directly with your bank, our bank details are on the ‘Cleaning Agreement’ and attached below for your reference.
3.3 Any payments made to Habitus Living by cheque will be subject to a £5/cheque administration charge.
3.4 Habitus Living reserves the right to suspend cleaning services if payments are late.
3.5 Habitus Living will email a weekly, Fortnightly, or monthly invoice, depending on the frequency of the cleans.
3.6 Where payment by the customer is not received within 15 days of date of invoice Habitus Living reserves the right to charge the customer a £20 late penalty charge to cover our associated administration costs.
3.7 If payment is not made after 30 days of invoice, then the account will be passed to a collections agency, after which a charge of 20% on top of the initial invoice due, will be added to the debt. You agree as part of this contract to pay this sum, which represents our reasonable costs in collecting the unpaid amounts.
4. GENERAL
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4.1 A minimum duration of 2 hours per cleaning visit applies for all cleaning services.
4.2 Sales advisors can only give a rough estimate of the duration of the cleaning service, which may vary due to differing level of cleanliness. Please note that duration may vary therefore a degree of flexibility is required for the first couple of cleans to ensure the time is right for the tasks you wish to be carried out.
4.3 The Customer agrees to provide a task list and all necessary cleaning detergents and equipment for the required work, unless other arrangements have been made with Habitus Living. All cleaning equipment should be safe and in full working order.
4.4 If the customer suspends or rearranges the cleaning day/time for any reason, the monthly fee is still payable, unless 48hrs notice is provided.
4.5 If collection of keys is required from a location other than that of the cleaning scheduled, a fixed fee of £15 plus £0.60/mile for additional miles from our original journey will apply.
4.6 Habitus Living will not be responsible for triggering any alarm systems. The Customer should give any special instructions for deactivation/activation of any alarm systems.
4.7 The customer understands that the price quoted over the phone or email does not include anything apart from cleaning labour.
4.8 The client understands that additional Parking and Congestion charges may apply.
5. CUSTOMER OBLIGATIONS
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5.1 The Customer shall pay their invoices promptly.
5.2 The Customer shall provide a safe working environment for their cleaner at all times and supply all suitable cleaning materials and equipment to allow their cleaner to perform their work to a good standard.
5.3 The customer shall notify the office of any key, lock or alarm code changes.
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6. Habitus Living Ltd.'s OBLIGATIONS
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6.1 Habitus Living shall provide a cleaner in accordance with our ‘Cleaning Agreement’.
6.2 If your regular cleaner is; (1) Sick/ill (2) On holiday (3) Leaves for any other reason; then Habitus Living will endeavour to offer you a suitable replacement as quickly and efficiently as possible.
6.3 We will arrange suitable cover for your cleaning when your regular cleaner has notified us of breaks in their service.
6.4 We will endeavour to offer you a replacement cleaner within 48 hours of your original cleaning time/date if your regular cleaner is ill. However, we cannot guarantee this if (a) There is no one in to let the replacement cleaner into the premises (b) There is not a key lock-box fitted to the property to gain entry.
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7. COMPLAINTS AND CLAIMS
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7.1 The customer accepts and understands that poor service, breakage/damage or theft must be reported within 24 hours from the service date. Failure to do so will entitle customer to no refunds or recovery cleanings.
7.2 Habitus Living may take up to 7 working days to respond to a complaint.
7.3 Complaints are accepted verbally over the phone and in writing (letter or email). Complaints must be reported on completion or in the following 24-hours.
7.4 Key replacement/locksmith fees are paid only if keys are lost by our operatives.
7.5 Habitus Living agrees to keep all customers’ information confidential.
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8 INSURANCE
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8.1 Habitus Living has Public and Employer’s liability insurance. The policy will cover any accidental damages caused by a Habitus Living cleaner, providing it's reported within 24 hours of service date.
8.2 There is £250 excess on any claim.
8.3 Accidental damage caused up to £250 should be agreed with the cleaner. However, if there is a problem, please liaise with the Habitus Living office.
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9. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
9.1 The customer understands that he/she is not entitled to any refunds.
9.2 If the customer is not completely satisfied with a cleaning job, Habitus Living will re-clean any areas and items to customer’s satisfaction. Therefore, the customer must allow the cleaner to be returned.
9.3 The customer must be present at all times during the recovery clean. Habitus Living reserves the right not to return a cleaner more than once.
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10. LIABILITY
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10.1 Habitus Living reserves the right not to be liable for:
10.2 Completing tasks which are not stated on a task list.
10.3 Cleaning jobs not complete due to: (1) a lack of suitable cleaning detergents and/or equipment in full working order, hot water or power; (2) unrealistic expectations on the cleaning tasks to be performed within the time.
10.4 Third party entering or present at the customer’s premises during the cleaning process.
10.5 Any damages caused by a faulty or not in full working order detergents/equipment supplied by the customer.
10.6 If the customer has got items which need special cleaning methods and special cleaning detergents, which have not been explained and highlighted to the cleaner.
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11 CANCELLATIONS
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11.1 Customer may terminate the cleaning service within 48hrs of the next scheduled clean.
11.2 The customer agrees to pay the full invoice value regardless of one-off cancellations on their behalf.
11.3 Customer agrees to pay the full price of the cleaning visit in the event of a lock-out caused by our cleaners being turned away; no one at the premises to let them in; or problem with customer’s keys.
11.4 If keys are provided, they must open the lock without any special efforts or skills.
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11.1 AFTER CANCELLATION OF THE CLEANING SERVICE
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11.1.1 By entering into a service agreement with Habitus Living, the customer agrees that after the termination of the cleaning service he/she will not hire or use any services provided by a present or past cleaner introduced to the customer by Habitus Living. If the customer wishes to hire or use services provided by such a current of former employee, then he/she must pay a referral fee of £1500.
These terms and conditions shall be governed by the relevant United Kingdom law, and by agreeing to be bound by them the customer agrees to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the relevant courts of the United Kingdom. Habitus Living reserves the right to make any changes to any part of these terms and conditions without giving any prior notice. Should any of the above clauses change all existing customers will be notified.
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Gardening Services
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POLICY OF SAFE WORKING PRACTICE
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1. Covid: work will be carried out as per current UK Government Guidelines
2. Habitus Living Ltd.'s current Public Liability Insurance cover up to £5,000,000.00 for any one accident or occurrence.
3. Habitus Living Ltd uses subcontractors which are licensed waste carrier (upper tier). A scale of charges is available should you wish to have garden waste removed.
4. Habitus Living Ltd will use a client’s own compost area for their bio-degradable waste.
5. Habitus Living Ltd will use a client’s own garden waste refuse bin, where provided, for disposal of their garden waste.
6. Habitus Living Ltd will not supply or apply garden chemicals for weed killing etc, unless otherwise agreed. Clients should advise where these products have already been applied, at the start of the work period.
7. Habitus Living Ltd will only supply, or apply, Organic feeds, if required and requested.
8. Habitus Living Ltd;
8.1 Cleans and disinfects all their own tools used, between jobs.
8.2 Will not use client tools or ladders.
8.3 Regularly maintains, cleans and sharpens their own tools and these will only be used by Dig It &/or any appointed associates
8.4 Use only their own ladders and these will be used in a safe and proper manner
8.5 Will apply safety signs when using electrical cables; for the client to be aware of their presence. Clients are requested to observe a safe distance from electrical cables whilst they are in use.
8.6 Only use lawnmowers, hedge-trimmers & strimmer's after 08.00 hours, due to noise considerations.
9. Habitus Living Ltd personnel are provided with / wear relevant personal protective equipment considered necessary for undertaking different tasks.
10. Safe manual handling techniques will be applied in the event of lifting.
11. Portable Appliance Testing will be undertaken and maintained on any Habitus Living Ltd equipment requiring this.
12. Relevant training and supervision will be given to any authorised Associate working on behalf of Habitus Living Ltd.
13. Habitus Living Ltd expect clients to notify them if they have Japanese Knotweed in their garden. Otherwise, if the presence of Japanese Knotweed is suspected by your gardener, the client will be informed for them to formally identify it. This is an invasive and potentially destructive weed, and the client/landowner is legally responsible for treatment. Habitus Living Ltd will cease garden work in the immediate area of Japanese Knotweed. If Habitus Living Ltd continues to undertake other work at the location going forward, the client is responsible for updating Habitus Living Ltd of treatment.
14. Photographs will be taken before and after each job and confidential copies will be kept. If the client objects for any reason, work cannot proceed.
15. Habitus Living Ltd will supply a receipt for all work completed upon request.
16. Habitus Living Ltd respectfully requests pets are kept inside when electrical tools are being used.
17. Habitus Living Ltd and any authorised Associate working on behalf of Habitus Living Ltd carry mobile phones, which remain switched on during work and have tracker locators for personal security and safety.
18. Habitus Living Ltd carries an up-to-date basic first aid kit.
19. Habitus Living Ltd will not undertake work in hazardous weather conditions, due to the increased risk of accident. In such circumstances, Habitus Living Ltd will liaise with the client.
20. Any additional garden supplies provided by Habitus Living Ltd on behalf of the client will be charged for.
21. Vehicles used by Habitus Living Ltd will be parked on the client’s property or nearby on the public highway enabling a short distance for the carrying of tools to the client’s location.
22. All jobs are timed and charged for accordingly. Work will not exceed the allotted time, unless by prior arrangement with the client.
23. Habitus Living Ltd reserves the right to charge for any consultation carried out prior to work commencing.
