Payments  

• All bookings are payable after the work is completed on the day of work, using the online booking and invoice payment system (GetJobber). We will invoice you when the job is completed unless otherwise agreed.  

• Our best rates are offered when your payment card is securely registered with us and automatics payment are made, when jobs are complete and invoices raised.  

• Late payments incur a late payment charge of £2 per day.   

• For first visits with new clients a non-refundable deposit of a minimum of £30 is due before any work commences and bookings are confirmed. This deposit will be used against any set up charges.  Deposits are required to cover any outlay for plants, equipment hire and materials, in advance.  

• Cash payments are not normally accepted and incur a surcharge of £5, per payment.  

• Minimum work: 2 hours work is our normal minimum session charge. If we agree to hours less than this, the hourly rate maybe increased, or discount decreased.  

Scope of Work 

• In the estimate a scope of work will be agreed by the client, we will make reasonable endeavours to finish the work in the estimated time.   See a copy of the garden checklist on the website blog, if relevant.  

• We do not usually provide fixed price quotes, it is an estimate for expected time, for which there is an agreed hourly rate. Work is normally quoted on an hourly rate, a better rate is available for regular work i.e. weekly, bi-weekly or monthly maintenance.    

• A minimum initial visit charge of 2 hours is required, irrespective of the time taken. Hours over 2 will be charged at the agreed rate.   

• Estimates, especially those provided remotely, are a guide only and may need to be adjusted after first visit or if the property condition deteriorates or is initially worse than expected. Conditions that may change the time taken include weather, time since last treatment, visitors, pets, construction work etc.  

• Where a remote quote/assessment has been undertaken, usually from photographs (which need to be recent) this is a best guess of the hours required.  

• We will charge at least our minimum and normally the hours agreed in the estimate. 

• If we finish early, we will charge at least the minimum, but the elapsed time, to the next half hour i.e. we round up, not down.  

• If we think we need more time, we will discuss with you at about 50-75% of the way through the job.  We will update the estimate and you will agree this, at that stage.  

• If we need extra time and you are not contactable, we will finish what we can of the job and then agree additional hours for a return visit.  

• Time charged is from arrival/start time and includes time for set up, agreed break and tidy up and put away of waste and equipment.  If you delay our start, the initial start and finish time are still applied.  

Conditions 

• Unless otherwise agree waste will be disposed of in the property’s council garden bin.  We may, at our option, be prepared to take one large bag of garden wate away.  For larger volumes we will need to make separate arrangements.  

• Any special plants that need to be treated carefully or not touched need to be highlighted in advance and in general any special treatments, not covered in out standard scope of maintenance/care ned to be carefully identified to our associated.  

• Whilst we take reasonable care to treat plants and gardens with due care, given the nature of the work and use of power tools, mistakes can happen.  

• We don't normally work at height above 4 steps on our step ladders or any other ladder. If we are required to do this, we will use staff trained in safety of working at height.  

• Equipment and furniture, other than small, lightweight items (garden chairs or bar stools) will not be able to be moved to work behind/under, unless agreed. I.e. garden chairs. Any such items will normally be highlighted in the estimating session.  

• Pets – please note pets can be a nuisance when working and some of our workers are afraid of dogs, in particular. We ask that any pets, dogs in particular, or any unusual or dangerous animals are removed from the property or at least the rooms being cleaned. Animals should not greet operatives at the door or gate. Standards of cleanliness are harder to deliver with pets – please note!  

• Dog mess must be cleared up in gardens before work commences by the property owner.  

• We understand clients have security cameras internally and externally, this is acceptable, but we ask you to declare them to us.  Our staff should not be tracked, whilst on the job.  

• For all jobs over 2 hours, we provide our staff with 5 minutes paid break per hour over 2 hours. This is included within the hours we estimated for you i.e. you pay for the break.  

• Most of the chemicals we use are suitable for household/garden use however we sometimes use commercial grade chemicals on stubborn weeds.  Our staff will be trained in relevant PA1+PA6a/aw certificates for handling pesticides and backpack applicators. Please ask, but most chemicals are safe for pets, once dry.  

• We will highlight any safety concerns in advance of using any harsher or dangerous chemicals. On our web site there is a list of all the chemicals we generally use.  Link here.  

• We ask our clients to vacate the rooms / gardens actually being attended to, to avoid contact with any chemicals/sprays and minimise distractions for our staff. 

Variation 

• Due to the variable nature of the weather encountered when working outdoors – whilst we normally try to stick to a regular schedule, we may need to vary the jobs undertaken, time taken and day of the week, based on optimizing the weather. Especially in the winter months. We will notify you as soon as practical on any changes via email and SMS. 

• Any variation in in the scope of work, hours, price or time slots required, should be discussed with the Cosy Cleaners/Gardeners office, not the operative on site. Schedules and allocation of work, and variations, can only be agreed by the Cosy Cleaners/Gardeners office/manager.   

General 

• The Client agrees not to directly or indirectly solicit, hire, or engage any staff member or contractor of Cosy Cleaners for any cleaning or related services outside this agreement  

• Cosy Cleaners agrees to keep all Client information confidential and not to disclose any details to third parties without the Client’s prior consent.   

• Photos – we will not take general photos of the garden/house unless otherwise agreed, except we may take photographs near field to show the condition of surfaces, vegetation and issues/items before and after work, particularly if there is an area of concern and the Client is absent. We occasionally may ask your permission to use general pictures for marketing purposes.   

• Cosy Cleaners/Gardeners will supply all necessary equipment, chemicals and materials unless otherwise agreed.  If the Client prefers the use of specific products or machinery, they must be provided by the Client and we should be made aware of any cautions or hazardous chemicals and made aware of any special instructions for use. Our charges are not reduced if you provide equipment and chemicals, as they are a small part of our overall costs and overheads. 

• Our business aims to provide quality and reliability in the service we offer. Therefore, whilst our normal model is to provide the same person week in and week out, occasionally due to sickness, holidays or other operational issues, we may have to substitute a member of staff or change the day or time of the service. This is necessary to maintain our operational efficiency. A prebooked service will not and cannot be cancelled by you due to a change of staff. We will try to inform you as far in advance as practical of any changes.   

Attendance & Cancellation 

• With regular gardening you are effectively allocated a regular slot that you pay for, normally weekly, and we provide that service every week, except on public holidays – this commitment from you is rewarded with our best hourly rate, your preferred slot and consistent staffing.  

• We will make reasonable endeavours to attend within plus/minus 10 minutes of scheduled time.   

• For regular bookings, scheduled times cannot be cancelled but can be varied within 2 working days either side, subject to availability and our agreement, given a minimum of 5 working days' notice.  

• If clients are away and for any reason the property inaccessible, then access needs to be provided.  If we have had no communication and cannot access the property within 5 minutes of scheduled start time, we will leave the site, however, the booking and cleaning fee will be forfeit if paid and if not already paid, the fee is still due. If you are running late then please let us know and we can hang on and start the job late, if time permits. However, we will finish at the original agreed time.  

• This agreement may be terminated by either party with 15 days' written notice or by email.  If either party breaches any terms of this understanding, the other party may terminate immediately. We can enter into a formal contract agreement, should you desire. We normally do this for any commercial work. 

Holidays 

• We do not normally work on public/bank holidays, unless otherwise agreed and the holiday rates will be above our standard rate.  If your job slot falls on a public holiday, most commonly a Monday, we will not work on that day. You will not be charged for this non clean. Easter and Christmas and New Year may impact other days.  

• For public holidays we assume you would like to continue regular service and therefore we will contact you to make alternative arrangements, if possible, ideally in the same week.    

• If you are on holiday, you should make arrangements, so we can access the property. We will normally charge and work whilst you are on holiday. Unless agreed in advance, which we don’t normally do.  

• If our regular staff for your job is on holiday on one of your cleaning days, we will make reasonable endeavours to perform the job, at the same time, with an alternative cleaner.  You cannot refuse the service and retain the same slot/price etc unless the fee is paid for a non-clean.   

Liabilities 

• Cosy Cleaners will take reasonable care while providing services. However, Cosy Cleaners is not liable for any damage or loss unless caused unless proven to be by gross negligence.  

• The Client is responsible for identifying, moving and securing fragile or valuable items before the cleaning session and items should be insured within the home/garden with accidental damage cover.   

• We provide public liability and employee liability insurance coverage, but client should ensure their house contents insurance has accidental damage and sufficient cover. 

Complaints 

• Quality – if you have any issue with our service then please get in contact with our office. Post a job completion you have 24 hours to inform us of any concerns for us to rectify an issue. The reason for this is because some items can become an issue within hours of a clean i.e. in windy weather.  

• If you are present during the work, we will normally ask for your inspection and acceptance of the service / quality at the end of the session.  

• If you have verbally agreed or signed off on paper or our team’s mobile app, it is “unusual” to subsequently complain about an item. If there items which we all missed, then these can be rectified, at our choice and convenience and monitored going forward.   

• We will endeavour to rectify issues where they are fair and reasonable. This can be by a further visit, rectification on a following visit or potentially we may offer a credit against future work.  

• Occasionally, for various reasons, a job may not be performed to the client’s satisfaction. However, this is somewhat subjective, and we always try to ensure reasonable care and ensure a quality job is undertaken.   Payment in these circumstances needs to be agreed as while an item may have been missed, the majority of the work is likely to have been provided.  

• For thefts or missing items in your property we are developing a policy on this, though this has never occurred with our staff.  In the meantime, if there any concerns in this regard then please inform the management promptly.