1. Provision of Cleaning Services
Steamins Cleaning Services will provide regular domestic cleaning services at the Client’s property in accordance with the cleaning arrangement agreed with the Client. The cleaning tasks will be those agreed during the consultation and/or subsequently agreed between the Client and Steamins Cleaning Services.
2. Who Carries Out Your Regular Cleaning
Regular domestic cleaning will normally be carried out personally by Mrs Terri Tague trading as Steamins Cleaning Services. If exceptional circumstances mean that the agreed service cannot be provided, the Client will be informed as soon as reasonably possible.
3. Duration and Ending the Agreement
This agreement will begin on the agreed Cleaning Start Date and will continue until ended by either party. Either the Client or Steamins Cleaning Services may end the regular cleaning service by giving one month’s written notice. Notice may be given electronically, including by email or WhatsApp. The parties may mutually agree to end the service sooner. Where there is a serious breach of this agreement, the service may be ended sooner where reasonable and lawful.
4. Holidays and Planned Absences
Both the Client and Steamins Cleaning Services will give as much notice as reasonably possible of planned holidays or absences. Where reasonably possible, the Client should give at least one month’s notice when regular cleaning will not be required because of a planned holiday or absence. Steamins Cleaning Services will similarly aim to give the Client at least one month’s notice of planned absence.
5. Cancellation of a Scheduled Cleaning Visit
A regular cleaning appointment reserves cleaning time specifically for the Client. If the Client cancels a scheduled cleaning visit, the full charge for the booked cleaning hours will remain payable. Steamins Cleaning Services is not obliged to offer an alternative or rearranged appointment.
If Steamins Cleaning Services has to cancel a scheduled visit, the Client will not be charged for that visit.
6. Access, Keys and Key Safe Codes
The Client is responsible for ensuring that Steamins Cleaning Services can access the property at the agreed cleaning time. Where the Client provides a house key, key safe code, alarm code or other access information, it will be used only for the purpose of providing the agreed cleaning services and will be kept as secure as reasonably possible.
Steamins Cleaning Services will not copy, lend or disclose a Client’s key or access code to another person without the Client’s permission, except where reasonably necessary to provide an agreed service.
If a key held by Steamins Cleaning Services is lost through the negligence of Steamins Cleaning Services, the Client will be informed promptly and Steamins Cleaning Services will be responsible for reasonable direct costs necessary to restore the security of the property.
Any keys held by Steamins Cleaning Services will be returned when the regular cleaning arrangement ends.
7. Charges, Invoicing and Payment
The Client will pay the hourly rate agreed for their regular cleaning service, as shown in the Cleaning Arrangement section of this Agreement.
Regular cleaning services will be invoiced monthly. Invoices must be paid in full within 14 days of the invoice date.
Any additional cleaning work or additional cleaning hours requested by the Client will only be charged where agreed.
If an invoice becomes overdue, Steamins Cleaning Services may contact the Client to request payment and may suspend future cleaning visits after giving reasonable notice until the outstanding balance has been paid.
Steamins Cleaning Services is responsible for its own tax and National Insurance obligations.
8. Cleaning Standards and Problems With the Clean
Steamins Cleaning Services will provide the cleaning services with reasonable care and skill.
If the Client is unhappy with any aspect of a clean, they should notify Steamins Cleaning Services within 48 hours of the cleaning visit, where reasonably possible, and explain the problem.
Steamins Cleaning Services will be given a reasonable opportunity to investigate the issue and, where appropriate, put the matter right. This may include returning to re-clean the affected area or making an appropriate adjustment.
Nothing in this Agreement affects the Client's statutory rights.
9. Existing Damage, Fragile Items and Specialist Surfaces
The Client should inform Steamins Cleaning Services of any fragile, valuable, damaged or particularly delicate items, surfaces or furnishings before cleaning begins.
The Client should also provide any relevant care or manufacturer instructions for specialist surfaces or materials where particular cleaning methods or products are required.
Steamins Cleaning Services will take reasonable care when cleaning the Client's property but will not be responsible for deterioration or damage resulting from pre-existing damage, normal wear and tear, defective items, or the use of a cleaning method or product specifically requested by the Client against the advice of Steamins Cleaning Services.
10. Accidental Damage and Breakages
Steamins Cleaning Services will take reasonable care while working in the Client's property.
If Steamins Cleaning Services accidentally causes damage or a breakage, the Client will be informed as soon as reasonably possible.
Where Steamins Cleaning Services is responsible for damage caused through negligence, Steamins Cleaning Services will deal with the matter reasonably. Depending on the circumstances, this may include repair, replacement or an appropriate contribution towards the reasonable cost of putting the damage right.
Steamins Cleaning Services will not be responsible for pre-existing damage, normal wear and tear, defective or unstable items, or damage that could not reasonably have been avoided.
Nothing in this Agreement excludes or limits any liability that cannot legally be excluded or limited.
11. Confidentiality and Privacy
Steamins Cleaning Services will respect the Client's privacy and will treat information obtained while providing the cleaning services as confidential.
Personal information provided by the Client will only be used where reasonably necessary to manage and provide the cleaning service, communicate with the Client, maintain business records, process payments and invoices, or meet legal and regulatory requirements.
Steamins Cleaning Services will not disclose the Client's personal information to other people or organisations unless reasonably necessary for providing the service, required by law, or authorised by the Client.
Any photographs taken at the property for cleaning records, evidence of existing damage or cleaning-related purposes will be handled in accordance with the photography provisions of this Agreement. Separate permission will be requested before photographs are used for marketing purposes.
12. Client Property and Personal Belongings
The Client is responsible for keeping money, jewellery, important documents and other particularly valuable or irreplaceable personal belongings secure.
Steamins Cleaning Services will take reasonable care while working around the Client’s belongings. The Client should tell Steamins Cleaning Services about any items that require particular care or should not be moved, handled or cleaned.
If the Client believes an item has been damaged or is missing following a cleaning visit, they should contact Steamins Cleaning Services as soon as reasonably possible so that the matter can be investigated.
13. Photographs for Cleaning Records
Steamins Cleaning Services may take photographs where reasonably necessary to record the condition of an area or item before cleaning, document existing damage, record a cleaning-related issue, or provide a before-and-after record of work carried out.
These photographs will be handled with reasonable care and will not automatically be used for advertising, social media or other marketing purposes.
Where reasonably possible, photographs taken for cleaning records will avoid including people, personal information or other unnecessary identifying details.
Separate optional consent will be requested if Steamins Cleaning Services wishes to use photographs for marketing purposes.
14. Insurance
Steamins Cleaning Services will maintain appropriate business insurance for the cleaning services provided and will provide evidence of relevant insurance upon reasonable request.
Nothing in this Agreement limits any rights or responsibilities that cannot legally be limited or excluded.
15. Independent Contractor
Mrs Terri Tague provides the cleaning services as a self-employed person trading as Steamins Cleaning Services. Nothing in this Agreement creates an employment relationship, partnership or joint venture between the Client and Steamins Cleaning Services.
Steamins Cleaning Services is responsible for its own tax, National Insurance and other obligations arising from its self-employed status.
16. Changes to the Cleaning Arrangement
Any change to the regular cleaning arrangement, including the cleaning day, cleaning frequency, number of cleaning hours or scope of work, must be agreed between the Client and Steamins Cleaning Services.
Any change to the hourly rate will be communicated to the Client in advance before the new rate takes effect.
Where the Client requests additional cleaning tasks or additional cleaning hours, Steamins Cleaning Services may agree to provide them subject to availability and any additional charge being agreed.
17. Changes to this Agreement
Any significant change to the terms of this Agreement will be communicated to the Client in advance.
Where a proposed change materially affects the cleaning service, charges or the Client’s obligations, Steamins Cleaning Services will explain the change before it takes effect. The Client may choose to end the regular cleaning arrangement in accordance with the termination provisions of this Agreement if they do not wish to continue under the changed terms.
18. Communications and Notices
The Client and Steamins Cleaning Services may communicate about the cleaning service by telephone, text message, WhatsApp, email or other electronic means agreed between them.
Where this Agreement requires written notice, notice given by email, WhatsApp or another agreed written electronic method will be treated as written notice.
The Client is responsible for providing up-to-date contact information and should inform Steamins Cleaning Services if their contact details change.
19. Entire Agreement
This Agreement, together with the cleaning arrangement recorded in this form and any additional terms expressly agreed between the Client and Steamins Cleaning Services, sets out the agreement between the parties concerning the regular domestic cleaning service.
The 10 Important Terms above provide a summary of key provisions but do not replace the full terms of this Agreement.
20. Governing Law
This Agreement is governed by the laws of England and Wales.
Nothing in this Agreement affects any statutory rights or remedies available to the Client under applicable consumer law.
21. Severability
If any provision of this Agreement is found to be invalid, unlawful or unenforceable, that provision will be treated as modified or removed only to the extent necessary. The remaining provisions of the Agreement will continue to apply.
22. Waiver
If either party does not immediately enforce a right or provision under this Agreement, this does not mean that they have given up that right or prevent them from enforcing it later.
23. Consumer Cancellation Rights
Where the Client enters into this Agreement online, by telephone, or away from Steamins Cleaning Services' business premises and the law provides the Client with a statutory cancellation period, the Client will be given the cancellation rights and information required by law.
Where applicable, the Client may have the right to cancel the service contract within 14 days without giving a reason.
If the Client asks Steamins Cleaning Services to begin providing cleaning services during an applicable 14-day cancellation period, the Client may be required to pay for services properly provided up to the point at which they exercise their right to cancel.
This statutory cancellation right is separate from the cancellation policy applying to individual scheduled cleaning visits after the service has begun.
