Terms and Conditions of Service
When booking our cleaning services, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Please ensure you read these carefully as they are in place to protect both you and I.
Definitions: “I, me, my ”Emily Kelly, Trading as Gussy Ducks Cleaning Services
“Our, we, us”: Emily Kelly, Trading as Gussy Ducks Cleaning Services and any of my employees or subcontractors.
“You” - The customer. “Services” means the services which are to be provided by us to you as agreed between us and you.
About me
I pride myself on cleaning to the highest standards using the best quality professional cleaning products and equipment. I am fully insured. I am happy to undertake all aspects of domestic cleaning including deep cleans and end of tenancy cleaning.
Prices
I use a fixed pricing model based on the scope of work instead of hourly rates. This method provides clear and consistent pricing while allowing for flexibility in scheduling, ensuring that each job receives the attention it deserves without the pressure of time constraints. All pricing includes the use of high-quality cleaning products and equipment and comes with insurance coverage for your peace of mind. Prices include all professional cleaning products, equipment, insurance etc. While I strive to offer fair and transparent rates, please understand that my prices are set and cannot be negotiated, nor do I have pricing match options available.
Pre-Cleaning Consultation
Before beginning the cleaning process, I will visit the property to discuss your requirements and evaluate the scope of work involved. Following this assessment, I will send you an email with a detailed quote outlining the cleaning tasks to be performed as well as a fixed price for the services. I reserve the right to amend your original quote or cancel your booking should there be a significant change from your original requirements (for example, if you have building work completed after your original quote – you would most likely need a re-assessment for a builders clean). Please notify me as soon as possible if your requirements have changed so we can discuss this before your cleaning is due to take place.
Customer Satisfaction Guarantee If you are not satisfied with any aspect of our service, please contact me as soon as possible, and within 24 hours of the cleaning. I will make every effort to address your concerns promptly and, where necessary & practical, offer to return to remedy any problem caused by us. Please note, I do not offer refunds.
On Cleaning Day
I kindly request that we are given the space to carry out the cleaning tasks. If you are home, please remain in one room to facilitate an efficient cleaning process. While we will strive to clean around and beneath large furniture items, please note that we are unable to move exceptionally heavy or large pieces, such as wardrobes, sofas and heavy appliances. If there are specific items you would like cleaned underneath or behind, you are welcome to relocate them prior to our arrival.
We kindly ask that you do your best to ensure the areas that you would like cleaned are free from excessive clutter to get the best from your cleaning appointment. If a lot of tidying is required for us to be able to clean, we may not be able to carry out the cleaning for that area at that time and you would still be charged. If you do require support with tidying on a regular basis, this may be able to be provided for an additional charge. Please let me know in advance if this is something you would like to add to your booking.
Please be advised that we cannot clean properties that are experiencing infestations (such as rodents or fleas). Due to health and safety, if, during your cleaning appointment any infestation is discovered, you would be informed, and your appointment would be ended at that time. There would be no refund provided, and future appointments would be postponed until the infestation has been resolved.
You must (as far as is reasonably possible) ensure that any irreplaceable / high value items (e.g. antiques, specialist items) are stored away as we are unable to clean these.
Unless you notify me to the contrary, we will assume that all working surfaces such as marble, granite and limestone are fully sealed and able to be cleaned with the use of proprietary cleaning products or other suitable cleaning product as provided by you.
You are responsible for ensuring the environment is safe for us to work in, does not pose a risk to health or safety and is fully operable. In the event it is deemed unsafe, for any reason, myself and any employees or subcontractors will withdraw from the property. If this occurs, you will be charged 100% of the cost of the services that were to be provided.
Things we cannot clean:
We are unable to clean the following:
➢ Anything that is a biohazard (e.g. mould, blood etc)
➢ Pet litter trays, pet beds / bedding and any form or pet cage or pet house.
➢ Coal, log, open fire or log burners.
➢ Windows that are inaccessible due to clutter or height
➢ Any areas that require the use of ladders above 3 steps
➢ Any areas that pose a risk to health and safety or risk of damage to property
➢ Items, furniture or fixings that are broken where us cleaning them may make the damage worse *We may make an exception to this if a disclaimer is signed by you.
➢ High value / specialist items such as antiques, chandeliers etc.
You must ensure that the property where the services are to be provided, has both hot and cold running water, electricity and adequate lighting. If, on arrival, these are not available we may have to cancel your booking and no refund would be provided.
Payment Terms
One off deep cleans / End of Tenancy Cleans: Full payment, excluding any deposit is to be paid no later than 24hrs prior to the clean taking place. Should any outstanding balance not be paid 24 hours prior to the cleaning is due to take place, you booking will be cancelled and any deposits / payments towards the booking will be forfeited.
Regular cleans (weekly, fortnightly or monthly): Full payment, excluding any deposit, is required on the day of the cleaning service. This can be paid by cash or bank transfer. You may also choose to pay in advance if that is more convenient or you can set up a standing order.
Late payments: Where any remaining balance is not paid on the day of cleaning you may be charged a late payment fee of £10.00. Should there be repeated late payments, I will terminate my services. Please note I am unable to accept payment by cheque. If payment is still not received within 3 working days of the due date shown on your invoice then we reserve the right to apply statutory interest of 8% of the total invoice plus the Bank of England Base rate. Interest will accrue on a daily basis from the due date for payment until the actual date of payment of the overdue sum, whether before or after judgment. You must pay any interest due when paying an overdue sum.
Deposits
A non-transferable and non-refundable deposit of 50% is required to secure bookings. This deposit ensures your chosen date and is not transferable to another date or to another customer or property. Please be aware that if you cancel the booking, the deposit will be forfeited. For end of tenancy cleans and deep cleans – should the remaining balance not be paid prior to the clean taking place, the clean will not take place and your deposit will be forfeited.
If you request a booking and your deposit is not received within 48 hours of your invoice being sent to you, your booking slot may be lost as I cannot hold bookings without a deposit due to a high demand for the service.
Cancellation Policy If you need to cancel a cleaning appointment, please notify me as soon as possible. Cancellations made within 24 hours of the scheduled cleaning will incur a full charge. This policy is applicable to all clients.
If you or anyone in your household is unwell and unable to attend work or school, please contact me immediately to cancel the cleaning appointment.
Photography & Social Media We take 'before and after' photographs for my records and may seek your permission to share these images online for promotional purposes. Your consent is entirely discretionary and be withdrawn at any time by contacting us via email or in writing.
Confidentiality Assurance
All services provided are confidential. We will not disclose to anyone that we are engaged to clean for you, nor will we discuss any aspects of my work with you with others. Should we need to subcontract another service to carry out any tasks (e.g. oven cleaning), we will share limited details as necessary for the work to be carried out. Please refer to my privacy policy that can be found on my website: www.gussyduckscleaning.co.uk/privacy-policy
Working Hours
Our working hours are flexible dependant on the needs of the business. We will occasionally take holiday and will give you ample notice.
Access to property Should we be unable to access the property as agreed, the full price of the cleaning will still be charged. If you are expected to be home to let us in but are running late – please let us know as soon as possible. Should no one be home at the agreed time of our arrival, resulting in us being unable to access the property, we will attempt to contact you on the telephone number you have provided and wait for 20 minutes. We may have to reduce your cleaning time due to having other customers to go to afterwards. If this is the case, we will agree which areas you would like prioritised that day in case we are unable to carry out the full clean. There will be no discounts or refunds provided if we are unable to complete the agreed clean due to you being late.
Please note: If we are unable to make contact with you within the 20 minutes of our agreed arrival time, your cleaning appointment will be cancelled and the full cost of your booking will still be due.
I may cancel your booking at any time before we begin, due to the unavailability of required personnel or materials, or due to the occurrence of an event outside of my reasonable control. If such cancellation is necessary, I will inform you as soon as is reasonably possible. If you have made any payments in advance for the date concerned (including, but not limited to the Deposit), you may be offered the choice of an alternative cleaning date or the payment(s) will be refunded as soon as is reasonably possible, and in any event within 7 working days of informing you of the cancellation.
Key holding & Alarm Systems
I am happy to hold keys for customers that will not be home on our arrival, if you choose not to provide a spare key in advance and wish to leave a key in a ‘safe place’ (of your choice), please be aware that I do not accept any liability for any security risks involved with leaving a key out. You may also wish to check that your home insurance would cover you should any incident occur due to leaving a key outside.
We may be able to collect and return a key to you from another location on your day of cleaning if required. Please request this at the time of booking so I can ensure I will have sufficient time to be able to do this. There may be an additional charge for this to cover time and fuel.
You are responsible for ensuring you provide us with all relevant instructions for deactivating/activating any alarm systems, where we are required to enter or where our presence at your property may trigger an alarm. We will not be held responsible for triggering any alarm systems where you have not provided clear instructions.
Contact details
You must provide us with an up-to-date contact telephone number in case we should need to contact you in an emergency.