Terms & Conditions

Ardent Cleaning Services (herein referred to as ACS) operate the business as a cleaning service provider, placing and recruitment agency under the following terms and conditions.

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ACS reserves the right to make amendments to these conditions without giving prior notice.

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By requesting ACS to provide service by any means: telephone, email, fax, online package purchase, booking form and or direct conversation – the client accepts that these terms and conditions are binding as an agreement.

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General domestic/ home and office or other commercial cleaning, spring cleaning, deep cleaning, after function or event cleaning, pre and or post move cleans, renovation or building cleaning, show house cleans, holiday homes and apartments, high pressure & degreasing of paving or garages and walls.

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General:

1. Payment is required on commencement of cleaning, subject to other arrangements as made with ACS management. Payment is in cash unless otherwise agreed to by ACS management and for regular clients.

2. Arrival times are only estimated, as traffic congestion and arrival time of taxis are beyond our control.

3. ACS reserves the right to suspend its cleaning service if a bill is not paid on presentation or at the start of a month and or day and or a week, as the case may be. Any money due to ACS or outstanding money will be charged @ 2.0% per month compounded interest from due date (plus associated legal and admin levies incurred to recover outstanding monies due). An admin levy of £10 will be charged on accounts not paid by due date.

4. Prices as per estimate and or quote are for labour only in terms of cleaning and ironing as requested and agreed to by ACS, unless otherwise agreed to by ACS.  ACS reserves the right to amend an estimate and or quote if on arrival conditions and or circumstances are substandard or vary from information provided to ACS to obtain either the quote or estimate. (Spring, deep, construction, pre or post move cleans; additional work will be charged for proportionately; mildew problems will be quoted on site over and above the quote or estimate. Oven cleaning will be undertaken by an external company and at an additional charge.

5. Time estimates given by ACS for work as requested, are only an estimate as size of the area and the actual level of dirtiness as well as conditions encountered have a direct effect on time needed.  A staff member works up to a 7-hr work shift as a norm and will undertake duties per standard, spring or deep cleans as per requested level of service that may or may not include extras such as ironing and or cleaning windows or blinds, time permitting, unless such was part of the specific level of service requested and agreed to by ACS management.

6. Working with or around contractors and or other service providers can require up to 3 times more time to complete the same work and ACS reserves the right to amend any cost estimates and or quotes and charge accordingly.

7. Start and collection times given by ACS are only an estimate as traffic conditions and taxi transport of staff are beyond our control, the number of staff working on any given day also take less or more time, high season demand requires more time to drop off or fetch.

8. The client agrees to instruct a staff member and or staff on what tasks to do as per their requirements or provide a list of requirements/tasks (in order of priority). Unless otherwise requested and agreed to by ACS. 

9. Washing of clothes and ironing of clothes is done at the risk of the client. The client needs to instruct the staff member on fabric and colour selection and iron settings. A pressing cloth is to be provided. A steam iron in good working condition needs to be provided.

10. Any equipment moved for any reason is done at the risk of the client e.g. Fridge, washing machine etc.

11. ACS provide all cleaning equipment in safe and good working order and all detergents and other required equipment that will be needed to perform the required work.  No responsibility is undertaken for using same.

12. Collection and returning of keys by ACS will attract a surcharge dependent on distance and or time in terms of such extra service. Should there be any loss of such key or keys, the liability will be limited to the actual cost of the key only. A minimum surcharge of £10 will apply.

13. The client has the responsibility to deactivate any alarms. No responsibility for the triggering of an alarm system or costs related to a response will be accepted by ACS.

14. ACS reserves the right to suspend or cancel a cleaning service, if there are problems with the access, water or electricity supplies, or problems working around other contractors and or service providers, or interference from any party. The client will still be held liable for the full cost of the agreed service.

Claims and Complaints:

1. The client is responsible for reporting any incident, breakage, damage and loss or complaint within 12 hours of completion of the service. Failure to do so will nullify any re-clean or action to rectify the issue.

2. ​The client will be taken to be the (prime person) person at the premises, as delegated by the client, allocating and or supervising the cleaning and not the absent party if any. If the prime person is happy with our work and or staff member when we leave, no claim or rectification of any work will be done at the request of the absent party (non – supervising client). Any problems are to be rectified prior to us leaving.

3. The client is responsible for securing cash, jewellery and other small items of value. ACS pays staff well and has a zero-tolerance policy in terms of theft and dishonesty. No responsibility or liability is accepted for any of the above. (The client must avoid unnecessary temptation).

4. If a client suspects theft or actual theft has taken place, it is the client’s responsibility to report the incident to both ACS management and the local police services. The client will lay a charge of theft if actual theft has taken place and follow through to the point of actual prosecution. ACS will not be responsible for any loss due to theft.

5. Unless otherwise agreed to by ACS management, the client or a representative has the responsibility to be present both at the start and end of each service and to inspect any cleaning performed prior to the staff member leaving the premises. This will enable ACS to rectify any work not done or not done correctly, while still on the premises.  Where ACS is only advised later, we will rectify, at the sole discretion of ACS management, at the next clean or if possible, make other arrangements to do so, when convenient.

6. Complaints need to be made within 12 hours of the completion of the service (if client is not at the premises on our departure as agreed with ACS). Where the client or delegate is at home we must be advised prior to departure. No subsequent complaint will be entertained.

7. The client is responsible for securing or removing all fragile or easily breakable items from areas that need to be cleaned. Items excluded from any liability by ACS are cash, jewellery, art works, antiques and items of sentimental value (including but not limited to damaged, fragile or unsecured items or objects).

8. The client undertakes to advise ACS management or to point out to the staff member any defects of all items or fixtures that may be cracked, chipped, scratched or unstable and as such be prone to further damage or to cause damage of any nature. Any such item and or fixture is cleaned or handled at the exclusive risk of the client.

9. Lost keys, if lost by an ACS representative, will be limited in terms of liability by ACS to the actual cost of the lost key, subject to a maximum amount of £20 in total.

10. ACS reserves the right not to be liable for any action or service if service is postponed due to broken equipment, resulting from any circumstances beyond our direct control, or if there are issues in terms of safety.

11. ACS reserves the right not to be responsible for accidental damage or loss of any nature. We hold insurance for damage over £250 for provable claims.

Insurance:

1. ACS has insurance to cover any accidental damages caused by an ACS member of staff at a point of service, subject to the damages being reported within 12 hours of completion of the service in writing (via email or fax) to ACS. No consequential damage will be covered.

2. Insurance will not cover anything that may breakdown or stop working at any time and this would include but is not restricted to the vacuum, computer, fridge, freezer, microwave, dish washer, tumble drier, stove, oven and washing machine and or the instability of any item which the client is already aware of, such as headboards, bathroom fixtures or other property fittings. The client is obliged to notify ACS management of fittings that are poorly secured, not secured or appliances that are not in proper working order. No liability will be accepted by ACS for any of the above for damage caused directly or indirectly.

3. ACS reserves the right not to share any confidential company information or documents.

Good business relationships:

1. No client will be entitled to a full or partial refund; this is subject to the discretion of ACS.

2. Should a client not be satisfied with the level of service from a staff member and such is conveyed to ACS within the prescribed 12hr period of completion of the service, or as defined above, ACS reserves the right to do a re-clean of the specific area and or item only at an agreed time and day. The client will need to be present during the re-clean.

3. A re-clean will only be carried out once.

Cancellation and postponement of services:

1. A booked or routine service may be postponed or cancelled as the case may be up to 24 hrs prior to an agreed starting time of a cleaning service. The request must be via email or direct telephone call with ACS management and needs to be confirmed by ACS to be valid.

2. The client undertakes to be liable for the full fee should the request be made within the 24-hr period.

3. The client is responsible to provide access to ACS as agreed and in the event of a no-show or lock-out by the client; the client will be held liable for the full-service fee and or costs related to such.

4. Unless a specific contract is in place, all regular on-going services be it, daily, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly require a full calendar months’ notice to terminate the service, during the first 3 months of service, thereafter a 3-month calendar notice will apply. No cancellations and or postponements may be made once notice has been given to ACS.  The notice must be made in writing via email or fax. A telephone call will not be accepted as notice. Failure by the client to provide the stipulated notice, the client accepts liability for all fees, costs and interest, due over the notice period, plus interest compounded at 2% per month including all costs on a lawyer to client basis until date of full settlement.

Employing ACS staff or poaching of staff:

1. No staff member or ex staff of ACS may be offered or given temporary or permanent employment by the client directly or indirectly (family, work) without prior negotiation with ACS and payment of the placement levy. The period of protection is agreed to as 6 (six) months. This applies from the date of termination of services of ACS by the client irrespective of any cause or reason.

2. Should a staff or ex staff member be employed within the said 6-month period the client agrees to be liable for a referral/ placing fee calculated the higher of @ £200 per day that ACS provided service in each week or Six (6) months’ income (plus costs and PI fees). This will be calculated based on the highest number of days in any given week or highest income within a retrospective 3-month period, or actual days employed for by the client.  NOTE: Where ACS needs to investigate a situation and proof of poaching is obtained a PI fee with a minimum of £550 will be levied. NOTE: Fictitious Notice (to employ a staff member) will result in 3 full calendar months’ notice plus interest as above from due date being claimed by ACS.

Blinds:

Material blinds are not cleaned. Plastic, wood and steel blinds are cleaned at the risk of the client. 

Items of value: (practical, sentimental or financial):

Are the responsibility of the client and should be looked after as such. We are not responsible for any negligence or forgetfulness of the client that may cause damage to or loss of any valuable items. No responsibility is accepted for any loss if left on floors, on or next to garbage bins or baskets. Foreign items from the office, garage, vehicle or workplace need to be put away prior to a clean. The onus is on the client to instruct the staff member what to do or where to place any such items if they have not been put in a safe place.

 

These terms and conditions shall be governed by relevant United Kingdom law. The client agrees to be bound and submit to the jurisdiction of the relevant courts of the United Kingdom and accepts all related costs and interest as referred to above for a claim made by ACS.

 

The website and any emails, invoices or written quotes by ACS or discussions and interactions SMS, WhatsApp, or phone calls: T and C’s apply.

 

By submitting the booking form or request for a quotation, you accept all terms and conditions of ACS on the Ardent Cleaning Services website as a binding agreement.

 

Errors and Omissions Excepted.