Terms of Service, Statement of Understanding, Property Condition Disclaimer
Below is a summary of our basic Terms of Service, Statement of Understanding and Property Condition Disclaimer.
All of our services provided are under our basic terms. By purchasing our services online or scheduling services with us by phone, e-mail or online, or by using our services, you implicitly agree to our terms of service. We reserve the right to alter or modify these terms at any time and your purchase of our services online and/or your continued use of our service implies agreement with these terms.
Humble House Cleaning agrees to schedule and provide cleaning services to you as per your request. Our charges for our service is for a fixed amount of time, ie. an agreed dollar amount for a certain amount of time. Our service is NOT by the job but rather for the purchase of a certain amount of work hours. In most cases if the home is in average condition our employees should be able to complete what you have told us you need done in the amount of time that we estimated and that we are charging you for. However if the home is below average condition or you ask our employees to clean areas that were not originally discussed, then the amount of time purchased will not be sufficient and our team will not be able to do what you require in the time that you have purchased. In such a case you may purchase additional time at an additional charge and our employees will stay extra time to do whatever it is that you require. In the event that you do not wish to purchase additional time our employees will do the best possible job they can in the time that you have purchased. In such a case if there are areas that were missed or not cleaned to your satisfaction we will not be able to offer any kind of guarantee or offer to return to correct any oversight.
Terms of Service
Humble House Cleaning hereby agrees to provide cleaning services to you as per your request. Our base charge for this service will be a flat rate of _ ___ for a team of ____ of our employees for no more than __ team working hours of cleaning or related services. Additional time over and above this amount of time, if required will be charged at a rate of $_____ for each additional hour with a team of ____people. The above is our base minimum charge for this cleaning and is a flat rate for up to this maximum amount of work hours reserved for you and not for any specific outcome. Since some of our employees work quicker than others it is possible that some of our teams may be able to complete the work you require in less time than the maximum amount of time above, however, since this is our minimum charge for this service we do not provide any kind of refund if our employees are able to complete the work in less time than the maximum above. Please keep in mind that in most cases for an average size home in average condition a typical move out cleaning or a deep cleaning may take in excess of 12 to 16 work hours, while a regular weekly or every other week cleaning may take in excess of 6 to 8 work hours depending on the condition of the home. A construction or remodel cleaning may take 30 or 60 work hours depending on what needs to be done. In all cases our employees will do the best possible job they can in the time they have available. Since the condition of each home will vary, it is possible that we may not be able to complete all of the tasks required in the initial amount of time reserved. In such a case additional time may be required at an additional charge. If we provide additional time you agree to pay for this additional time at our normal hourly rate. If we do not provide additional time due to our lack of availability or your decision to not have additional time, then our employees will do the best possible job they can in the time available. We require payment for all services at the time of service. No personal checks accepted unless we have a valid credit card on file and this has been arranged with our office in advance. In such an event you agree that we may charge your credit card if you do not leave any other form of payment or your check is unpaid. You further agree not to stop payment on your check to us for any reason. Returned checks will incur a $35 service charge over and above the charges due. By signing below you agree to the terms of this agreement and agree to pay the total due to us on your credit card account that you have provided to us and that we have on file in our office for both this and any other services provided to you in the future. You agree that any returned check and related charges as well as charges for services provided but not paid for by another manner, or any other charges under the terms of this agreement, may be charged to your credit or debit card or processed by us via bank draft to your bank account. Please understand that because you are purchasing an amount of time and not a specific outcome, when our employees finally leave your home we will have fully satisfied our contractual obligation to you and payment is due in full, even if for some reason you are unhappy. You understand and agree that all sales are final and there are no refunds. You further agree that there are no circumstances under which you will be entitled to a refund or the right to dispute the charge with your bank or credit or debit card company for any reason no matter what your claim. You agree that your bank or credit card or debit card company may use this disclaimer to refute any dispute that you may initiate for whatever reason.
Any alterations or changes involving extra costs, will be at an extra charge. All agreements are contingent upon strikes, accidents or delays beyond our control.
We reserve the right to adjust the number of team members that will perform the above work if necessary. If we do adjust the number of team members we will adjust the hours per team member accordingly to ensure that we provide the same number of total working hours. You agree to carry all necessary insurance on this work including fire, flood, tornado, liability, breakage, damage, etc. Workman’s Compensation insurance on above work will be carried by Humble House Cleaning. Although we take the utmost care in our work, since we cannot inspect every home each time we come to clean it, and in order to keep our rates affordable and because of the nature of this type of work, we can not accept any responsibility for any claims for loss, breakage or damage, including but not limited to scratches, stains, etc., or any other related problems in areas that we worked in or items or areas that are being cleaned by our employees, including walls, doors, floors, sealed / unsealed stone or wood, tile, linoleum,carpet, granite, stainless steel, counter tops, stove tops, appliances, furniture, baseboards, blinds, mirrors, light fixtures, windows, collectibles, artwork, vases, nick knacks etc. We can assure you however that we are as careful as we possibly can be in all areas that we clean. By signing below you accept responsibility for the above. In addition, in order to avoid potential issues, our employees may not clean any Television screens, Computer monitors or other electronics. They may also not pull out any appliances (for example a stove, fridge, washer/dryer) for you due to the possibility of causing floor damage, but if you have these appliances moved out yourself we would be more than happy to clean behind them. If you instruct them to clean these items or pull out appliances for you then you assume the liability for the outcome.
Our employees will clean with company supplied products. If there is a specific product that is recommended for a particular surface we ask that you provide this product, otherwise our employees will use the products we have on hand. Our employees may not use any product containing bleach. Should you choose to supply specific products for our employees to use or instruct them to use a specific product then you agree to take responsibility for the outcome. Since our employees are not experts in all surfaces and finishes, if you have surfaces such as floors, cabinets, counters, furniture, etc. that require special handling or treatment or require the use of a specific product, then it is your responsibility to explain to our employees how to handle these surfaces to ensure it is done correctly and you agree to take responsibility for the outcome. Please be aware that due to Workers Compensation Insurance regulations our employees may not climb on any ladder to perform any any cleaning for you. Our employees may only go as high as a 2 step step stool to perform any work that we will provide for you. We will be unable to perform any work that requires the use of a ladder. This would need to be undertaken by a window cleaning company . We can refer you to a reputable window company if you require that sort of service. Please note that if we are doing a move out or move in cleaning for you and you have requested the interior of an oven and /or fridge to be cleaned then if the oven is a self cleaning oven this must have been run ahead of time if you would like us to wipe it out for you. If the self clean has not been run ahead of time we will be unable to clean the oven. If this is not a self-clean oven we will use oven cleaner to clean it as best as we can. As far as refrigerator’s go, you will need to ensure that the the refrigerator has been emptied of all food in order for us to be able to clean it. If the refrigerator has not been emptied we will be unable to clean the refrigerator for you. Please be aware that our cleaning services do not include extensive washing of walls, ceilings, windows, blinds, etc. or any any kind of steam cleaning of carpets. We can can refer to to a reputable carpet cleaning company if you require carpet cleaning.
Please be aware that contractually our employees and former employees are restricted from performing any housekeeping or related services for you independently of the company. In consideration of furnishing the Humble House Cleaning employee, you agree that you shall not employ, or attempt to employ our employees or former employees independently of Humble House Cleaning for a period of two years after you cease to use Humble House Cleaning services. In the event that you violate this condition, you agree to pay Humble House Cleaning upon demand the sum of $6000.00 as liquidated damages, unless prior written arrangements have been made by you with Humble House Cleaning. By using our service either one time or an ongoing basis you agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. Any changes to rate and/or time, be it verbal or in writing will not affect the substance of this agreement and all the terms herein will still apply with the new rate/time.
By signing below I affirm my obligations under this agreement and under the Card member Agreement. I hereby acknowledge receipt of the work hours in paragraph 1 above and certify that the work has been completed as per the terms of this agreement. I agree to pay the credit card charge due for this service and the card issuer is authorized to pay the amount indicated above. I understand that all sales are final and there are no refunds. I further agree that if I have arranged for additional cleanings, occasional cleaning or recurring services that this credit card authorization and acknowledgment applies for each and every service provided to me by Humble House Cleaning until I provide written notification of cancellation of my service to the company and this cancellation is acknowledged in writing by the company. ”
Please be aware that by scheduling services with us you agree to our “Terms of Service” above, our “Statement of Understanding” below and our “Property Disclosure” below. You further agree to pay the total due to us, either via Paypal online using your Paypal balance or your credit card, or on the credit card account that you provided to us that we have on file in our office for both this and any other services provided to you in the future. You agree that any returned checks, reversed charges and related charges as well as charges for services provided but not paid for by another manner, or any other charges under the terms of this agreement, may be charged to your credit or debit card or processed by us via bank draft to your bank account.
Please understand that you are purchasing an amount of time and not a specific outcome, and when our employees finally leave your home we will have fully satisfied our contractual obligation to you and payment is due in full, even if for some reason you are unhappy. You understand and agree that all sales are final and there are no refunds. You further agree that there are no circumstances under which you will be entitled to a refund or the right to dispute the charge with your bank or credit or debit card company for any reason no matter what your claim. You agree that your bank or credit card or debit card company may use this disclaimer to refute any dispute that you may initiate for whatever reason. In the event that your bank or credit card company reverses the charge for any reason we will then initiate a lien on the property in question until we have recieved payment in full, or place your account with a collection agency or initiate legal action. This lien or other action will include reasonable attourney fees, court costs, collection costs, late charges as well as charges incured by us because of the reversal, and any other resonable fees incured by us. In order to avoid collection fees and other charges it is always in your best interest to call us and discuss any concerns you may have with any services provided and give us the opportunity to attempt resolve these to your satisfaction. Thank You.
Statement of Understanding
We want to thank you for your business and we look forward to the opportunity to serve you. In order to ensure that we are all on the same page regarding our service we would like to make you aware of our policy for a first time cleaning, a one time cleaning, an occasional cleaning, a deep cleaning, or a move out or move in cleaning service. Although we know that it is not always possible to do this, ideally we prefer that the customer be home on the first time that our employees come to clean your home. This policy ensures that:
You are able to ensure that our employees are aware of your priorities and concerns and that our employees are concentrating on the areas that are important to you.
You are able to observe our employees working so that you are aware of what they are spending their time doing and they are able to give you a heads up on any problem areas.
You are able to do a final walk through with our employees when they get done, to ensure that everything has been done to your satisfaction before our employees leave your home.
With this arrangement, upon arrival at your home, our employees are able to go through your home with you and understand what your concerns and priorities are and they will be able to give you a realistic idea what they believe they will be able to achieve in the amount of time that has been booked. Please remember that our estimate is for a certain amount of time and not for a specific outcome. If the home is not in average condition then it is very possible that the amount of time booked is not sufficient and it will be necessary for you to purchase additional time if you are looking for a specific outcome. Our employees will do the best possible job they can in the time that they have available. In most cases if the home is in average condition and you have realistic expectations, our employees should be able to get the home cleaned to your satisfaction in the time that has been booked. When our employees are done cleaning our employees will do a final walk through with you to ensure you are happy with what they were able to achieve in the time available. If there are any obvious items that our employees should have done then they will be happy to correct the problem on the spot for you before they leave.
This arrangement is our ideal, and when this happens it is rare for us to have any complaints after the fact from our customers. We do however understand that it is not always possible to be there and we are happy to work with you in that case. To avoid potential problems we need to clarify with our policy in such a case.
When the customer is not going to be home, our employees will do the very best possible job they can in the time that you have purchased. Because you are purchasing a certain amount of time and not a specific outcome, our employees may not be able to complete all tasks if they run out of time. If you choose not to be home to ensure they spend their time on areas that are important to you, then you agree and accept that when our employees finally leave your home we will have fully satisfied our contractual obligation to you, even if there are areas that our employees did not get to, and even if there are areas that are not cleaned to your satisfaction. You understand and agree that you have purchased a fixed amount of time and not a specific outcome and that there are no refunds and all sales are final. You further agree that there are no circumstances under which you will be entitled to a refund or the right to dispute the charge with your bank, credit / debit card company for any reason no matter what your claim. You agree that your bank or credit card / debit card company may use this disclaimer to refute any dispute that you initiate. In the event that, for any reason, we are not paid in full for the work we have provided, you understand that we will have the right to file a mechanic’s lien on the property that we performed the work on.
If there is any kind of problem with the cleaning in any of the areas that our employees did clean, we ask you to to call office within 24 hours to let us know your concerns. If we are in agreement, we will at our discretion, agree to send one of our employees back for up to one work hour (or a team of 2 people for up to 30 min) on a day and time that is mutually convenient to correct the areas of concern. If additional time over and above this one work hour is required then we will be happy to provide this additional time at a reduced hourly rate to ensure that you are happy. Please do not e-mail, phone calls only please. Please understand that any decision by us to provide additional time at no charge is at our discretion and is purely for goodwill purposes only and is not a contractual requirement on our part. You understand and agree that, as indicated above, once our employees leave your property on the day that we do the initial cleaning we have fully met our contractual obligation to you and payment is due in full, even if for some reason you were unhappy. If we offer to return and you refuse or if we do not choose to return for any reason there is no further recourse.
By using our services or by purchasing our cleaning services online, or by scheduling services with us by phone or via e-mail you understand and agree to this policy.
Thank You.
Property Condition Disclaimer
Dear customer, it is always our sincere desire to do our very best to do a great job for you. We do however need to let you know that our estimates are based on the assumption that the property to be cleaned is in average condition. If the property that you have hired us to clean, in our estimation, is below average condition, or the property is not ready for the cleaning services that you contracted us to provide for you, our employees will go ahead and provide the cleaning for you with the understanding that because of these conditions our employees will do the best they can in the time available but we do not guarantee the outcome in any way.
The conditions we are refering to may include one or more of the following situations:
The property is not totally vacant or there are people working in the property. Typically this would be because you are still moving in or out, you have moving contractors moving things on the premises, you have other contractors working on the property while we are there, for example carpet cleaners, painters, handyman, or other workers on the property. We will do what we can in the time available, however because the other people may be in our way, or may be tracking dirt in or out or because we cannot get to certain rooms because items or people are in our way, we will do the best we can in the time available. Once we leave your property we will have fully met our contractual obligation to you. In the event that there are areas that still need to be cleaned after we leave we will be happy to provide additional cleaning on a different day at an additional charge.
The water or power has been turned off. Again we will do what we can without the water and/or power, however it is difficult to clean without water/power. We will do the best we can in the time available. Once we leave your property we will have fully met our contractual obligation to you. In the event that there are areas that still need to be cleaned after we leave we will be happy to return when the water/power is back on to provide additional cleaning at an additional charge.
There are some areas or issues that we do not believe we will be able to clean to a satisfactory condition irrespective of the amount of time you have booked or even if you are willing to purchase more time. These are areas that are outside of our area of expertise and are not areas we normally take care of in our normal course of business. These include problems like pet urine and feces smells, mold and mildew, sewage backup or flood damage, smoke damage, the smell of smoke in the house, window and carpet cleaning, and any other areas that we feel are outside the scope of the work that we would normally provide.
There were or are animals living on the property. As a result there are urine and feces evident in the property or there is a strong urine/feces smell in the property. This may include urine or feces on floors, baseboards, walls, doors, ledges, counter tops, sinks, bath tubs, showers, toilets, etc., excessive animal hair, excessive pet dander, etc. Although we will do our best to clean up these areas we will not be able to remove any urine or feces smells. Often the urine has soaked into the wood and is not removable by simple cleaning. Our cleaning process does not resolve any kind of urine or feces smells.
Many areas that have not been cleaned for a long time including excessive dirt and grime, caked on dirt from many months or years of neglect, etc. Our estimates assume that the person who lived on the property was able to keep up with the day to day cleaning. If the property was let go then more time will be required to get this property properly cleaned at an additional charge. Even in those circumstances we may not be able to get those areas clean enough to satisfy your landlord, or new owner, or anybody else who inspects those areas.
Mildew in tile that cannot be removed by simple cleaning. Our estimates do not include spending excessive time scrubbing to remove mildew, soap scum, hard water stains, etc. Often mildew cannot be removed from caulking and grout with simple cleaning and many times it is necessary that the caulking/grout be removed and the area re-grouted or re-caulked. This is not a service we offer. Soap scum and hard water stains will require more time at an additional charge.
Smoke damage, nicotine damage on walls, etc. Our estimates do not include entire wall cleaning, removing of smoke or nicotine damage, etc. We will spot clean walls for move out cleanings but the amount of time estimated does not include excessive wall cleaning. If excessive wall cleaning is required or entire walls need to be cleaned that is a separate project and is very time consuming and that can be provided at an additional charge if required.
Excessive grease on stove top, inside ovens, range hoods, etc. If there is excessive grease we will do the best we can in the time available. We may not have enough time to do a thorough cleaning of those areas in such a case and the cleaning of the greasy areas may have to be tackled as a separate project.
Refrigerator that has been turned off with food left inside. In that sort of a situation we will not be able to clean the refrigerator. If we agree to clean it it may need to be handled as a separate project and will be at an additional charge.
Recent construction or remodel dirt. Our normal estimates do not include construction dirt. Construction or remodel cleaning is provided at a certain rate per day and may take multiple days depending on what needs to be done. If you did not inform us that this was a construction or remodel cleaning then there we will not be sufficient time to get the property cleaned properly. We will do the best we can in the time that you have booked, but you understand that we do not guarantee any specific outcome and it will probably require more time than has been booked, at an additional charge, to get the property cleaned to your satisfaction. Once we leave your property we will have fully met our contractual obligation to you. In the event that there are areas that still need to be cleaned after we leave we will be happy to provide additional cleaning on a different day at an additional charge.
Hoarder conditions or excessive trash, etc. Our normal estimates do not take into account this sort of condition and in a case like this more time at an additional charge will be required to get the property in an acceptable condition. This type of cleaning may take multiple days to make much of an impact on the property.
Any other condition that in our estimation results in the property being below average condition.
We do not mind tackling a property that is below standard, or a case where you are not completely ready for us to perform the cleaning, however because of the conditions that exist on the property we need to make it very clear that we do not guarantee any specific outcome when our employees have completed the work hours that you are purchasing from us. Our employees will do the best possible job they can in the time available but it is very likely that your landlord, new buyer, inspector, property manager, realtor, or any other person inspecting the property, including yourself, will not be satisfied with the final outcome or the the cleanliness of the property when our crew has used up the hours you have purchased from us. You understand and agree that we will only do what we can in the time we have booked and once we have used up the hours that you have purchased for this cleaning we will have fully met our contractual obligation to you. You understand that you have purchased a fixed amount of time and not a specific outcome and we do not in any way guarantee any specific outcome. You understand and agree that there are no refunds, all sales are final even if you are not satisfied with the outcome. You further agree that there are no circumstances under which you will be entitled to a refund or the right to dispute the charge with your bank, credit / debit card company for any reason no matter what your claim. You agree that your bank or credit card / debit card company may use this disclaimer to refute any dispute that you initiate.
By booking our service via e-mail or phone or any other manner and using our service you understand and agree to these terms. You agree that regardless of the outcome when our employees have completed the time scheduled we have fully completed our contractual obligation to you.
Thank You!