Please refer to this Cleaning Services Agreement for specific information regarding the day, time and frequency of your requested cleaning, i.e., “standard”, “deep” or “spring” and notes (changes/additions) specific to your home and payment details.
TERMS OF THE AGREEMENT
There is no term to this agreement. Homeowner (hereafter known as client/homeowner) may cancel at any time for any reason. We ask for a minimum of 48 hours notice. Sparkling and Beyond, LLC (hereafter known as S&B or “we”) may also cancel at any time for any reason with 48 hour notice.
TERMS OF SERVICE
Below are our basic terms of service. All services provided are under our basic terms of service. We reserve the right to alter or modify these terms at any time in which you will be given the revised Agreement and your continued use of our service implies agreement with these terms. S&B agrees to provide cleaning services to you as per your request. The charges for our service is for the agreed dollar amount for a team of our employees (hereafter known as cleaning team members) for a maximum of a fixed amount of team working hours of cleaning or related services. The charge is for the amount of work hours reserved for you for this job and not for any specific outcome. In the event that our cleaning team members complete the job in less time than the maximum reserved, which may sometimes be possible, the charge will remain the same and will not be adjusted (since this time block has been reserved for your job). Please note that for an average size home a typical move out cleaning or a deep cleaning may take in excess of 10 to 16 work hours. A regular weekly or every other week cleaning in a typical home may take in excess of 4 work hours. Our team members 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 the job in the time available. In such a case additional time may be required at an additional charge. If you choose not to have additional time then our team members will do the best possible job they can in the time available. There are no refunds. By using our service you agree to the terms of this agreement and agree to pay the total due to us. All agreements are contingent upon strikes, accidents or delays beyond our control. 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.
LICENSED, BONDED, INSURED
S&B is a professional cleaning service that is fully licensed, insured and bonded (copies available upon request).
QUALITY OF SERVICE
For your convenience, and quality control, we can leave you with a checklist indicating the various services we provide each time we cleaned your home; we also have them posted on our website www.sparklingandbeyond.org. Our management from time to time will conduct random on site inspections. If, after your inspection, you find our service unsatisfactory, please contact us within 24 hours so we can correct the issue the next day. Refunds or discounts are not offered as we will try to correct any mistakes or missed services. Requests received by our office after that period will be incorporated into your next house cleaning.
THE CLEANING TEAM
We are responsible for all payroll taxes and pay for workman’s compensation insurance. We provide all equipment and supplies. Our employees wear uniforms to identify themselves. Our cleaners usually work in teams of two or more depending on the size of the job. A team leader is assigned to your home. We make every effort to keep the same team leader assigned to your home, but cannot guarantee it. Illness, vacations, etc, can all result in a change of team or change of cleaners on a team. Our teams vary from job to job. When more than one person is at the job, the quoted time — which was given in person hours — is lessened by the number of people. For example, if you were scheduled for a two-hour service and two cleaners are assigned to your job, the cleaning should be completed in one hour or two person hours.
CONDUCT
Our cleaners do not answer the telephone or doorbell. Their only purpose while in your home is to clean. It is our policy that our teams do not smoke or eat in your house.
TRAINING AND SUPERVISION
New cleaning members are assigned to trainers who supervise them on their first several cleanings. After a formal review with the trainer, the cleaner is then assigned to a team or allowed to work on their own.
PREPARING FOR YOUR CLEANING
Prior to the cleaning team’s arrival, please remove all items that may delay our cleaning service. Desks that have a large
amount of paperwork for instance will not be cleaned. We would appreciate items were picked up off the floor and dressers and counters were organized before we arrive. This will maximize efficiency and minimize the time we spend to clean your house. If you prefer that our cleaning team remove these items, we will add the additional billing time and charge you accordingly. Also please secure cash, jewelry and other small valuables. We also ask in the summer months if you could set your air conditioner at an appropriate temperature. If for some reason you do not want a particular room cleaned, please just leave a note and close the door of that particular room. For safety reasons, we ask that your children be supervised while our team and equipment are present in your home; however we prefer that no one is in the house while our cleaners are present.
SECURITY ALARMS
If your home is equipped with a security system, please insure that it is in the “OFF” position or inform our office of the codes and input sequence before your scheduled cleaning. Please be sure to notify our office if this code changes.
KEYS
Please ensure your home is accessible to us. Because you scheduled cleaning time may change each cleaning, we require a key to your home. All keys are maintained in a lock box except for the day of cleaning. S&B prefers that you have a lockbox on your home during the summer season. S&B is not liable for any damage or tampering that may occur to the lockbox or any lockbox failure.
SECURITY/ ENTRY
Our policy is to lock the door while we are cleaning and to not allow access to unknown people. For safety reasons, please don’t rely on our cleaning teams to let in workmen during the time we are in your home.
WHAT WE WON’T DO
If we are specifically requested to dust/clean inside of a hutch/china cabinet, dust any computer equipment or wash dishes, client agrees to not hold S&B or any of its employees responsible for damage to any article or component. S&B is not responsible for damage due to faulty and/or improper installation of any item. Examples would be: broken or improperly installed blinds, tiles, curtain rods, shelves, loose carpet etc. All surfaces (e.g. marble, granite, hardwood floors, etc.) are assumed sealed and ready to clean without causing harm. For safety reasons our cleaning teams are prohibited from using ladders and are instructed to wear shoes in your home. We have instructed our staff to leave certain items untouched; e.g., body fluids or excretions and litter boxes. If your pet has an accident or vomits, it will be your responsibility to clean it up. Our teams are advised to clean around these areas. Seasonal insect infestation can also be a problem and may prevent us from completely cleaning your home. If roaches or fleas are encountered, we will not clean and call you ASAP regarding the problem; in this case you would still be liable to pay the agreed upon cleaning fee… We do not clean inside curio cabinets. If you have other items you prefer we not clean or handle, please call or email the office and we will arrange to avoid those items. Our team can not climb higher than a step stool, work on the outside of your home, move furniture that contains electronics, lift any objects over 20 pounds; however there might be times when you want us to move furniture, e.g. beds, large chairs, etc.. and in these cases we are not responsible for their breakage due to old or faulty manufacturing. We do not provide any pet or children-related services, or empty diaper pails. The cleaning team will not pull out any appliances (for example a stove, fridge, washer/dryer) for you due to the possibility of causing floor damage (unless you hold us blameless for any damage), however if you have these appliances moved out yourself we would be more than happy to clean behind them. S&B is not responsible for any alcoholic beverages left in the home between tenants unless you tell us in writing via email or on this Agreement. It is our policy to dispose of any alcoholic beverages upon leaving. If you do not want S&B to dispose of alcohol, you understand you are taking the responsibility for allowing the alcohol to stay on the property.
PETS
If you have pets, they must be secured at all times. Our teams are instructed not to enter a house if they believe an animal is a threat. In this case you would still be liable to pay the agreed upon cleaning fee. Please remember that pets may behave differently if a family member is not present.
ACCIDENTS/DAMAGE
Because of the nature of our business, our staff is required to touch virtually everything in your home. We are as careful as possible; however, if something does get damaged while cleaning your home, our staff is instructed to call our office at once and to leave a note advising you of the incident. The office will also follow-up with a phone call or email to you to determine the best course of action. In the event an item is damaged or broken we reserve the option of repair or replacement. A dollar value of “one of-a-kind” items destroyed must be demonstrated in order that a settlement may be determined.
JOB START/END TIMES
For hourly jobs, we charge from the time we arrive on the premises, which includes unloading of our supplies and equipment from our vehicle, to the time we have finished cleaning, including the loading of supplies back into our vehicle.
SCHEDULING & CANCELATION POLICY
All cleaning times and schedules are the responsibility of the Homeowner. It is the homeowners’ responsibility to provide S&B with the cleaning and linen (if applicable) schedule in writing via email at least (7) seven days prior to cleaning your home. It is not S&B’s responsibility to find out this information through other sources e.g., ResortQuest, VRBO, etc… S&B requires at least 48 hours notice if there is a change in the scheduling day or time. If our cleaners arrive during the requested cleaning day and time and they are turned away for ANY reason, or can not gain entrance for ANY reason, the homeowner would still be liable to pay the agreed upon cleaning fee. S&B’s Agreement with their cleaners specifies they will still be paid in full for that scheduled cleaning regardless if they cannot gain entrance. Future scheduled cleanings will remain unchanged unless you give us the change in writing via email.
ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE TIME
S&B prefers a window of a minimum of 5 hours to clean between renters to ensure your home is properly cleaned. The usual times are 10AM to 3PM however per this Agreement we will set the exact times in writing. With this said, S&B reserves the right to stay an extra (2) hours after the check-in date to clean for ANY reason.
WEATHER
In severe weather, we may determine it is not safe to travel and/or carry equipment and supplies to your home; therefore your cleaning service for that day will be canceled and S&B will not be held liable in anyway. If and when this occurs, we will reschedule in writing via email.
EXTRA REQUESTS
Please email us at least (2) two days before your scheduled cleaning if you have special requests (e.g. after construction, painting, sanding), detailed refrigerator cleaning, self cleaning of oven, windows, garage, etc. so we can schedule the extra time needed to complete these tasks. We can provide an over the phone estimate; however, we reserve the right to adjust the quote once we have arrived upon your property. Any alterations or changes from our “standard” cleaning checklist involving extra work, will be at an extra charge. Any “last minute/emergency” cleans are also an extra charge. Any extra charges must be approved in writing via email or text between you and S&B before any extra work begins.
SICKNESS
If you or someone in your home is sick (contagious) please contact our office so we can reschedule your cleaning.
PAYMENT POLICY
Payment is due in full upon receipt of your invoice (sent via email). A fee of $30.00 will be charged for each NSF check returned by the bank. In the event an account requires legal or collection action, client/homeowner agrees to pay all cost of collection without limitations for reasonable attorney fees, interest on past due amount, court costs, and all collection costs. Moreover, S&B reserves the right to place a lien and or a judgment upon your primary or rental home for a delinquent payment and you the homeowner agrees to pay all legal fees and time spent for remedy. Please do not leave any payments on the kitchen counter, or in the house. For accounting purposes, we prefer payments to be made directly to the office via check and/or PayPal. Please send PayPal payments as a “personal transaction.” With this said, if you choose to use PayPal by any other payment method (e.g. Instant Transfer) a fee will be charged to S&B and we will need to pass this fee on to you on your next invoice.
LATE FEE
Overdue payments are subject to a late fee of $25.00 for accounts overdue by 30 days. In addition, interest will be charged at the rate of twelve percent (12%) per annum on all overdue amounts accruing monthly.
GRATUITY
Although a gratuity is not expected or required, the team members certainly welcome it! A great way to show the team your appreciation is with a gratuity. The amount of gratuity is split equally among the members of the team. You may leave a cash gratuity for the team (preferred method) or add the gratuity to your payment by specifying the amount on the check. Gratuities will not be accepted on credit card or PayPal payments unless you use PayPal “personal transaction.”
Determining the Cost of your Cleaning
S&B must conduct a walk-through before they can give you a quote in writing. However, after the first or subsequent cleanings, if S&B determines they need to adjust the cleaning fee higher, we will email you the new dollar amount. You have the option of not agreeing to the increase and void this Agreement.
HIRING OF S&B STAFF
All of our cleaners have signed a “Non-Compete Agreement” with S&B. Therefore they are prohibited from soliciting business from any client on his/her own behalf or on behalf of any third party during their employment with S&B or for (2) two years following leaving or termination of employment, without written approval from S&B. Therefore, you agree not to hire past or present cleaning team members of S&B for a period of not less than 2 years from the date the team member last worked for S&B. A great deal of time and resources are put into hiring our staff. However, in the event you feel you must hire a team member of S&B in spite of this agreement, then a $2,500.00 placement fee is due immediately upon employment of the past/present team member, regardless of whether the employment is regular or on a contract basis. In this event and payment is not received within 30 days of written notice and an account requires legal or collection action, client/homeowner agrees to pay all cost of collection without limitations for reasonable attorney fees, interest on past due amount, court costs, and all collection costs. Moreover, S&B reserves the right to place a lien and or a judgment upon your primary or rental home for a delinquent payment and you the homeowner agrees to pay all legal fees and time spent for remedy.
CONTACTING US
Email: Sparklingandbeyond@gmail.com; 415-966-1101 (call or text) If there is an emergency, please indicate on voice mail. Email is the preferred method. Do NOT contact your assigned cleaner directly for any reason. Any requests, changes, etc. must go through the main office.
PROVIDING FEEDBACK
Since cleaning is a very personalized service we are always asking for cleaning feedback. Please send an email and let us know if there are ANY concerns or positive comments — good or bad. This feedback is essential to serve you better, to correct any problems and to pass on these comments to our cleaners.
REFERRALS
Clients will receive a $25 discount on their next cleaning service for referring each new client to S&B. This discount becomes effective after the referred client’s first cleaning and subsequent payment. Please email us the new clients name and address and we will ensure this credit reflects on your future invoice.
EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES
We provide our own cleaning supplies and equipment including vacuums, mops, and cleaning products. Should you choose to supply specific products for our employees to use then you agree to take responsibility for the outcome. Please place the cleaning product(s) and our request for specific types of cleaning, e.g., antiques, etc.. below
“Changes/Additions.”