August focus: Domestic Cleaning Service

Wording for your Terms of Business Forms

Written below is the wording that you can use on your terms of business forms.  You should only use whatever reference to yourself is appropriate though i.e. if you work on your own then you say ”I”, ”me” or ”my” wherever you see a choice between that and “We”, “our” or “ours”, but if you work as a couple then you would use the latter reference to yourselves.

This form came into being from years of having run a domestic cleaning business, and contains all the points that you will need to include when you do the same. Obviously, you’ll need to create your own logo and letterhead on which to put this text, but feel free to copy what I have written below.  You will also need to look up correct costs for the insurance mentioned in the wording below if you don’t live in Australia, as well as the correct phone number to call in your own country for your clients to get in touch with insurance companies that provide Domestic Workers Compensation insurance.

Here is the wording:

All estimates given over the telephone are subject to verification upon arrival. Should I/we find that there is less or more hours required to perform the work described, I/we will inform you upon inspection or during the project. Please see the list of Fees for Services included with our paperwork for additional pricing information. Estimates given over the phone are a guideline only based on information provided. Should your requirements be different to what was described at the time of calling my/our office,  I/we will notify you prior to commencement for a change of pricing.

Should you not be satisfied with the standard of the work performed I/we would be happy to return to correct the situation, as long as you inform me/us of your dissatisfaction before you have begun to live in the home after I/we have performed the cleaning service. I/We cannot reasonably correct a situation that is no longer as it was when I/we left the house.

I/we am happy to provide references for you that you may check. Please ask me/us to show you my/our reference folder full of references from other clients that have used my/our services.

I/we advise that clients take out a Domestic Employee Workers Compensation Insurance Policy, as I/we do not work as a Pty Ltd company, therefore I/we am/are technically employed by you. Therefore you should protect yourself in the event that an accident should occur. The correct form of insurance – Domestic Workers Compensation – can be purchased for around $90 as a stand-alone annual policy or as an addition to household contents insurance. You may call 1300-131-156 for a list of Insurance companies that offer this type of Insurance. Whether you use my/our services or not we recommend that you have this insurance anyway, as it covers cleaners, electricians, plumbers, handymen and any person performing any kind of work in your home.  I/We do have my/our own Public Liability Policy, and can show you the documentation for this upon request.

When two of us work together each is paid the hourly rate, and your work will be done in half the time. Therefore, a 4 hour booking is done by two people in 2 hours but is still classed as a 4 hour booking and still requires four hours pay (a 3 hr = 1.5 hrs work by two people). Withholding payment for services performed as either an alleged misunderstanding or as an act of restitution when there is an alleged damage claim is considered failure to pay. This act will invoke legal action and a penalty charge of 10% accumulating interest will be added to the fee for service for each day that the outstanding amount remains unpaid. You are most welcome to speak to me/us about claiming on the Public Liability Insurance Policy should your dispute be over alleged damage done, but if you penalise me/us by withholding payment I/we will immediately commence legal action.

A cancellation fee of $50 is due and payable if a booking is cancelled less than 24 hours prior to the start of the job, and the booking is not rescheduled and performed within the same working week by me/us. If you forget to leave out the key and I/we cannot gain access to your premises there will again be a fee of $50 charged. Your house keys will be kept safe at all times.

My/Our fee is by the hour and time commences upon arrival. Our commitment to commence at an agreed time means that any delays caused by the client are at the client’s expense. Payment must be visible / available upon arrival. This includes bank cheques – ie: bank cheques are to be made payable to cash or ourselves, and personal cheques will be accepted only by prior arrangement.  I/we will issue receipts for my/our work upon request.

Please inform us ahead of time of any changes to the number of hours or the day of service. I/We would appreciate one week’s notice if extra work were required due to the fact that the extra time needed may affect other regular bookings. Temporary suspension of services will require reappraisal of terms upon re-commencement of services. Normally, at least one extra hour is required after any break in the cleaning cycle, e.g. Christmas holidays where the family is spending time at home.

You can read in next article about: SERVICE AND COMMITMENT