Terms of Service
(Last revised March 2025)

Search this page:   Search


Basics   Payments   Materials   Travel   Hours   Planning   Weather   Rubbish   Electricity & Water   Heavy Work   Overrun   Rented   Safety   Medical   Data   Gas & Heating   Insurance   Cancellation  

1. All bookings are now managed through this web site and not by any other kind of informal arrangement that bypasses this web site. It is not possible to make a booking using WhatsApp, text, email, phone call, or in person conversation. This is because availability, quotations, invoice generation, payments, and booking communications are all computer generated using sophisticated custom built software.
2. You will need to view an online quotation before making a booking, so that you know how much it will cost, and be willing to pay that amount.
3. Your booking will be processed using email correspondence. You need to know how to login to your own email account, and you will need to be able to respond to emails so that you can complete your booking.
4. All booking requests are subject to availability/ acceptance of the requested job.
5. I no longer work on vacant properties. A responsible adult will need to be at home for the duration of my stay. You will have be at home to provide access to your property, electricity and water if needed, to answer questions about any problems that may arise, and to take responsibility for securing your own property when I leave. It is not my responsibility to look after children, pets or family members in need of care. In England, a child is defined as anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday.
6. To confirm your booking, you should to make the minimum advance payment upon receipt of your booking acceptance. This should be made within 24 hours, so that your job can be entered into my diary.
7. Only electronic payments (online banking, PayPal or using a bank card) are accepted. Cash payments in arrears are not accepted.
8. To reduce the chance of overpayment (for example if the work is completed faster than expected), or to reduce the risk to you of making a large upfront payment, part-payment can be accepted in stages, a day at a time in advance. Essentially, "minimum advanced payment" enables customers who book more than one day, to pay in part payments. The latest that you can make an advance payment for the next day is 6pm on the day before, so that I have enough time to prepare for the following day. Late payments may result in delays in starting, or progressing with your job.
9. I will refund any payments that you make for any time that is not used.
10. Any goods needed to complete the work (e.g. paint, tiles, gravel, fittings etc.) should be purchased by you, in advance, and on time. If you wish, you could order items online and have them delivered to you in advance. Unfortunately though, I am unable shop for you if you are able to shop for yourself; this is due to the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which is a complex legal framework. In special circumstances I may shop for you during your booked time, if items are paid for in advance, but only if you are not able to do this yourself.
11. Any goods needed due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g. more paint, gravel, plaster etc.) should also be supplied, usually by you, before the work can continue.
12. Travel to your location will be charged at a rate of 90p/ mile for the full round-trip distance (see FAQ).
13. It must be safe and legal to park close to your address. If you live in a parking permit area, you must have a visitors parking permit.
14. The booking is limited to the time paid for. Any excess time will be charged for. Any unused days will not be charged, and if already paid for, will be refunded.
15. A half day is 3.5hrs. A full day is 7hrs work; 3.5hrs + 0.5hr break + 3.5hrs.
16. The Morning session is 9.30am*-1pm, lunch (unpaid time) is 1pm-1.30pm, the afternoon session is 1.30pm-5pm (1pm-4.30pm for outdoor work in the winter). If working outside during the winter, the lunch break will be missed out, to allow for an earlier 4.30pm finish, due to the early winter sunsets. The day could possibly overrun, with your agreement, depending upon the circumstances. Any extra time will be invoiced later.
17. Taking measurements, task planning, drawing plans , researching and costing materials and suppliers, all takes time and are chargeable as technical (price band B), if required by you.
18. Outdoor work including gardening, landscaping and exterior painting, should ideally be scheduled to take place during the spring, summer or autumn. Working outdoors during December, January or February, depends upon a favourable weather forecast. This is so that I can work around cold working conditions, wet weather, strong winds, slip hazards and poor drying or setting conditions. Outdoor painting, or the laying of concrete, requires a temperate above 10 °C; this only occurs in this region from the beginning of April to the end of November, and not during December-March.
19. An adverse weather forecast (continuous heavy rain, high winds, ice or snow) could result in planned exterior work having to be rearranged.
20. Any gardening cuttings or other rubbish will need to be disposed of in your own domestic rubbish bin where possible. You will need to arrange the removal of any larger quantities of rubbish yourself. The council provide waste collection facilities and services for you. It is illegal for me to drive rubbish to the tip for you. (see Waste Disposal Page)
21. Electricity: Many tools and gardening equipment require a connection to an electricity supply. Some tasks can be completed without the need for electricity, but it may take longer, or require the use of a generator in exceptional circumstances.
22. Water: A pressure washer requires a connection to a water supply, usually via a kitchen tap or an outdoor tap. Access to water may also be required for mixing mortar or concrete, watering plants, washing brushes and cleaning.
23. Being at home: I no longer work on vacant properties. A responsible adult will need to be at home for the duration of my stay. You will have be at home to provide access to your property, electricity and water if needed, to answer questions about any problems that may arise, and to take responsibility for securing your own property when I leave. It is not my responsibility to look after children, pets or family members in need of care. In England, a child is defined as anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday.
24. Heavy physical work (such as: digging, lifting or handling heavy objects, moving or handling soil, gravel, sand, flagstones, brick, concrete, rocks or metal etc.) is limited to a maximum of four hours a day. This is to reduce the risk of personal injury or over-exertion. The daily weight limit is 2,000Kg, which is 2 metric tonnes (equivalent to two 0.5 cubic metre dumpy bags or 100 x 20Kg bags of stone).
25. Overrun: It is difficult to gauge how long tasks will take. Unforeseen circumstances may mean that extra tasks become introduced, problems, or the planned work, take longer than expected to resolve and complete. For this reason, any time estimate may not be exact. Consider that your job could reasonably end up taking 50% more time than originally planned for. You will need to decide whether this would still be affordable for you, before agreeing to the work being done. Be aware of the risk of mission creep: the gradual broadening of the original objectives of a mission, which can result in a much larger job, which takes a longer time than was originally expected. This may not apply if it is clear that this task can be completed in a fixed amount of time, without any possibility of overrun.
26. If you live in a rented property, it is your responsibility to obtain permission from the property owner before starting any work on that property.
27. Health and Safety Policy: I have a responsible attitude towards health and safety and take responsibility for assessing and minimising risks. A risk assessment involves identifying hazards that have the potential to cause harm and ensuring that the associated risks are well controlled. I am aware of health and safety law and controlling risks in the workplace.
28. Coronavirus (COVID-19) policy: If you are unvaccinated, shielding, or at risk from coronavirus (COVID-19), please notify me in advance so that the usual coronavirus (COVID-19) precautions of mask wearing, social distancing and wearing of sterilised gloves can be followed.
29. Elderly and disabled access: Some elderly people and some people with particular types of disabilities may have difficulty in accessing this service, as it is a digital platform. This doesn’t exclude them though. Usually in these cases, a family member or carer will manage the booking and payment on their behalf; this so far, has worked well.
30. Data Protection Policy: The Data Protection Act 2018 controls how your personal information is used by businesses. It is the UK’s implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Any personal data needed to carry out work for you has to follow strict rules called ‘data protection principles’. I will make sure that any personal data is used fairly, lawfully and transparently, used for specified, explicit purposes, used in a way that is adequate, relevant and limited to only what is necessary, accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date, kept for no longer than is necessary, handled in a way that ensures appropriate security, including protection against unlawful or unauthorised processing, access, loss, destruction or damage.
31. Photographs of work undertaken: If it is not possible to identify an individual directly from an image, then the image does not constitute personal data under the Data Protection Act 2018. It is reasonable to use these images as a record of progress, work done, or to share them with others as example of my work, provided that no identifying information, i.e. name or location are used. If you would rather that images of work done for you are not taken, used or shared anonymously, then please notify me of this before starting your project; your preference will, of course, be respected.
32. I do not work on any gas systems or appliances.
33. I do not work on the specialist plumbing areas of central heating systems, radiators, boilers, gas, underground drainage, new electrical installations, car repairs, car servicing, felling trees, roofing beyond first floor level, full new kitchen installations, full new bathroom installations, working on technical tasks with members of the public, lifting very heavy items over 40Kg, installing items with a value over £200 (due to damage liability) or the loaning, or hiring out of tools or equipment. I no longer carry out plumbing, due to the incompatibility of different manufactures parts, and I have stopped offering high access work (roofs and aerials above first floor) due to the range of specialist ladders required to do this.
34. I have public liability insurance for Garden Maintenance (excluding tree felling) and Handyman (property maintenance only). The public liability cover is up to £1,000,000; this provides legal liability to pay damages and associated legal costs for accidental injury and damage to material property. Full details are available upon request. This insurance is currently in place until 25 July 2025; please check if this date has passed.
    Exclusions: The felling or lopping of trees (other than the pruning of bushes, shrubs or hedges) is excluded. There is a working height limit of 10 metres and a depth limit of 1m (10 metres is approximately the height of a 2 storey house). There are exceptions for the use of flames, demolition, asbestos, other dangerous materials and some high-risk environments.
35. Payments for web design work are different (see the dedicated Starbird Digital Website). Details will be given to new web design customers.
36. Cancellation by you, or misuse of the online booking system, may jeopardise acceptance for any future bookings.

Basics   Materials   Travel   Hours   Planning   Weather   Rubbish   Electricity & Water   Heavy Work   Overrun   Rented   Safety   Medical   Data   Gas & Heating   Insurance   Cancellation