Terms and Conditions
1. Terms
By purchasing our services, you are agreeing to be bound by these Terms and Conditions of Use, all applicable laws and regulations. If you do not agree with any of these terms, you have the right to not purchase our services.
We reserve the right to refuse service to any one for any reason.
By ordering services from New Century Maids you enter into a good faith contract to pay for the services upon our service completion and that your house is the size you claim it to be.
2. Safety of Cleaning Technicians
Our staff members (Cleaning Technicians) are fully bonded and covered by WSIB. They do not climb higher than a 2-step ladder, move anything heavier than 35 lbs, or clean up vomit, blood, urine, excrement or pest infestation . If you would like us to clean behind your appliances or furniture, such as your refrigerator, stove or sofa, please have the items moved prior to our arrival to allow us access to the target areas.
The Cleaning Technician may, either before or during the provision of the Service not use or cease using any materials or cleaning equipment provided by the Customer if the Cleaning Technician thinks, in their absolute discretion, that the use of such materials or cleaning equipment poses a risk to health and safety.
If a Cleaning Technician feels that their personal safety is in danger (someone in the home is intoxicated, vicious animal not contained, etc.), and the Cleaning Technician leaves the job site, the client is still responsible for the full cost of the job. We will attempt to reach you by phone if this situation should arise.
3. Customer Representations and Warranties
The Customer represents and warrants that:
He/she will provide a safe working environment at the Premises for the Cleaning Technician to perform the Service;
The Cleaning Technician will have unencumbered and unobstructed access to those areas of the Premises requiring the Service;
He/she will provide the Cleaning Technician with access to all services and utilities (including hot and cold water, electricity, and garbage bins) as required by the Cleaning Technician to provide the Service;
He/she will advise New Century Maids prior to the commencement of the Service of any hazards, slippery surfaces, risks or dangers, ingrained dirt, grease or grime at the Premises;
He/she is authorized to use the Premises and obtain the provision of Service;
He/she will secure or remove any fragile, delicate, breakable or valuable items, including cash, jewelry, works of art, antiques, or items of sentimental value prior to the commencement of the Service.
4. Keys
Most New Century Maids clients provide us with a key to their home, and we are very vigilant about safeguarding your key. In order to protect your identity and safety, each key is assigned a coded number and kept in a key safe in our office. No identifying information is ever put on any key.
Your key will only be accessed by your service team from Monday through Wednesday or from Wednesday through Friday, as it is returned to the office on Wednesdays or Fridays accordingly.
We do not return keys by mail or courier – we will only release keys to clients who come in personally to our office and show current government issued photo ID.
If you decide not to issue a key to New Century Maids, and no one will be home during the cleaning, you may choose to leave a door unlocked or place a spare key in a secured place for the Cleaning Technicians to gain access to your home. In this case, you release New Century Maids of any liability that may arise from any damages or theft to your home as we cannot guarantee that we are the only ones who will have access to your home that day.
5. Security Alarms
If your home has a security system, please ensure that it is in “off”, or unarmed, position prior to our arrival. You may also provide us with the code and steps necessary for us to turn off the alarm. We will reset the alarm when we leave. However, New Century Maids will not be responsible for alarms set off by our mistake.
Our policy is to lock the door while we are cleaning and to not allow access to unknown persons. Please do not rely on us to let in workmen during the time we are in your home.
6. Pets
Your pets are members of your family and we respect that. However, if your pet is afraid of vacuums, is territorial or rough and will not allow us to do our work, we would appreciate that you secure your pets and pick up after them before our arrival. For sanitary and safety reasons our teams are not permitted to clean flea infested homes or pick up animal excrements.
7. Clutter
New Century Maids expects the customer to provide the cleaning team with a clutter free environment. If that environment does not exist, the team may not be able to fully complete the cleaning.
8. Arrival Notice
If you would like to give your service team access to your home yourself, please understand that we can only give you an approximate time (i.e.: 8:00 – 8:30 or 1:00 - 1:30), since many things, such additional client requests or traffic, can affect the best-planned schedules. Leaving a key at the New Century Maids office is the most efficient way to provide us with access to your home. If you want to wait for us to arrive we respectfully request that you are home during the estimated window of time to let your Cleaning Technician in. If no one is home or we are turned away for any reason a cancellation fee will be charged (see Cancellation Policy).
If you are not there during the estimated window and we are able to contact you, and we can return later that same day, there will be a charge of $10 per Cleaning Technician for the return travel time. We appreciate your understanding for this additional fee.
9. Cancellation Policy
Things come up, and we understand. However, we kindly ask that if you need to cancel, skip or reschedule a cleaning, that you notify us 48 hours before your scheduled day. This allows us to service another appointment and is also a more efficient use of resources and helps keep your costs down. If New Century Maids receives less than 48 hours notice you will be charged for half the amount of your cleaning. If 24 hours notice or less has been given, it will be necessary for us to charge the full price of your cleaning. Please correspond all requests and changes directly to the New Century Maids office. Please do not communicate these details to your service team.
10. Lock Out Charge
If the team arrives within 30 minutes of the agreed upon start time and cannot gain entry due to customer’s fault (double bolt locks, animals not contained, or if the team is turned away at the door of a regular scheduled clean) there will be a lockout fee assessed in the amount of %100 your cleaning price.
11. Shoes
All New Century Maids Cleaning Technicians are required to wear their ‘indoor’ shoes while they are in your home. This is a WSIB regulation to help ensure that our Cleaning Technicians are kept safe at the work place & to prevent any falls, and/or injures.
12. Bleach
We will not bring bleach into a home to use as a cleaning product. If you request us to use bleach supplied in your home, please be aware that we will not be responsible for any damage caused by your bleach.
13. Distractions
It is important for us to have access to every area of your home that we will be cleaning. In doing so, we need to work freely and without distractions. Excessive visiting with your maid (beyond cleaning instructions) prevents them from being 100% focused.
Every effort is made to work safely and cautiously and we cannot assume liability for injury to others. In order to prevent safety hazards (tripping over buckets, caddies, vacuum cords, etc.), we kindly ask that you, your children and pets remain out of the rooms that the Cleaning Technicians are cleaning. You may return once the Cleaning Technicians are finished.
14. Damage / Loss Policy
New Century Maids is fully bonded and insured. Please notify us of any incident where and accident, breakage, damage to property or theft has occurred due to any act of the Cleaning Technician within 48 hours of the cleaning date and we will make every attempt to have the item repaired or replaced for you. Our liability limits are set at a maximum of 200% of your one time service fee.
Items excluded from liability are; cash, jewelry, one-of-a-kind items or hard to get items; items of sentimental value, art, antiques and electronics.
We will assume no liability for items not secured in a proper manner (example: heavy pictures hanging from thumb tacks, not anchored properly to walls, etc., pre-existing damages, scratches, dents in windows, paint, furniture, floors, walls, etc.).
Key replacement / locksmith fees are paid only if keys are lost or miscoded. There is a $50 per location liability limit.
If any invoices remain unpaid, all rights regarding a Damage / Loss claim are waived until the outstanding amount is settled.
New Century Maids may consider unpaid invoices of services as a “Payment Settlement Agreement Exchange for Damage or Loss Claim” with the client.
15. Release of Liability
Should you decide you would like us to clean items of monetary or sentimental value, items within a hutch/china/curio cabinets, light fixtures, dust any computer equipment, wash dishes etc., the following will apply: Client hereby releases New Century Maids from all liability arising out of cleaning these item(s), and the client understands that he/she is completely responsible for repairing or replacing any damaged item(s), even if a Cleaning Technician of New Century Maids may have caused the need for repair or replacement.
For ALL move in/out cleanings any items left in the home/condo/apartment will be disposed of by the cleaning crew unless otherwise instructed by home owner. New Century Maids will not be held responsible for any lost or disposed items.
16. Payments
For your convenience, New Century Maids accepts the following forms of payment: Online Banking, Visa, MasterCard, Cash, Cheque, Email Transfer. Payment is due at the time of service unless otherwise arranged with the office.
If no payment has been made by the Service Time, New Century Maids will use reasonable actions to contact the Customer for payment. In the event that New Century Maids cannot contact the Customer or payment is not made by the Service Time, the Customer will be deemed to have cancelled the Service, and the Customer must pay cancellation fee.
Customers shall call the office to leave a credit card number in a secured file for New Century Maids to use on an ongoing basis or in the event you forget to leave your payment on the scheduled cleaning day to avoid late payment fee.
Please leave payment on the kitchen countertop in a clearly marked envelope.
Payments by cheque should be made to: New Century Maids Inc.
Where New Century Maids has agreed to invoice the Customer for payment of fees after the Service has been completed, the Customer agrees to pay in full, all fees due, within 7 days of the invoice date.
17. Credit Card Payment
Credit cards are accepted through Pay Pal.
If we have to process your credit card, your account will be charged the balance due, plus User Fee, after each cleaning.
18. Fees
Late Payment Fee
A late payment fee of $10 will be charged if no payment is left for the team.
User Fee
A user fee of %3.5 of your balance will be charged If we process your credit card payment.
Outstanding Balance Fee
Accounts that remain outstanding for 30 days will be charged an interest rate of 3% per month (42.58% per annum)
Returned Cheque/ NSF Fee
If a cheque is returned for Not Sufficient Funds (NSF) or the other reason, there will be an additional charge of $35.00. Credit card which we have on file will be charged for amount owed. Services will be suspended until full payment has been made.
Collections
In addition to any amounts owed to New Century Maids, you agree to be responsible for all reasonable collection and attorneys fees we incur to bring your account current.
Parking Fee
Customer to provide a parking spot to the cleaning crew. In the event when no free parking is available and cleaning crew has to use paid parking, the parking fee will be added to your service charge.
19. Gift Certificates
Gift Certificates are available in any amount. Please call or email the office for more information.
20. Tipping
Tipping is not required or expected, but it is a powerful way to say thank you to your service provider. Remember your appreciation need not be monetary. A personal note from you expressing your appreciation for their service can mean a great deal. If you would like to leave a tip for your maid, please place it outside the sealed payment envelope.
21. Guarantee and Refunds
We stand behind our work - if you're not 100% satisfied with quality of cleaning of any of the serviced areas, please contact us within 24 hours of your cleaning. We will re-visit your home or office at no extra charge. However, due to the subjective nature of the cleaning industry, we do not offer refunds for the service rendered.
If re-visit did not resole the issue due to pre-existing circumstances or Wear and Tear, the customer will be charged trip fee of 3 man hours.
We do not offer refunds for gift certificate purchases.
22. Wear and Tear
The longer we live in our homes, the more wear and tear builds up in it. Baseboards, bottom of showers and tubs, mold/mildew, excessive water spots and soap scum on glass shower doors, worn flooring (wood floors may need to be refinished) grout lines, window tracks, etc. are all areas where wear and tear will have an outcome on the final look of the cleaning. These areas may take more than one cleaning to improve in appearance or may not come clean at all.
23. Job Quotations
Any price quoted by New Century Maids is an estimate only based on New Century Maids’ experience, without inspection, and based on information provided by the Customer. Subject to this clause, quotes are valid for a period of 30 days from the date of the quote.
If at the commencement or during the course of providing the Service, it is apparent that the actual cost of the Service will exceed the quote provided by New Century Maids, New Century Maids will provide the Customer with the option to pay an increased fee to complete the Service, or pay the quoted amount without the Service being completed.
24. Referral Job Placement Fee
A great deal of our time and resources are put into recruiting and checking the background and experience of our housekeepers/maids. By using our services, you agree not to solicit for hire any past or present staff member introduced to you by New Century Maids, for any home-related services. If you wish to employ a New Century Maids’ Team member, our referral fee is $3,000.00 - this is due in full immediately upon employing or using the past / present staff member, regardless of whether the employment is continuous employment or on a contract basis.
New Century Maids reserve the right to pursue alternate methods of collection if the fee is not paid.
To protect your privacy and well being, all of our Cleaning Technicians have also signed a legally enforceable Confidentiality and Non-competition Agreement.
25. Terms of Use Modifications
New Century Maids reserves the right to update or modify these terms and conditions at any time without prior notice, and may do so by publishing an updated agreement on its website. Each updated agreement will take effect 24 hours after it has been published on the website.
The Customer agrees that any use of the Service following any such change, whether as a single job or as part of a regular cleaning schedule, constitutes their agreement to follow and be bound by the terms and conditions as changed.
26. Privacy Policy
The Customer acknowledges that any information provided by the Customer may be used by New Century Maids for the purpose of providing the Service. New Century Maids agrees not to share any information provided by the Customer with any third party not directly involved in the provision of the Service (unless required to do so by law).
The Customer agrees to New Century Maids communicating with them electronically and/or via other means in order to provide the Service or for reasons related to the provision of the Service.
New Century Maids will take all reasonable precautions to protect personal information provided by the Customer from loss, misuse, unauthorized access or disclosure, alteration or destruction.
27. Copyright
The content of this Agreement is protected by international copyright laws and may be used for personal reference only. Subject to applicable law, permission to copy, alter, reproduce, publish, transmit and/or otherwise distribute this content is forbidden without first obtaining the prior written permission of New Century Maids
28. Trademarks
The name “New Century Maids” is in the process of registering it's trademark. Subject to applicable law, permission to use this name is forbidden without first obtaining the prior written permission of Alex M. New Century Maids