Introduction

Last Updated on 10/10/24. These Terms and Conditions are effective immediately. Service Neighbor is operated as a small business and is insured and our employees/contractors are professionally trained and vetted.

By hiring Service Neighbor you agree to be the party responsible for full payment, communication and complying with all policies, upholding this agreement and satisfaction guarantee procedures.

Cancellation Policy:

  1. Service Neighbor requires a 48-hour for all cancellations or reschedules. If a 48-hour notice is not given then Service Neighbor reserves the right to charge full retail price for that cleaning. Emergency cancellations will be treated on a case-by-case basis

Communicate with us!

  1. If you have any questions or concerns about your cleaning service, please call or text our office at 984-867-2602.  We have a dedicated office staff to assist you and who will make every reasonable effort to provide you with a highly professional cleaning service.

Getting your home ready:

  1. Have your home picked up and ready to be cleaned. Charges may be incurred if cleaning technicians require more time if your home is not ready to be cleaned or if a job is underestimated due to the condition of the home.
  2. Notify all guests about our arrival and that we may need access to their space.
  3. Notify the office when you have guests or any unknown person in your home so that we won’t be surprised if a stranger walks out of a room.

Preparing Children and Pets:

  1. For safety reasons, please see that children are supervised while we are cleaning your home.
  2. We love our animals, however, if they are aggressive, we ask that you have them kenneled, in a room that we are not cleaning or outside when we arrive. Service Neighbor and its staff reserves the right to leave the premises if a pet exhibits aggressive behavior and you will be charged the full price of your cleaning. Service Neighbor will not be held responsible for the behavior of any pet(s) while the cleaning service is being performed.
  3. Extra fees could apply if you fail to notify us that you own pets.

Parking:

If Service Neighbor incurs any parking expenses associated with a cleaning then those fees will be passed along to the customer. They will be in addition to any cleaning prices agreed upon.

Accessing Your Home:

  1. By providing a unique door code, house key or lockbox code. A cancellation fee will be charged if we are unable to access your home. (see lockout policy or cancellation policy below)
  2. Turn off alarm systems. If you choose to leave the alarm armed, we are always diligent and careful to disarm and rearm the alarm according to your instructions. However, we will not be held responsible for false alarms or misuse of the alarm system, including charges from a local police department or security company or other charges related to an activated alarm. No exceptions.
  3. Additionally, you agree to hold harmless and/or release from liability Service Neighbor from any and all liability relating to any failure of the alarm or not arming the alarm properly.
  4. Allow for full access to the home. Our technicians/contractors perform their work in a specific order to ensure efficiency and thoroughness. If you need to direct our technicians to clean certain areas first or to clean in a different order, this adds additional time to your cleaning. We are happy to offer this service if needed, but you must call ahead of your cleaning so we can schedule the additional time. Any additional time accrued by our team will be charged at our current hourly rate in fifteen minute increments.

Holidays: 

The following holidays will be observed - we will not schedule cleans on these days. If your recurring visits happen to fall on these days, we will work with you to pick a suitable alternate time.

  • New Year's Day (January 1)
  • Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Third Monday in January)
  • Washington's Birthday (Also known as Presidents Day; third Monday in February)
  • Memorial Day (Last Monday in May)
  • Juneteenth National Independence Day (June 19)
  • Independence Day (July 4)
  • Labor Day (First Monday in September)
  • Columbus Day (Second Monday in October)
  • Veterans Day (November 11)
  • Thanksgiving Day (Fourth Thursday in November)
  • Christmas Day (December 25)

Estimate/Quotes:

  1. Estimates are given based on the information given by the client. Should the conditions be dirtier or more cluttered than indicated we will not guarantee we can complete the job in the time quoted.  You will be given a choice to increase your budget, or have us leave the job.
  2. If you request changes to your service after receiving your original estimate, additional charges may be billed or a new estimate may be required.

Don’t Skip…Modify your work order:

Our staff is very important to us and depends on you to be able to pay their bills. When you skip your cleaning, they get paid less.

  1. Going On Vacation?: Instead of skipping consider having us do some deep clean work (hand wiping baseboards, doors/frames, kitchen and bathroom cabinets, or cleaning the inside of your fridge/oven, cleaning under all the sinks)
  2. Timely notice enables us to schedule another home in your place and ensure our employee/contractor’s full work schedules. Please note – you can reschedule your cleaning another day during the week without incurring additional fees.
  3. Exceptions may be made for emergencies and/or illnesses. Frequent cancellations, even for emergency or illness, may still be charged the cancellation fee. Service Neighbor reserves the right to make these determinations on a case by case basis.

 

  1. Non-Refundable Deposit: There may be a non-refundable deposit to retain your booking for all One-Time, Initial and Move-In/Move-Out Cleanings.
  2. This deposit will be credited toward the final cost of your cleaning.
  3. This deposit will not be refunded unless the cancellation is 14 days ahead of the original service date.

If cancellation or rescheduling causes more than 3 weeks to elapse between cleanings, A catch-up cleaning will be required and charged at our current hourly rate. For all company initiated schedule changes due to holidays or extreme weather conditions, we will make every attempt to reschedule as close to your regular scheduled cleaning date as possible.

Tipping:

  1. A tip is neither expected nor required. It is completely optional and at your discretion.

Payment:

We will automatically charge that card after each cleaning unless alternative payment arrangements are made. This card is also how we will charge for any last minute cancellations (see “Cancellation Policy” section). Please note that Service Neighbor will turn over an account to third party debt collection companies if needed.

Trash/Garbage Removal:

  1. Service Neighbor will remove standard household trash from your home (but not your property). Standard household trash is defined as trash contained within a trash bag or bin. It excludes large pieces of trash and debris that do not fit within a standard sized trash bag. We will remove the trash from your home and place it in your outdoor receptacles. We will not remove the trash if you do not have outdoor receptacles. Please inform the office of the specific color of the containers used for trash (municipalities have different rules related to this). If you have trash containers that are not readily visible inside your home (i.e. under sinks, behind furniture, etc) please place them in a visible spot prior to the cleaning. This will ensure the cleaners do not miss any of these containers.

Cleaning Crews:

Employee quality and retention are 2 of the main contributing factors to the success of Service Neighbor. We believe in providing a quality workplace environment. Thus, we allow our employees to take days off work. Since all of our employees undergo the same extensive training and criminal background checks we are confident you will receive a quality cleaning no matter who cleans your home. In other words, we make every effort to send you the same crew each time but we cannot guarantee you will have the same cleaning team each visit.

Protecting Your Valuables:

  1. If asked to dust/clean inside of china cabinets or hutches, start laundry, wash dishes, clean small computer equipment, antiques or collections, or to use your equipment (e.g. vacuum), you agree to hold harmless and/or release from liability Service Neighbor and/or any of its employees/contractors responsible for any damage or breakage to any article or component.
  2. We will make every effort not to break items, but accidents do happen. We have Limited Liability protection for replacement or repair. Identical replacement will be attempted but not guaranteed. It is for this reason that we avoid cleaning requests for irreplaceable or sentimental valuable items.
  3. Damage must be reported to our office staff by phone or email within 2 business days of service or Service Neighbor may not be held liable.
  4. Service Neighbor cannot be responsible for damage due to faulty and/or improper installation, lack of maintenance, or general wear and tear of any items.
  5. We are not liable for damage or breakage of items that are inherently fragile, valuable, irreplaceable, excessively old or improperly secured. Such items include, but are not limited to, cash, jewelry, art, antiques, and improperly installed fixtures.We are not responsible for any damage resulting from pre-existing wear and tear, improper installation, or poor craftsmanship.
  6. Damage caused by vacuuming upholstery
  7. Please remove any potentially dangerous items from the areas that we will be cleaning. Please make sure that any confidential, illegal and/or dangerous items are put away before the cleaning team arrives.

Scheduling Other Service Providers:

  1. Due to safety and security considerations, please do not schedule other home service providers when we are scheduled to clean if you are not present to supervise them. Service Neighbor will not let anyone into your home.
  2. We will not be responsible for any recleaning if another service provider is present when we clean your home. Client activities or the activities of other home service providers which result in a request to re-clean an area the tech has already cleaned will result in an additional fee.
  3. Cleaning appointment arrivals are scheduled for a certain time, however specific times are not guaranteed due to the nature of this business. We generally arrive no later than 30 minutes after the window start-time, with a reasonable arrival window allowance of 1-hour from the scheduled start time. While we strive to adhere to the schedule, slight delays might occur due to unforeseen circumstances. We will always reach out by phone or text if we are running behind schedule.

Protecting Our Cleaning Technicians/Contractors:

  1. Cleaning technicians are unable to climb on ladders any higher than a two-step ladder to perform their work.  They are unable to move heavy objects or furniture.
  2. Due to OSHA regulations, our staff will not handle any type of animal or human waste, this includes vomit, blood or body waste.
  3. Due to sanitary and hygiene cross-contamination issues, we are unable to clean in areas or homes with live infestations (maggots, fleas, roaches, bedbugs, etc) until mitigated.
  4. We will not remove excess mold and mildew outside of the shower.
  5. We ask that you refrain from smoking cigarettes, marijuana or any other substance inside of the home when technicians are present.
  6. We reserve the right to deny or terminate service in the event of inappropriate conduct, inaccessible or disconnected necessary utilities (electricity, running water), safety concerns, excessively cluttered or unsanitary beyond reasonable conditions, dangerous objects present (weapons, live wires). Our cleaners may refuse service on the spot, and we will charge you the full cleaning price.
  7. This list is not meant to be fully inclusive. In fact, there are many things outside of our control that could result in you getting charged without completing the job. 

Rate Adjustments

To meet your needs and to ensure your satisfaction, Service Neighbor reserves the option to reevaluate rates at any time.

100% Satisfaction Guarantee:

  1. If you think any area that is in the scope of work is not clean or cleaned well, we will re-clean that area to your satisfaction at an opportune time.
  2. Please call within 24 hours of your cleaning and we will return at an opportune time.
  3. We are unable to guarantee the cleanliness of the home when using your products, supplies or equipment.
  4. We are not able to offer cash refunds or discounts for poor quality on the original bill in place of a reclean.
  5. Our teams are quality inspected which may occur during your home’s cleaning or after the cleaning tech(s) have left your home.  Quality control ensures the highest quality standards.

Non-Solicitation of Service Neighbor’s Employees/Contractors

When entering into an agreement for services with Service Neighbor you agree not to solicit for hire any staff member or contractors introduced to you by Service Neighbor for any home‐related services.  We spend a lot of time, money and resources finding, interviewing, checking references and backgrounds of our cleaners. When hired, each cleaning technician/contractor signs an agreement barring them from performing any home‐related service for any of our past or present customers. However, if you do wish to employ a staff member directly please discuss this matter with our office. If you are found to have solicited one of our staff please be advised that our referral/ training fee is $3,500 per hired employee/contractor.  We consider our employees/contractors our most valuable asset and charge accordingly.