Terms of Service
These Terms of Service apply to all cleaning services provided by Suds Home Cleaning ("Suds," "we," "us," or "our"). By booking or receiving services from Suds, you agree to these Terms of Service.
Our goal is to provide reliable, professional cleaning services while making expectations clear for both our customers and our team.
1. Services and Scope
Suds provides residential cleaning services throughout the Halifax Regional Municipality.
The specific services included in your appointment depend on the service booked, the condition of the home, and any additional services agreed upon in advance.
Our standard recurring cleaning service follows our standard cleaning checklist. Certain services, including cleaning inside ovens, refrigerators, cabinets, and other specialty areas, may be available as add-ons and must be requested in advance.
If you have a specific cleaning request that is not part of the standard service, please discuss it with Suds before your appointment. Additional time or charges may apply.
2. Quotes and Condition of the Home
Our quotes and appointment times are based on the information provided by the customer about the home, including its size, condition, and cleaning needs.
We may request photographs or other information before booking a service to help us accurately assess the home.
Customers are responsible for providing accurate and complete information about the condition of the home.
If, upon arrival, the condition of the home is materially different from what was described or reasonably represented to us, Suds reserves the right to:
Adjust the price or add additional cleaning time, with the customer's approval where reasonably possible;
Adjust the scope of work to fit within the originally scheduled time;
Complete only the portion of the service that can reasonably be completed within the scheduled time;
Leave the property if the condition is unsafe, unsuitable, or substantially different from what was represented; or
Apply the applicable cancellation or service fee where the appointment cannot reasonably proceed.
Examples may include excessive clutter, significantly heavier-than-described soil or buildup, excessive garbage, pest or rodent issues, biohazards, or other conditions that materially affect the time, safety, or difficulty of the service.
We make reasonable efforts to establish expectations and pricing before the appointment. However, the condition of a home cannot always be fully assessed in advance.
3. Appointment Times
Appointment times are estimates and may vary due to traffic, parking, the length of previous appointments, access issues, or other circumstances outside our control.
Customers are provided with an expected arrival window whenever possible.
Our cleaning time begins when our cleaner is able to access the home and begin the service.
If access is delayed, the available cleaning time may be reduced accordingly.
4. Payment
A valid credit card is required to book and hold an appointment.
Customers authorize Suds to charge the card on file for the applicable service amount following completion of the appointment.
Suds currently accepts credit card payments only for service charges. Tips may be provided separately by cash or digitally.
If a payment is unsuccessful, Suds will contact the customer to arrange payment. No late payment fee is currently charged.
Customers are responsible for all applicable taxes and approved additional charges.
5. Cancellations and Rescheduling
We understand that plans change and we will always do our best to be flexible.
Our cancellation policy is:
48 hours or more notice: No cancellation charge.
24 to 48 hours notice: 50% of the scheduled service price.
Less than 24 hours notice: 100% of the scheduled service price.
No access to the home at the scheduled appointment: 100% of the scheduled service price.
Cancellation charges will be applied to the credit card on file.
For recurring customers, we will make reasonable efforts to accommodate rescheduling. A recurring customer may generally reschedule an appointment while keeping their regular future appointment, provided the appointment can be moved to another available time before the next scheduled service.
If an appointment cannot be rescheduled within that period, it may be treated as a cancellation and the applicable cancellation policy will apply.
We may waive or modify a cancellation charge at our discretion in exceptional circumstances.
6. Recurring Services and Appointment Slots
Recurring customers are generally scheduled on a weekly, biweekly, or other agreed-upon recurring basis.
Suds makes reasonable efforts to maintain consistent appointment times for recurring customers. However, recurring appointment times are not guaranteed indefinitely.
If a recurring customer pauses service for more than one normal service cycle, Suds cannot guarantee that the same day, time, or cleaner will remain available when service resumes.
A short-term cancellation or rescheduling does not necessarily affect a customer's recurring appointment slot.
Pricing for recurring services may be updated from time to time. Customers will be notified of material pricing changes before they take effect.
7. Access to the Home
Customers are responsible for ensuring that Suds employees can safely access and leave the property at the scheduled appointment time.
Customers may provide access by being home, providing a key, lockbox, smart-lock access, garage access, or another mutually agreed-upon method.
Suds employees must be able to enter and exit the property without assistance from the customer.
If our cleaner cannot access the home, the appointment may be treated as a cancellation and the applicable cancellation charge will apply.
Customers are responsible for ensuring that any access codes, keys, or other access information provided to Suds are accurate and functional.
8. Pets
We are pet-friendly and are happy to work around well-behaved, socialized pets.
Customers know their pets best and are responsible for determining whether their pet will interfere with the cleaning service or create a safety concern.
If a pet is likely to be a distraction, become anxious, interfere with cleaning, or present a safety concern, the customer should arrange for the pet to be secured in another room or outside the home while our team is working.
Suds employees will not be responsible for handling or restraining pets.
9. Conditions We Do Not Service
For the safety of our employees and customers, Suds does not provide cleaning services involving hazardous, biohazardous, or unsafe conditions.
This includes, but is not limited to:
Human waste or bodily fluids;
Animal waste;
Blood or other biohazardous materials;
Needles, sharps, or other hazardous objects;
Mold remediation;
Rodent droppings or significant rodent activity;
Pest infestations, including bedbugs or fleas;
Excessive garbage or unsafe accumulation of materials;
Hoarding-level conditions;
Dangerous chemicals or substances; and
Other conditions that our team reasonably determines to be unsafe or unsuitable for standard residential cleaning.
If such conditions are present, Suds reserves the rights described under Quotes and Condition of the Home, including refusing the service, leaving the property, adjusting the scope of work, or applying the applicable cancellation or service charge.
10. Furniture, Appliances and Personal Belongings
Our cleaners may move reasonably light furniture and household items when doing so can be done safely.
We may clean under beds and other accessible furniture where reasonably possible.
We do not move heavy furniture, large appliances, refrigerators, stoves, washers, dryers, or other heavy objects to clean underneath or behind them.
Cleaning inside ovens, refrigerators, and similar appliances is not included in the standard cleaning service unless specifically booked as an additional service.
Customers should identify any particularly fragile, valuable, or delicate items that require special care before cleaning begins. Suds may decline to clean an item where doing so could reasonably result in damage.
11. Clutter and Preparation
Our cleaners can work around ordinary household belongings and do not expect customers to have a perfectly organized home.
However, excessive clutter can prevent areas from being properly cleaned and may significantly increase the time required to complete the service.
Customers should ensure that floors, countertops, sinks, showers, and other areas they want cleaned are reasonably accessible.
Where clutter or personal belongings prevent access to an area, our cleaners may be unable to clean that area.
12. Trash
Suds will generally remove ordinary household garbage as part of the cleaning service where reasonably practical.
Large quantities of garbage, excessive garbage, or garbage requiring significant additional handling may require additional time or charges and may be subject to the limitations described under Quotes and Condition of the Home.
13. Parking
Customers are responsible for providing reasonable parking access for our cleaners where possible.
Suds will make reasonable efforts to find free parking. However, where paid parking is reasonably necessary to provide the service, applicable parking fees may be passed on to the customer.
This is particularly relevant in areas where parking is limited or metered.
14. Other Contractors or Service Providers
For safety, efficiency, and service quality, Suds does not perform cleaning services while other contractors or service providers are actively working in the home.
This includes, but is not limited to, movers, carpet cleaners, plumbers, electricians, painters, renovation contractors, and other trades.
If another service provider is scheduled during the same period, the customer should notify Suds in advance and, where possible, arrange for the other work to be completed before or after the cleaning appointment.
If another service provider is present when our cleaner arrives, Suds may be unable to complete the cleaning as planned and may adjust the scope, reschedule the appointment, or apply the applicable cancellation charge.
Suds cannot guarantee the condition of an area after another contractor or service provider has subsequently worked in that area.
15. Employee Safety
The safety and well-being of our employees is a priority.
Suds reserves the right to stop or decline a service where our employees reasonably believe that the property, working conditions, individuals, animals, substances, or circumstances present an unsafe or inappropriate working environment.
This includes situations involving threatening, abusive, harassing, or discriminatory behaviour toward our employees.
Where appropriate, Suds may terminate or refuse future services in these circumstances.
16. Weather and Emergencies
Suds may need to cancel, delay, or reschedule appointments due to severe weather, road conditions, emergencies, power outages, or other circumstances that make travel or working conditions unsafe.
The safety of our employees and customers takes priority.
When possible, Suds will provide as much notice as reasonably possible and will work with the customer to reschedule the appointment.
No cancellation charge will apply when Suds cancels an appointment for these reasons.
17. Damage and Breakage
Suds employees take reasonable care while working in customers' homes.
If a Suds employee accidentally causes damage to a customer's property through our negligence or while performing the service, Suds will make reasonable efforts to resolve the situation fairly. Depending on the circumstances, this may include arranging or paying for a repair or replacement.
Suds is not responsible for damage resulting from:
Normal wear and tear;
Pre-existing damage or deterioration;
Age or fragility of an item;
Defective or improperly assembled items;
Improper installation, construction, or mounting;
Items that are unstable or unsafe;
Damage resulting from a manufacturer's defect; or
Circumstances outside our reasonable control.
Customers should notify Suds as soon as reasonably possible if they believe damage occurred during a cleaning appointment so that we can investigate and address the matter appropriately.
Suds maintains appropriate business insurance coverage for its operations.
18. Cleaning Quality and Service Guarantee
We take pride in the quality of our work and want our customers to be happy with their service.
If you believe an area included in your service was missed or did not meet reasonable expectations, please contact Suds as soon as possible after the appointment.
We will review the concern and, where reasonably possible, arrange for the affected area to be re-cleaned.
Because cleaning is inherently subjective and homes can change between the time they are cleaned and the time a concern is reported, Suds does not guarantee that every requested outcome will be possible in every circumstance.
Our first preference when a legitimate service concern is identified is to make it right through a re-clean or other appropriate resolution. Where a return visit is not reasonably possible, Suds may provide a partial refund or other resolution at its discretion.
19. Customer Requests Outside the Standard Service
Customers may request additional tasks or services outside the standard cleaning checklist.
Additional services must be approved and scheduled where applicable.
Examples include, but are not limited to:
Inside oven cleaning;
Inside refrigerator cleaning;
Interior cabinet cleaning;
Additional deep-cleaning tasks; and
Other services requiring significant additional time.
Additional charges may apply.
Our cleaners are not authorized to perform significant additional work outside the agreed scope where doing so would prevent them from completing the scheduled service.
20. Customer Treatment of Employees
Suds employees are expected to provide professional, respectful service, and we expect the same from our customers.
We do not tolerate harassment, threats, discrimination, intimidation, inappropriate conduct, or abusive behaviour toward our employees.
Suds reserves the right to discontinue service where this occurs.
21. Solicitation or Direct Hiring of Suds Employees
Customers agree not to knowingly solicit, directly hire, or arrange for a current Suds employee who has provided services to their home to perform private cleaning services outside of Suds during their employment with Suds.
If a customer wishes to hire or engage a Suds employee directly for cleaning services, they must first obtain written permission from Suds.
This provision is intended to protect the investment Suds makes in recruiting, training, scheduling, insuring, and employing its team members.
Nothing in this section is intended to restrict an employee's lawful rights or activities after their employment with Suds ends.
22. Changes to Services or Terms
Suds reserves the right to update its services, pricing, policies, and these Terms of Service from time to time.
Where a change materially affects an existing customer's service or pricing, Suds will provide reasonable notice before the change takes effect.
The Terms of Service in effect at the time of an appointment will generally apply to that appointment.
23. Right to Refuse or Discontinue Service
Suds reserves the right to refuse, suspend, or discontinue service where reasonably necessary, including where:
The condition of the home is materially different from what was represented;
The home presents an unsafe or unsuitable working environment;
There are pests, rodents, biohazards, or other conditions outside the scope of standard residential cleaning;
A customer repeatedly fails to comply with these Terms of Service;
There are repeated payment or access issues;
An employee is subjected to harassment, threats, abuse, or discrimination; or
Suds determines that continuing the service is not reasonably practical.
Where service is discontinued by Suds for reasons attributable to the customer, any applicable outstanding charges or cancellation fees may still apply.
24. Applicable Law
These Terms of Service are governed by the laws of the Province of Nova Scotia and the applicable laws of Canada.
Nothing in these Terms of Service is intended to limit or exclude any rights or protections that customers have under applicable consumer protection or other legislation.
25. Acceptance
By booking or receiving services from Suds Home Cleaning, the customer acknowledges that they have had an opportunity to review these Terms of Service and agrees to be bound by them.
These Terms of Service are intended to clearly communicate the expectations, responsibilities, and policies applicable to Suds Home Cleaning services.