DOMESTICS WORKING THROUGH HOMECARE REFERRAL AGENCY ARE NOT EMPLOYEES OF THE AGENCY. HOMECARE REFERRAL AGENCY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR PROPERTY DAMAGE OR LOSS.
OUR AUTOMATED PRICING FEATURE IS BASED ON THE COST OF AN AVERAGE HOME OF EACH SIZE/ TYPE. OUR CONTRACTORS CAN RENEGOTIATE PRICING IF THEY FIND THAT YOUR HOME IS NOT WITHIN THE AVERAGES (FOR EXAMPLE – SMALLER, LARGER, CLEANER, MORE SOILED OR CLUTTERED).
Our Contractors at HomeCare Referral Agency strive to offer our clients the best value for their cleaning dollar in comparison to our competitors while in turn offering our Contractors above average pay. In order to do so, our Contractors have the following policies and ask that every client reviews and respects our company policies as stated below –
PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT OUR CONTRACTORS ASSUME NO LIABILITY FOR DAMAGE OR LOSS OF ITEMS THAT ARE NOT SECURED PROPERLY OR THAT ARE DAMAGED PRIOR TO THEIR CLEANING. (Example: heavy pictures hanging from thumbtacks, any type of floating shelves, etc.) Curio or nick-knack items of extreme value, (monetary or sentimental) should be stored in a case behind glass or dusted & cleaned by the owner. All surfaces (i.e.: Marble, Granite, hardwood floors, etc.) are assumed to be properly sealed and ready to clean without causing harm when common cleansers are used.
Due to their flexible and ever-changing schedule and Bay Area traffic, it is often difficult to commit to exact arrival times; therefore OUR CONTRACTORS DO NOT GUARANTEE EXACT ARRIVAL TIMES TO ANYONE, INSTEAD THEY OFFER A 1 – 2 HOUR WINDOW OF ARRIVAL.
The house cleaning industry is one that has very low-profit margins, therefore our Contractors schedule all of their jobs on a daily basis based upon what work is available that particular day and our Contractors plan for no downtime between jobs if possible. If you do insist on a specific time please be advised that if our scheduling does have any sort of down/ wait time that our Contractors will try our best to work with you in order to meet your needs but our Contractors may need to charge you an additional fee to cover the time that contractors are asked to wait between jobs. (These fees are based on California prevailing minimum wage + $2.00 each per person for the time that they are asked to wait.
Last minute cancellations can wreak havoc on our scheduling, causing both our other customers and our Contractors great distress. You may reschedule, skip, add, or cancel any of your cleanings, however, our Contractors do ask for a 48-hour notice of any of these actions. Cancellations (for any reason) happening with less than a 24 hr notice will be charged for 1 hour at our current hourly rate, if your cancellation is received after our Contractors have traveled to your home you will be charged for 2 labor hours at our current hourly rate. Payment will have to be made in full prior to our scheduling any further work. All cancellations must be made through the office/ Agency by calling (510) 623-0557.
Health matters – Our Contractors ask that you notify our office by 7:30 am if you or anyone in your family is sick or has a contagious illness so that our Contractors can either take precautions or choose to re-schedule your job. Our Contractors will also never come into your home if our Contractors know that they are ill with anything contagious.
Please note that due to health reasons our Contractors may choose not clean up bio-hazardous materials
Our Contractors provide all of the appropriate equipment and supplies necessary to do their jobs. While our Contractors are happy to use your alternative products or equipment the use of anything other than what is provided by them may void their 24-hour guarantee
Any jobs requiring extra or unusual supplies and/ or equipment will be billed additionally for these services. Any additional services not normally included in the cleaning package that you select will also be billed for additionally.
Our Contractors have a “No check/ No clean” policy. Payment is expected in full the day of the cleaning or in advance of the cleaning.
As a customer, you are entitled to a no-hassle buying experience. We accept checks, American Express, Visa, MasterCard, and cash as forms of payment. Any check returned from your bank will be assessed an additional fee of $35, if made good within 3 days of notification. Checks not made good within 3 days are subject to a fine of up to 3 times the value of the check + legal and/or collection fees.
Our Contractors need to be able to work freely and without distractions. Every effort is made to work safely and cautiously, but our Contractors cannot assume liability for the safety of others while cleaning your home. This includes children and pets. Be advised that if our Contractors are subject to distractions that affect their ability to work in their normal fashion or speed, our Contractors reserve the right to charge for their extra time spent in the home.
If for any reason a contractor working through HomeCare Referral Agency feels that their personal safety is in danger enough to leave the job site, due to actions by the customer, guests of the customers or others at the job site, the HomeCare Referral Agency customer will still remain liable for the full cost of the job.
Although our Contractors are professionals, our Contractors are not miracle workers. Sometimes our Contractors are called in too late to correct the damage that is already done to some surfaces. Other items may take a couple of cleanings to look their very best. In cases of extremely cluttered areas or surfaces, our Contractors reserve the right to use their prerogative to skip those areas in order to avoid damaging items or hurting themselves.
Special requests – our Contractors love them, however, we ask that you call the office in advance to assure that your contractor who is responsible for cleaning several homes each working day, will be able to accommodate your special requests without impacting our other clients’ needs for arrival times, etc,
Vacations and Holidays – HomeCare Referral Agency is closed on New Years Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and the day after, and Christmas day. If your regular cleaning lands on one of these days our Contractors may reschedule you to another day if available. If you will be out of town or on vacation during a holiday, our Contractors ask that you please let our office know as soon as possible to avoid a lockout fee.
Your Satisfaction is guaranteed. While our Agency and Contractors do not offer refunds on services that have been provided, our Contractors will return & re-clean any areas of concern that are reported to us within 48 hours of our cleaning free of charge.
When entering into an agreement for services with HomeCare Referral Agency you agree not to solicit for hire any Contractors introduced to you by HomeCare Referral Agency for any home-related services. If you are found to have solicited one of our Contractors please be advised that our referral fee is $2,500 payable to HomeCare Referral Agency immediately upon employing our Contractors for any services to your home/ business + your contractor will be terminated immediately from our Agency as they will also be in breach of their own non solicitation agreement.
HomeCare Referral Agency reserves the right to re-evaluate rates and/or change the Service Agreement &/or policies at any time.
Your Home – Their workplace
OSHA requires employers to ensure the safety of all contractors in the work environment. In following these requirements our Agency ask your assistance in helping our Contractors to have the following as required by OSHA
* Appropriate footwear – OSHA requires that appropriate footwear is to be worn at all times where there is a risk of foot injuries from hot, slippery, corrosive, poisonous substances, falling objects, crushing or penetrating actions. Shoes should be enclosed and have non slip soles.
* Protective gloves, aprons, shields, or other means of protection are provided and required if the employee has potential to be cut or has reasonably anticipated exposure to corrosive liquids, chemicals, blood or other potentially infectious materials.
* Making sure that all rooms are well ventilated, so that the contractor can avoid working with strong chemicals in poorly ventilated rooms.
* Maintaining a proper temperature in the home / work place. OSHA recommends temperature control in the range of 68-76°F and humidity control in the range of 20%-60%.
* Rest periods- every contractor is entitled to 10 minutes of rest time per every four (4) hours or major fraction thereof. This is paid time.
By agreeing to use our services you are agreeing to be bound by ALL of our terms and conditions as stated throughout this notice.