Terms of Service

1. EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES: For move-in/out and post-renovation cleaning services, Hire A Maid provides all cleaning supplies and equipment.

For all other cleanings, we request that you please supply: a well-functioning vacuum, mop & bucket, toilet brush, a minimum 20-pack of microfibre cleaning cloths and any heavy-duty or specialty cleaners required for mold & mildew or grease build-up removal. We can only clean as well as the cleaning equipment and supplies that you provide us, so please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions about the supplies needed. Our office can provide you a complete list of recommended products and supplies, and the best place to buy these.

2. ACCESS TO YOUR HOME: Our cleaning staff cannot accept or keep client keys. In our experience, the most efficient and problem-free way to access your home on your cleaning day is to install a lock box on your property for our staff to access your key, and to provide a guest alarm code if you have a home security system. If our staff are unable to gain access to your home, a lock-out fee equal to $100 for an initial visit or 50% of your regular cleaning fee will apply.

3. EXCLUSIVITY OF SERVICE: When retaining Hire A Maid, you agree to not solicit for hire for home-related services any staff member introduced to you by Hire A Maid. We spend a lot of time and resources finding, interviewing, checking references and backgrounds, and training our cleaning staff. When hired, they sign a legal agreement barring them from performing any services for any of our past or present customers. However, if you do wish to employ a staff member directly, please discuss this matter with the Owner, Carol. If you are found to have solicited one of our staff, please be advised that our referral/training fee is $5,000 per hired employee. We consider our employees our most valuable asset and charge accordingly.

By using Hire A Maid services, you confirm your acceptance of all Terms of Service, including this referral/training fee.

4. RESCHEDULING/CANCELLATION POLICY: For non-renovation cleanings, if you need to change or cancel an appointment, please inform our office at least 48 business hours before our scheduled visit. If less than 48 business hours notice is provided, a late cancellation fee equal to $100 for an initial visit or 50% of your regular fee will apply.

For post-renovation cleanings, considerable resources are reserved to perform your cleaning; as a result, 5 business days notice is required should you wish to cancel your booking, in order to allow us to fill the space with other bookings. If less than 5 business days notice is provided, a $300 cancellation fee will be charged.

5. PAYMENT: Payment in full is due on cleaning day. For the initial cleaning, a credit card is required to confirm the appointment and a hold (not a charge) will be placed on your credit card 48 business hours prior to the visit for the estimated amount of the cleaning.

For payments by email money transfer, this hold will be released upon receipt of your payment. If payment is not received within 48 hours of the cleaning, or in the event of a lock-out or late cancellation, your credit card will be charged for the balance owing.

6. SKIPPED CLEANINGS: Should you need to skip or delay your regularly scheduled visit, more time is typically required on our next visit to ensure the high standard of cleaning you want; in which case, additional charges would apply.

7. BEFORE OUR VISIT: To give you the greatest value possible, we ask you to take a few minutes before our visit to put away clothing, toys, and other precious or personal items. Please let us know within 48 business hours of your cleaning if you would like Hire A Maid to customize your house cleaning service to include tidying and de-cluttering; additional charges will apply. Full dish washing by hand is not included in the standard service, but can be arranged upon request.

Should our cleaning staff discover on cleaning day that there is a requirement to tidy before cleaning can occur, our office will be in touch to obtain your approval for this additional service or to prioritize tasks to be completed. If we are unable to reach you, our cleaning staff will complete what they can within the scheduled time.

8. VALUABLES: Artwork, Collectibles or Family Heirlooms valued over $500 – These items are expensive and/or impossible to replace, and we do not assume the risk of cleaning such items or for any damage that may result due to our not being informed to exclude these items. It is the customer’s responsibility to put away or to inform Hire A Maid in writing of any item(s) that fall into this category to be excluded, in order to eliminate the risk of damage. To prevent accidents, cleaning staff will not take apart light fixtures to clean them.

If you are aware of any potential perils in your home (e.g., a loose picture frame), please be sure to bring it to the attention of our office in writing. Hire A Maid is not responsible for accidental breakage of precious or expensive items that the office was not informed in advance to exclude, or which was not put away during the cleaning.

9. NORMAL WEAR & TEAR: Hire A Maid shall not be held responsible for direct or consequential damage resulting from normal wear and tear or defective household parts that fail during the course of our routine cleaning.

10. BREAKAGE/DAMAGE: Hire A Maid carries a $2 million general liability insurance policy. In the rare event of breakage, Hire A Maid takes responsibility for direct damage caused by us (with the exceptions noted in #8 above) by either repairing, replacing or reimbursing for the damaged item. If appropriate, insurance claims will be filed. In any case, Hire A Maid’s liability for property damage will be limited to $500 per item.

It is the customer’s responsibility to know the care and cleaning requirements of surfaces in their home, and to proactively inform the Hire A Maid office in writing of specific products or tools required or prohibited in the cleaning of furniture, cabinetry, floors or other surfaces in your home, in order to prevent damage.

Hire A Maid is not responsible for damages resulting from the customer not informing our office in writing of special products or tools required or prohibited during our cleaning of specific surfaces.

11. PETS: Our cleaning staff love pets. However, for safety reasons, if your pet is aggressive, please ensure they are secured on cleaning day. To build trust and acceptance by your pet, we recommend your presence during our initial cleaning for your pet to meet our staff us under most comfortable circumstances. Please note that our staff do not clean pet waste or litter boxes.

12. PESTS OR UNBEARABLE ODOURS: For health & safety reasons and to protect the interests of all Hire A Maid clients and staff, Hire A Maid will not clean in any home that has an insect or rodent infestation, is filled with cigarette or other smoke, or possesses an unbearable odour. Should any sign of infestation be observed, smoke be present, or unbearable odour experienced, cleaning will immediately cease, and a late cancellation fee will apply.

13. SAFETY: Ensuring the health & safety of our cleaning staff is essential to our success. Because we care about our cleaning staff’s well-being, they in turn go the extra mile to make you our customer happy.

To provide a safe work environment, we kindly ask that our office be notified prior to cleaning day of any potential hazards in your home. These may include, but are not limited to, aggressive pets, biohazards (bodily fluids, pet or rodent feces, insect infestations, flu, use of needles, etc.), or construction work underway. To prevent back injury, we also ask that cleaning staff not be asked to move or lift heavy furniture. Hire A Maid will remove our staff from environments deemed to be unsafe, in which case normal cleaning charges will apply.

In the warmer months, home temperatures can reach high levels. Because cleaning is a very physical job and heat stroke can occur with high inside temperatures, we ask to please leave your air conditioning on for cleaning day, when possible.

In the winter, we ask that walkways and driveways be well-salted and cleared of snow and ice to prevent slips and falls of our cleaning staff.

14. CLEANING BEHIND APPLIANCES: Cleaning staff will clean behind appliances that are already pulled out. For health & safety and insurance reasons, we are unable to move your appliances ourselves.

15. ADDITIONAL WORK: We are always pleased to assist you with your additional cleaning requirements. Simply contact us 48 hours before your next appointment so that we may schedule additional time to complete the extra tasks. Additional charges will apply.

16. SATISFACTION GUARANTEE: Hire A Maid provides a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. If ever you are not completely satisfied, please let our office know within 24 hours and we will return to make it right — at no additional charge.

In the event that you requested the cleaning time and budget be limited to less than that recommended by Hire A Maid, our staff will work through your list of priorities to complete only what is possible in the time approved; in this case, we are unable to offer our Satisfaction Guarantee.

To ensure that your feedback is recorded in our computer system and included in your cleaning plan going forward, please always provide your feedback directly to our office.

17. PRICING QUOTE: Pricing quotes are based on average cleaning requirements for the size of home and level of build-up specified by you, and the additional information about your home and depth of cleaning requirements that you provided us at the time of your booking.

On cleaning day, should our staff experience above average cleaning requirements due to heavy build-up or additional rooms not mentioned at the time of the booking, additional time and charges will apply to complete the work. If we are unable to reach you to obtain approval, or if the required additional time needed is not granted, our staff will complete only what they can within the approved time and budget; in this case, our Satisfaction Guarantee will not apply.

Billing begins upon arrival and may include time spent finding parking, unloading supplies & equipment, and waiting for entry. Paid parking is an additional charge (based on actual cost) that is not included in our pricing quote.

Should you request that the cleaning time and fee be capped at the Hire A Maid minimum (4 hours on an initial cleaning and 3 hours on a recurring maintenance cleaning), a detailed list of your priority areas to be cleaned will be obtained. Our cleaning staff will work through this list in order, and will complete only what they can within the maximum hours you have set. Should less time actually be required than the Hire A Maid minimum, the minimum fee will still apply.

18. DISCOUNTS: Hire A Maid may offer discounts for new service and for client referrals. Discounts cannot be combined and, except where a specific end date is provided, may be discontinued at any time without notice.

19. MAINTENANCE SERVICE PLAN SELECTION: For recurring service, Hire A Maid offers Basic and Premium Maintenance Plans. Our Premium Maintenance Plan is our most popular plan as it provides a comprehensive cleaning on every visit, and includes the removal of build-up from bathrooms, the kitchen and other surfaces that can occur in well-lived in homes and/or over longer time intervals.

The Basic Maintenance Plan is intended for light use and/or more frequent cleanings, and does not include build-up removal. Should you choose the Basic Maintenance Plan and our cleaning staff experience build-up after the initial deep cleaning, we will contact you to obtain approval for additional time to complete the cleaning; additional charges will apply. If we are unable to reach you or if the necessary additional time is not approved, our cleaner will do the best job they can within the time available and our Satisfaction Guarantee will not apply. Additional work may be scheduled by you for our next visit, and future service and pricing customized to give your home the attention it requires. For a complete list of what is included in our Basic and Premium Maintenance Plans, please see the Services section of our website.

20. CHANGES TO OUR SERVICES: Hire A Maid may add or remove features, products, or functionalities to its services without prior notice. Please refer to the Terms of Service section of our website from time to time for updates to our Terms of Service.

Should any part of these Terms of Service be deemed void, the affected provision will be severed from these Terms and will not affect the continuation and enforceability of the remaining Terms. A decision to not enforce a particular Term shall not constitute a waiver of that Term.