Terms & Conditions

Terms & Conditions

1. Health & Safety

  • You, the client, are responsible for letting me know of any issues relating to the working environment that may cause harm of damage to my health, this includes, but is not limited to: Sharp or dangerous objects, such as needles, blades, broken items; uncontrolled animals or pests; toxic substances; infectious medical conditions; and structural weakness. 
  • As part of Gentle Sorting’s Lone Working Policy, a designated person will have access to my location, if needed, used only for the purpose of my safety.

2. Confidentiality

  • Sessions are held in confidence. The only circumstances where this may not be possible are if there are concerns about your safety or that of others. 
  • If you wish to provide a testimonial or be part of a case study, these will be discussed separately and will never reveal identifiable information about you.

3. Data Protection

Gentle Sorting has procedures and processes in place to ensure that your data is handled securely. These adhere to the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) and are detailed in the Privacy Policy.

Privacy Policy

Your personal data is kept for two years following the end of work together, unless needed for accounting when it’s kept in line with HMRC requirements.

4. Disclaimer

  • Gentle Sorting is covered by public liability and professional indemnity insurance up to £1,000,000. “Cover is strictly subject to a statement signed by the client before services are provided, that the client is responsible for all or any items disposed of in the decluttering process.” Full details of the insurance policy are available on request. 
  • The insurance does not cover any breakages. I will do my upmost to ensure that breakages do not happen, but it is your responsibility to ensure that your home contents insurance covers these.    
  • Any paperwork or admin organising does not include financial advice/assistance, as I am not registered with HMRC under their money laundering regulations.  
  • I may suggest and provide contact details for other services that I feel might be relevant, I do not accept any responsibility for the performance of these services, or take any fee for providing their details.

5. Limitations

  • General cleaning is not a service that I provide, but I will help you to clean the specific area that we are working on if necessary. 
  • I will assist in moving items within your home, within my own physical limitations. If heavy lifting is needed then further assistance will be required for health & safety reasons.  
  • It is often difficult to predict how long a particular piece of work will take, therefore it might be necessary to book additional time to complete the work. This will be discussed and agreed, if necessary. 
  • Paperwork and admin sessions are a minimum of two hours each, as are Photo organising and life story work sessions. Decluttering and organising sessions are a minimum of three hours each. 

6. Removal of items (Decluttering, tidying and organising service)

  • The responsibility for choosing which of your items (including paperwork) to discard is yours, as the client. I will give my best advice and support with the information available to me, but ultimately it is your decision. 
  • I will not accept liability for the consequences of your decision, including assessing the value of items. 
  • Removal of items is your responsibility, unless agreed otherwise. Any removals will be agreed with you as they will be non-returnable.   
  • Gentle Sorting is not registered as a waste carrier and therefore I am unable to transport waste.

7. Payment Terms

  • Initial telephone and in-person consultations are free of charge (up to 60 minutes).
  • Full hourly rates: £30 weekdays (9am to 6pm), £35 evenings (from 6pm) and Saturdays, £40 Sundays.
  • Discounted hourly rates for those on low-incomes can be discussed on a case-by-case basis.
  • Travel within 4 miles of BS7 8AA is free of charge, travel further can be discussed.
  • The preferred form of payment is via bank transfer following an invoice being sent within five working days of the session, but cheque or cash are also acceptable. 
  • Payment is due within one month of the session, invoice number should be used as the reference. 
  • Short breaks are included within the time of the visit. 

8. Cancellation policy

Please give as much notice as possible when cancelling sessions. Cancellations within 24 hours of the pre-booked session will be charged at 50% of the full session price.

9. Sickness policy

  • A session will not take place if either party is unwell.
  • I can wear a face mask and/or a visor when working if you’d prefer (please let me know). 
  • Cancellation policy will not be enforced in relation to sickness.