Terms of service

1. About us

Berkshire Cleaning Services Limited ("BCS", "we", "us") is a cleaning agency based in Reading, Berkshire. We operate a contractor model — every cleaner who attends your job is a self-employed, independent contractor, vetted by us before joining the network. Each cleaner brings their own equipment and products and must hold their own public liability insurance. BCS introduces you to the cleaner and arranges the booking; the cleaner performs the cleaning service.

2. How payment works

One-off bookings (end-of-tenancy, after-builders, Value service): you pay BCS's agency fee online by card when you book — this reserves your booking, and we then arrange your cleaner. If we can’t find a cleaner, we’ll tell you and refund the fee in full. You pay the cleaner's fees directly to them after the clean, before they leave, in cash or by bank transfer. The cost breakdown is shown before you pay and on your booking confirmation.

Regular home cleaning: you pay BCS's agency fee by card monthly, in advance. The monthly amount is worked out over a full year (52 weekly, 26 fortnightly or 12 monthly visits, spread evenly over 12 payments). You pay the cleaner's fees directly to them after each visit, in cash or by bank transfer. The plan rolls on monthly; it can be stopped with four weeks' notice.

Commercial bookings: payment is agreed in each contract: either the cleaner invoices you directly and BCS invoices its agency fee, or BCS invoices the full amount monthly. Airbnb and holiday-let turnovers booked online are paid in full to BCS by card when you book.

3. The deposit-back guarantee (end-of-tenancy bookings)

For end-of-tenancy bookings with the Deposit-back guarantee, if your letting agent's check-out clerk or inventory clerk flags any cleaning issue, and you tell us within seven (7) days of receiving the check-out report, we will arrange free return visits, as many as it takes, to put those cleaning issues right, provided the property has not been used since the clean. The guarantee covers cleaning issues only — not damage, wear and tear, or cleaning beyond the agreed scope. Very heavy limescale cannot always be removed in one session.

To use the guarantee, send us a numbered list of the cleaning items the clerk flagged, within seven days of receiving the check-out report. You do not need to send the inventory report. We will agree the return visit with you. We cannot be responsible if the landlord or letting agent does not allow the return visit. A return visit puts right the cleaning that was booked; any additional cleaning beyond the original booking may be charged extra.

The cheaper Value option does not include a deposit-back guarantee.

4. Price-match guarantee

We will consider matching a competitor's price where you can show us a written quote, dated within the last 30 days, from another local professional cleaning company for the same service at the same property to the same scope, including any equivalent guarantee. We reserve discretion to decline price-match requests that are not genuinely like-for-like — including but not limited to: verbal-only quotes, quotes from individuals not trading as a cleaning company, quotes that do not specify the cleaning scope, quotes for properties outside our service area, and quotes that do not include an equivalent guarantee or insurance position.

The price-match guarantee applies before booking. Once a booking is confirmed and paid, the agreed price stands.

5. Cancellation, rescheduling and refunds

You may cancel or reschedule a one-off booking up to 24 hours before the agreed start time at no charge. Cancellations or reschedules with less than 24 hours' notice may be charged at the agency fee already paid — the cleaner will be released to take other work.

For regular cleaning subscriptions, four weeks' notice is required to wind down the plan. You can pause, reschedule, or change the day of any individual visit by messaging us on WhatsApp.

Refunds go back to the card you paid with, and usually show on your statement within 5 to 10 working days.

6. Complaints and the put-it-right window

If you are unhappy with any clean, please tell us as soon as possible — ideally before the cleaner leaves, so it can be put right on the spot. Where something has not been cleaned to standard, we will put it right with a return visit, a refund, or another clean at cost price, depending on what fits. The hourly Value service covers whatever is achievable within the time booked; a return visit for further cleaning is charged at £15 an hour, paid to the cleaner.

7. Coverage area, travel and other charges

We cover Reading and the surrounding RG postcodes. Jobs more than five (5) miles from Reading Town Centre carry a £10 travel charge, which passes through to the attending cleaner; the calculator works it out from your postcode and shows it before you pay. If a cleaner has to collect and return a key, there is a £10 key collection charge; please check your letting agent allows it. If there is no free parking at the property, please provide a parking permit or cover the cost of parking. Cleaning beyond what you booked may be charged extra.

8. Insurance and liability

BCS holds £10m public liability cover (with U K Insurance Limited / Direct Line, policy number 702744509, renewable each November) covering every booking we arrange. Cleaners in our network also carry their own public liability cover as part of their contractor agreement. Damage caused by a cleaner during a clean should be reported to BCS within 48 hours; we will work with you and the cleaner to resolve it. We recommend a key safe rather than handing over keys.

9. Your data

We collect the postcode, contact details and booking information you provide to arrange your cleaning. Stripe processes card payments on our behalf — we never see or store your full card details. See our Privacy policy for the full details.

10. Contact

Berkshire Cleaning Services Limited
Registered office: 1 Post Office House, 184 Bridge Road, Southampton SO31 7ED
WhatsApp: +44 7733 321193
Email: info@berkshirecleaningservices.co.uk