Terms and Conditions for Gardening Services

These Terms and Conditions set out the basis on which Gardeners Crouch End provides gardening and grounds maintenance services to domestic and commercial customers in the UK. By making a booking, you agree to these terms, which are designed to make the service clear, fair, and easy to understand. They apply to all standard gardening work, including regular maintenance, one-off visits, seasonal tidy-ups, hedge cutting, lawn care, planting, pruning, and related outdoor services. In these terms, references to we, us, and our mean the gardening service provider, and references to you and your mean the customer or person requesting the work.

1. Scope of Service

Our work is limited to the tasks agreed at the time of booking or confirmed in writing before the appointment begins. The exact scope may vary depending on the size of the garden, the condition of the site, weather conditions, accessibility, and the equipment required. Unless otherwise agreed, our gardening services do not include structural landscaping, tree surgery, electrical work, plumbing, pesticide treatment requiring specialist certification, or any task that we reasonably consider unsafe or beyond our competence. We may refuse or suspend work if conditions are unsuitable or if the requested task would breach health and safety requirements.

1.1 Customer responsibilities

To allow the service to proceed efficiently, you must ensure that the area is reasonably accessible, pets are secured, and any fragile items, valuable ornaments, or hidden hazards are removed or clearly identified before work starts. You are responsible for informing us of any known underground utilities, water features, or other risks that may affect the work. Where we are unable to proceed because access has not been provided or the site is unsafe, any call-out or wasted attendance charge may still apply if this has been agreed in advance.

2. Booking Process

Bookings for Gardeners Crouch End services may be made by phone, email, online form, or through any other method we make available from time to time. A booking is not confirmed until we have accepted it and, where required, received any deposit or advance payment. Once confirmed, we will provide the agreed service date, a description of the work, and an estimate or fixed price if applicable. Estimates are based on the information you provide and any inspection we carry out. If the actual conditions differ significantly from the information supplied, we may revise the price, the duration, or the scope of the work before proceeding.

If you request an urgent visit, same-day service, or work outside standard hours, we may charge a premium rate subject to availability. We are entitled to decline a booking without giving a reason, although we will usually do so where the requested work is not suitable, the schedule is full, or the site conditions suggest the job cannot be completed safely or within the estimated time.

3. Prices and Payment

The price for gardening services will be set out in the booking confirmation, quotation, estimate, or updated agreement. Unless stated otherwise, prices are exclusive of VAT where VAT is applicable. Estimates are not fixed prices unless specifically described as such. Where work is charged by the hour, the final amount will be based on the time reasonably spent completing the agreed tasks, including reasonable set-up and pack-down time if necessary. Materials, specialist equipment, parking costs, waste transfer charges, and other agreed extras may be added to the invoice.

Payments must be made in full by the due date stated on the invoice or booking confirmation. For one-off domestic jobs, payment is usually required on completion unless an advance payment has been requested. For repeat or scheduled services, we may invoice weekly, monthly, or after each visit, depending on the arrangement. We accept payment methods notified to you in advance and may withdraw or add payment options at our discretion. If payment is not made on time, we reserve the right to charge interest and fixed debt recovery costs to the extent permitted by law, and to suspend future services until overdue sums are paid.

3.1 Deposits and prepayments

For larger jobs, seasonal projects, or bookings requiring reserved time and materials, we may ask for a deposit or full prepayment. Unless otherwise stated, deposits are non-refundable where we have already reserved the time and incurred costs, except where we cancel the booking or the law requires a refund. Any prepayment will be deducted from the final amount due. If additional work is requested on site, we will explain the likely extra cost before carrying it out, unless it is necessary to prevent damage, manage an emergency, or complete the agreed service properly.

4. Cancellations, Rescheduling, and Missed Appointments

We understand that plans may change. If you wish to cancel or reschedule a booking, you should notify us as soon as possible. If you cancel with sufficient notice, typically at least 24 to 48 hours before the scheduled visit, no cancellation charge may apply unless we have already purchased materials, allocated specialist labour, or incurred other non-recoverable costs. If you cancel at short notice, or if we arrive and cannot carry out the work because access has not been provided, you may be charged a reasonable fee to cover lost time, travel, or preparatory expenses.

We may also cancel or reschedule a booking where weather conditions, equipment failure, staff illness, safety concerns, or other events beyond our reasonable control make attendance impractical. Where this happens, we will aim to offer an alternative date. We are not responsible for any indirect loss caused by a change of schedule, although we will act reasonably and communicate any changes promptly. If a recurring service is interrupted, we will try to maintain the normal schedule as soon as possible.

4.1 Customer absence

If your presence is required and you are not available at the agreed time, we may wait for a reasonable period or attempt to contact you. If we are unable to proceed, the visit may be treated as a missed appointment and a charge may be applied. Please ensure that any keys, access codes, or site instructions are correct and that the person authorising the work is available to answer questions where needed.

5. Liability and Insurance

We will carry out our gardening services with reasonable skill and care. However, some outcomes depend on factors outside our control, including weather, plant health, soil conditions, prior maintenance, pests, disease, and the natural growth cycle. We do not guarantee that pruning, planting, turf work, or treatment will produce a particular aesthetic or biological result. Where the customer has requested work that conflicts with horticultural best practice, we may decline the instruction or proceed only after you confirm that you wish to continue despite the risks.

Nothing in these Terms and Conditions limits or excludes liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot legally be excluded under UK law. Subject to that, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss of profit, loss of enjoyment, or loss arising from events beyond our reasonable control. If we are found liable for loss or damage in connection with our gardening services, our total liability will normally be limited to the amount paid or payable for the specific service giving rise to the claim, except where the law requires otherwise.

5.1 Property and plant damage

We take care when working around lawns, borders, paving, sheds, fences, ornaments, and planted areas. Nonetheless, minor scuffs, incidental breakage of old or weakened materials, and wear consistent with ordinary gardening activity may occur. You must tell us about fragile items, hidden irrigation systems, newly laid turf, or recently repaired features before work starts. We are not responsible for pre-existing defects, deterioration, or damage caused by latent faults, poor installation, or unsafe conditions not reasonably visible to us.

6. Waste Management and Environmental Regulations

Garden waste, including grass cuttings, branches, leaves, weeds, and other organic material, will be handled in accordance with applicable UK waste regulations. We may remove green waste from site, leave it bagged for your disposal, compost it where appropriate, or arrange licensed disposal depending on the service agreed. If waste removal is included in the price, this covers only the agreed volume and type of waste. Additional waste, contaminated material, soil, rubble, treated timber, electrical items, or hazardous substances may require separate handling and may be refused unless compliant arrangements are in place.

You agree not to ask us to transport, dump, burn, or otherwise dispose of waste unlawfully. Any waste handed to us must be described accurately, and you must inform us if the material may be protected, invasive, treated, sharp, contaminated, or subject to special controls. Where waste transfer notes, site records, or receipts are required, we will provide them where appropriate. We may refuse to handle material that could create a legal, environmental, or health and safety risk. If we are required to clear unexpectedly large volumes of waste because the site condition differs from the agreed scope, additional charges may apply.

7. Access, Safety, and Site Conditions

You must ensure that the site is reasonably safe for normal gardening operations. This includes warning us about loose paving, aggressive animals, unsafe structures, hidden trip hazards, and contaminated ground. We may stop work if we believe that continuing would be unsafe. In such cases, any time already spent on the job may still be chargeable. We are entitled to use our judgement on the day regarding tool choice, ladder use, cutting height, and whether a task can be completed safely within the site conditions. If a task appears likely to cause damage, we may recommend an alternative approach.

8. Complaints and Rectification

If you are dissatisfied with any part of the service provided by Gardeners Crouch End, you should raise the issue promptly and allow us a reasonable opportunity to inspect and, where appropriate, rectify the problem. We may choose to return and correct a verifiable fault, offer a partial refund, or agree another fair remedy depending on the circumstances. No remedy will be available where the issue results from weather, customer instructions, lack of access, poor prior condition, or factors beyond our control. Any complaint should be made within a reasonable period after the work is completed.

9. Termination of Ongoing Services

Either party may end an ongoing maintenance arrangement by giving reasonable notice, unless a longer notice period has been agreed in writing. We may terminate immediately if you fail to pay on time, repeatedly prevent access, request unlawful work, or otherwise breach these terms. If the service is terminated, you remain responsible for payment of all work completed up to the termination date, together with any committed costs or expenses reasonably incurred on your behalf.

10. Force Majeure

We are not responsible for delays or failure to perform our obligations where the delay or failure is caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including severe weather, accidents, strikes, supply chain disruption, illness, government action, or restrictions imposed by law. In such cases we may suspend services until performance becomes possible again, reschedule the work, or cancel the booking if continuing would be unreasonable. Any prepaid sums relating to work not carried out will be handled fairly in accordance with the circumstances and applicable law.

11. Data and Privacy

We may collect and use personal information needed to manage bookings, issue invoices, arrange access, and provide the gardening service. We will only use such information for legitimate business purposes and in line with applicable UK data protection law. We do not sell customer information. Where necessary, we may retain records of work completed, payments received, and communications relating to the service for administrative, legal, and accounting purposes.

12. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms and Conditions, and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them, are governed by the laws of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales will have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute, although we will always try to resolve concerns informally first where possible. If any part of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect. By booking with Gardeners Crouch End, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms and Conditions.