Terms and Conditions – Chatfields Home Removals

Our Terms & Conditions of Service and Liability

By confirming a booking for removal services with Chatfields Home Removals you are agreeing to all of the following terms and conditions.
For Definition purposes the words ‘You’ or ‘Client’ or ‘Customer’ refers to yourselves, whereby ‘we’, ‘us’, ‘our’, ‘the company’ or ‘CHR’ refers to Chatfields Home Removals.

Unless otherwise stated, the quote is a fixed price and does not include non-agreed materials, packing supplies, storage, customs duty (if applicable) or any other fees.

We may decrease or increase the price if any if the following have not been taken into account when preparing our initial quotation, having been delivered to you via letter, email or hand delivery.

You do not accept the quote in writing within 60 days with a date in place for the removal.
The removal is not carried out or completed within six months, due to your delays.
Our costs change, through taxation hikes or other costs increase dramatically beyond our control.
We have to collect or deliver goods to to floors higher or lower than those agreed in writing on quotation.
Additional services including removing or storage of any extra goods.
Inadequate access, preventing free movement of the goods without mechanical device or structural alteration, or the approach road or driveway prevents our vehicles to load or unload within 40 metres of the doorway.
The breakdown of lifts or escalators which were working when the quote was submitted, thus meaning additional man hours and labour costs increase.
Any parking charges or fines that we have to pay, in order for CHR to carry out services on your behalf.
Events outside our reasonable control cause substantial delays.
The dismantling or assembling of any flatpack furniture cupboards or fittings (unless agreed within quote).

Work excluded from the quotation unless agreed by CHR in writing or email prior to removal day.

We will not:

Disconnect or re-connect appliances, fixtures, fittings or electrical appliances.
Take up or lay wooden or fitted floors or coverings.
Move storage heaters or radiators unless previously dismantled.
Move items from or into a loft (unless agreed in initial quote).
Move any item or fitting excluded under clause 5.

Our Responsibilities

To arrive at the designated time on the day of the confirmed removal with sufficient personnel to carry out the removal as per quotation.

To then diligently load and carefully pack within the removal vehicle(s) all your nominated furnishings, personal belongings and white goods etc, when all loaded, to then proceed to the new address, whereby we carefully unload all your goods and place them in to your designated rooms or areas as per quotation.

To ensure that all goods were delivered to the address in then same condition as per our loading schedule. All goods packed by the client, open boxes and loose items etc will be transported by CHR to the best of our ability although no claims can be made against damage to these goods if you have not packed them correctly.

If we are undertaking the provision of a packing service on your behalf, then we shall ensure this process is professionally carried out as per contract.

Your responsibilities

It will be your responsibility (and where relevant expense) to declare to us, prior to the removal date via email the valuations of all relevant high monetary value goods being removed within our vehicles. The value index to be used is the current value not a (new for old) statement. To insure the goods submitted against all insurable risks, generally covered through your current home contents insurance. To obtain all paperwork including any permits, licenses etc necessary for the removal service to be completed to schedule. To be present yourself or have representation during the whole of the removal process. To ensure that nothing is left behind at old address or taken away in error. To prepare and stabilise all electrical equipment and plantation prior to its removal and delivery. To empty and defrost all fridges and freezer units. Food stuffs are not insurable nor claimable as is bottled alcohol or similar. Other than by reason of our own mishandling issues during your removal, we will not be held responsible from costs that may arise from any of the above.

Non submission of certain goods for removal

The following items listed are excluded from the contract. These are:

Jewellery, precious stones, trinkets, cash, deeds, securities or similar – we suggest you carry these yourself.
Any plants or goods which are likely to encourage vermin, pests or that may cause infection.
Any food or drink including high ticket value alcohol either frozen, refrigerated or otherwise packed unsealed.
Pets or animals (including all reptiles, fish and birds) whether in cages, tank or animal carriers.
Any Goods which require government licence for import or export. None of the goods mentioned above or similar will be removed by us without prior written consent and agreement. If these goods are carried by CHR we will accept no liability for loss or damage.

Ownership

You or your stated representative declare upon acceptance of this contract that all goods and furnishings are your own property or that you have been given the authority by the owners to make this contract, and that they have been made aware of it and its conditions. You will meet any claims or damages against CHR should these statements be untrue or bogus.

Our Payment Terms

Unless otherwise agreed by us in writing, our terms for payment are as follows:

All payments for confirmed removal services, packing supplies or packing services, must have been paid prior to removal service commencing.
An initial deposit for services booked of 30% of total invoice amount needs to have been paid to us online, via internet banking to secure your team, our removal trucks and a diary entered moving date.
All outstanding amounts, to have been paid no later than 48 hours prior to the removal date.
The remaining balance must be also cleared funds, paid online to us. Please include your unique contract reference number when prompted and when advising us of payments made.

Should your removal not take place on the contracted date and the date has to be re-arranged, then as long as we are made aware of the the new details 48 hours prior, then your funds already placed with us are held still as a deposit until the new date, with any outstanding balances still to be paid, due as per above, no later than 48 hours prior to new date.

If your removal service is cancelled after your deposit has been paid into our bank, we shall refund all of it back to you, less our administration and management time charges of £85.00 pounds.

Additional wait time charges

On all our removals we include within our fixed price up to one hour wait time at your new address (late keys, late money exchange etc). Once this first hour has lapsed we charge an additional £15 per hour per man assigned or parts there of. This additional charge shall be billed separately following your move.

Our liabilities for loss or damage

When you produce to us, prior to the removal date, an itemised inventory including monetary values for items being carried. Where we are not provided with an inventory, then our goods in transit insurance cover will be used. Our company’s liabilities for your goods damaged or broken by our mishandling, are set as follows:

If we are liable, we shall reimburse you the client only to a maximum of £250.00 per item* which has been either lost or damaged due to our mishandling or breach of contract. We have the right to repair any item if at all feasible, using an outside agency which is deemed appropriate for its repair, however should this not be practicable, then a cash alternative may be offered.
Our maximum liability for all goods carried will not exceed the sum of £15,000.00 pounds. It shall be your responsibility to determine whether the inclusive cover threshold of £15,000.00 is sufficient to cover your total goods and risks attached to them – review and check your home contents cover.

Exclusions to our liability

We will not be liable for any loss, damage or failure to produce the goods if caused by:

Fire or explosion unless caused by our negligence or breach of contract.
Acts of god, terrorism or any such events outside the control of the company.
Goods for removal not packed by us including those left in wardrobes, drawers or appliances or in a package or bundle or open boxes or bags or other containers.
Any foodstuffs, bottled alcohol, pets flowers or plants or any items already proven as defective prior to packing and removal.
We will not be liable for any damages or costs involved as a result of lose or damage or failure to produce the goods other than by reason of our own personnel’s negligence.
No employee or contractor of CHR shall be separately liable to you for any loss or damage misdelivery errors or omissions.

Time limits for making a claim

Any loss damage or failure to produce the goods which we are delivering during the removal service must be noted at the time of arrival at the destination address and duly reported to our foreman before he departs. We will not be liable should you have not further advised the company in writing or email, stating the full claim details and reasons for claiming, no later than 7 days following removal date.

Delays in Transit

We shall not be held responsible for any delays in transit which fall outside our immediate control, eg bad weather, road closures, industrial action by third parties including ferries or airlines.

Holding goods against non-payment

Until all charges including those we have paid on your behalf or payments due under this or other contract have been met, we shall have the right in some circumstances to withhold some or all the goods being removed.

You will then be further liable to pay all the additional storage charges and other related costs having now occurred by our withholding such goods. until such time as the full payments to the company have been settled.

Should payment for removals having not been paid in full prior to the removals, vehicles having loaded but not left the first property, we have the right to charge additional waiting time monies until such funds have been duly paid as per contract.

Subcontracting

We may on rare occasions, and reserve the right to subcontract on, to other bona fide Removal Companies part or full jobs. This is a rarity, but through circumstances being beyond our control this may at times happen. All our subcontractual partners hold their own goods in transit insurance cover, limited as per their own terms & conditions.

Disputes

Should a dispute relating to this agreement not be resolved to the satisfaction of both parties, either may be at liberty to refer it an independent arbitrator appointed by the chartered institute of arbitrators although this dispute cannot be a financial one for withholding payments for removal services, as this is a contractual failure which has been signed, agreed and already adhered to.

Parking Authorisation

The following conditions shall apply to parking provisions at both the collection and delivery addresses or locations.

Most local boroughs or councils allow 20 minutes loading and unloading times on single and double yellow lined routes although not though those that are deemed red routes or main A roads. Should your removal have either issues as per above then you need to seek dispensation from the council concerned for our vehicles to load or unload on them.

This should be undertaken and confirmed well before the removal date. In the event of such provision or dispensation not been acted upon then all additional costs prevailing to penalty charges for illegal parking contraventions to our vehicles at either address shall be met by you, as an additional cost to the removal.
_{*Maximum claim amount is set at 3 items only}