Bookings and Cancellations:
You will be made aware of these terms upon booking, you will have automatically accepted the terms & conditions written here and have entered into an agreed contract with me unless you specifically state otherwise in writing. If you wish to opt out of the contract, please contact me to cancel your appointment as soon as possible.
Appointments are 45 minutes including travel time and the sweeping of a lined chimney usually takes 25 – 30 minutes. I will provide you with an estimated time of arrival. I can often be running ahead or behind depending on traffic, previous jobs etc so my arrival time could be +/- 30mins either side. You should ensure someone is in / access is arranged prior to my arrival during this window. If I am running late or early, I will do my absolute best let you know by text or call you direct, but please be aware that is isn’t always possible in poor signal and is illegal when stuck in traffic.
I make bookings based on location. Therefore, my day is planned around geography. Should you cancel between 1 and 2 full working days before your appointment a cancellation fee of 50% of the appointment fee payable. If you cancel with less than 1 full working days notice, including if I arrive and am unable to get a reply at the door, a cancellation fee of the full cost of the appointment fee is payable. I will initially send payment details by text, with a formal invoice being posted if payment is not received within 24hrs. If a new booking is made immediately I will reduce this fee at my discretion upon rebooking.
Why do I need to do this? I am a small business that provides a professional service to my customers. This includes arranging my diaries to minimise travelling time. If you forget or otherwise cancel your appointment at such short notice, I am unlikely to be able to re-book someone who lives nearby to that day’s route, meaning I lose out financially.
A fee of £10 will apply if keys to the property need to be collected or returned from another location for access.
Current rates can be found here, if you’re unsure about anything please just ask – https://tkmchimneysweep.com/rates-and-services/
Parking:
Poor access and parking can cost precious time on a busy day. Please can you ensure that gates are open when possible, that there is space on your drive if you have one and any cars that might be leaving while I’m there are out of the way. If you live in a permit only area, please arrange a guest permit in advance, and if you have no parking or you know parking is difficult, please give me instructions on where to park in advance so that I can plan any extra time this may take.
Work Area Access:
You do not need to cover internal furniture unless I specifically ask you to. I have a Defendair Hepa filter air cleaning unit, coverings and a powerful hoover to keep things clean and tidy. If it’s wet I provide floor coverings but please be aware that if there is a long run from your door to the stove it might be helpful to put down some of your own as I only have so many runners. For health & safety reasons, I do not remove my footwear.
Please remove all ornaments and bits and pieces from the mantle, hearth and surrounding area and where possible and clear a work area around the fire hearth, I usually need about 6 feet for equipment and myself to work effectively. Please also remove any breakables / valuable from the route you require me to take to get to the stove. I am not liable for any breakages that occur to items within the property because they are left in the way.
Lastly, please ensure all pets are kept out of the way, I am perfectly happy to introduce myself to your animals if it helps to calm them down, but I need the workspace to be safe for myself and your pets. I will be in and out several times whilst setting up and packing away and as I’ll be carrying cumbersome equipment I may need to leave doors open, if you are worried about a pet escaping, please put it somewhere safe for the duration of my visit.
Preparing your appliance:
All appliances must be off and cool, preferably leaving at least 12 hours once the fire is out or range is off.
Please clear all ash and other debris from your stove or fireplace before I arrive. It is vital that any waste such as tissues are removed before I can work.
Please take note of any cracked bricks and warped parts. It is common for firebricks to be cracked and broken. This is a natural part of wear and tear in your stove. Your appliance will continue to work effectively with cracked bricks and it’s not something you should worry about. I will point them out to you when I see them just so that you are aware. Please note, should the removal of firebricks be necessary to sweep the appliance, it increases the chance of breakage.. if firebricks are broken in the process of sweeping, it is not my responsibility to replace them and if they go back into the stove without issues, there is no need to replace them, in almost all cases, broken bricks have no effect on the safety or efficiency of the stove.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you have a correctly fitted terminal on top of your chimney. An incorrect terminal will result in a fail on your certificate. If terminals are lose or incorrectly fitted, or if the terminal is an incorrect terracotta terminal that has cracked and I am unable to see this upon visual inspection when I arrive, it is possible that it will be knocked lose. I am not responsible for any damage caused to property by falling terminals due to incorrect fitting and maintenance. I am also not responsible for their replacement. I can usually see any issues from the ground and will inform you of them before I begin.
Please also ensure that your Carbon Monoxide alarm is both visible and accessible for testing.
After your Sweep:
I will leave your appliance and surrounding area as clean and tidy as possible. Most appliances produce a few handfuls of soot in a year if properly maintained, this will be sucked up with the hoover and taken away. Excessive soot will be bagged and left with yourself.
I spent 12 years as a HETAS installer and have a very broad knowledge of chimneys and stoves. If I am unable to sweep an appliance effectively or safely (this happens most frequently with home installed stoves that do not comply with current guidance/regulations) the full sweeping fee is charged and advice will be given on how to make the appliance sweepable and safe to use.
I will issue you with either a certificate of sweeping or I will arrange to email a written report, detailing key findings, any problems if they exist and a warning notice. I will also take photos of your appliance and send them to you for future reference, should you require them.
Payment:
Payment is to be made upon completion of work, by card, cash or bank transfer only, unless other methods have been agreed at the time of booking. Bank transfers must be done while I am still at the property to save them being forgotten about, as often happens.
I will pursue all late/non-payments through the small claims court and seek to recover the additional legal costs.
If other forms of payment are agreed and not made within the agreed time frame a fixed penalty of £10 will be applied for every formal reminder that I am required to send.
If the air cleaner is required due to poor appliance use or maintenance and the filter requires replacing, an additional charge of £20 will apply.
After Service Problems:
I pride myself on my exceptional level of service and my in depth knowledge. Most post sweep problems such as smoke coming back into the room are due to either operator error or ventilation issues. I strongly encourage all customers to visit www.burnright.co.uk to establish how best to use your appliance.
If you have a problem after my visit then please get in contact with me as soon as possible, so I can promptly sort any issue that may have arisen. If I have made a mistake, I will rectify the problem promptly and of course, free of charge. Very rarely mistakes can be made, but please rest assured that if I am at fault I will rectify any issues.
Please be aware that if the issue is not a fault at my end you will be charged a call out fee of £30.
TKM Chimney Sweep 