Terms & Conditions.

Booking and confirmation

Submitting a booking request does not confirm an appointment. We will contact you to agree the service, final price and appointment details.

Please reply so we can finalise your booking. If we do not receive a response, we may release your requested time. We will let you know if this happens.

Your booking is confirmed when we send you confirmation following your acceptance of the agreed details.

Prices and payment

No deposit is required. Payment is due on completion unless we agree otherwise in writing.

Website estimates are based on the information you provide. Please tell us about any known blockages, damage, access difficulties or unusual installations when booking.

If we discover something that changes the agreed scope or price, we will explain the issue and obtain your agreement before carrying out additional chargeable work.

Preparing for your appointment

The appliance must be completely cold, with no hot ash or embers. Please provide clear, safe access to the property and fireplace, and move ornaments, valuables and fragile items away from the working area.

Keep children and pets safely away from equipment and the work area. An adult should be available to provide access and discuss any findings. Please tell us about parking restrictions or access difficulties beforehand.

You do not need to dismantle your stove before we arrive. If you choose to remove internal components, only do so when the appliance is cold and you can safely follow the manufacturer’s instructions. If unsure, leave them in place.

Existing damage and fragile stove components

Please tell us about any known damage, previous repairs or concerns relating to your appliance, chimney or flue.

Fire bricks, baffle plates, seals and other internal components can deteriorate through age, heat and normal use. Existing cracks or weaknesses may not become apparent until components are moved or removed for access.

We will take reasonable care when inspecting, removing and refitting components. Where we identify concerns, we will explain them and discuss how to proceed.

We are not responsible for the cost of replacing components solely because they have an existing defect or have reached the end of their serviceable life. This includes deterioration revealed during work carried out with reasonable care and skill.

This does not exclude our responsibility for damage caused by our negligence or failure to exercise reasonable care and skill. Breakage during a visit does not, by itself, establish that a component was already defective.

Any proposed replacement or additional work will be discussed and agreed separately.

What a sweep includes

We will carry out the service agreed in your booking and explain any relevant findings or limitations.

A standard chimney sweep is not a structural survey, an installation compliance assessment or a guarantee of the future condition of an appliance or flue. Some defects may be concealed or outside the areas accessible during the visit.

Any certificate or report records the work undertaken and observations made at the time. It does not replace repairs, specialist investigations or ongoing maintenance where these are needed.

Blockages, heavy deposits and unsafe conditions

Heavy tar or creosote deposits, nests, obstructions or damaged installations may require additional work or specialist attention beyond a standard sweep.

We may pause or stop work if proceeding would be unsafe or risk causing damage. We will explain our findings and discuss the available options.

We will not disturb an active bird’s nest. Where appropriate, we may recommend another suitably qualified professional.

If the agreed service cannot be completed, we will explain what has been done and any amount properly payable for that work. We will not automatically charge for a completed sweep where one has not been carried out.

Cancellations and rescheduling

Please contact us as soon as possible if you need to cancel or change an appointment. We ask for at least 24 hours’ notice where possible.

If we cannot gain access, or the appliance is too hot to work on safely, we may need to rearrange the visit.

If we need to cancel or reschedule because of illness, unsafe conditions or another unforeseen issue, we will contact you promptly and offer an alternative appointment. You may decline the alternative without charge.

Your statutory cancellation rights

Where your booking is covered by the rules for distance or off-premises contracts, you normally have 14 days after the contract is made to cancel without giving a reason. To cancel, email hardiesweeps@outlook.com or call 07359 517077.

If you want your appointment within this period, we will ask you expressly to request that work begins early. If you then cancel after work has begun, you may have to pay a proportionate amount for the service already provided, where the legal requirements have been met.

Your cancellation right ends once the service is fully completed only where you expressly requested early performance and acknowledged beforehand that you would lose that right on full completion.

Any refund due will be made within the applicable legal time limit.

After your visit and any concerns

Please follow the advice provided during your visit, including any recommendation not to use the appliance until defects have been addressed.

If you have a concern about our work, contact us as soon as reasonably possible so we can investigate and discuss an appropriate remedy. Photographs and appointment details can help.

Nothing in these terms limits your statutory consumer rights or excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.