Terms and Conditions for Garden Services
These Terms and Conditions set out the basis on which Gardeners St Margarets provides domestic and commercial gardening services in the UK. By making a booking, confirming a quotation, or allowing work to begin, you agree to be bound by these terms. Please read them carefully before instructing any garden maintenance, planting, pruning, clearance, lawn care, hedge cutting, or related service. These terms are intended to be clear, fair, and practical, while protecting both the customer and the service provider.
Service scope may vary depending on the condition of the garden, the season, access arrangements, and the type of work requested. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, all services are provided on a task-by-task basis and do not create a continuous maintenance contract. Any estimate, description, or proposed schedule is given in good faith, but the final method of work may need to change where safety, weather, plant condition, or site restrictions make this necessary.
These terms apply to all work carried out by gardeners in St Margarets and to any associated labour, materials, disposal, and travel agreed in the booking. In these terms, references to “we”, “us”, or “our” mean the service provider, and references to “you” or “your” mean the customer, tenant, landlord, business, or authorised representative who places the booking.
1. Booking process
Bookings may be made by phone, email, online form, or any other method we make available from time to time. A booking is not confirmed until we have accepted the request and, where relevant, issued a quotation, estimated price, or appointment slot. We may ask for photographs, site information, access notes, or a description of the work before confirming availability. This helps us to identify equipment needs, expected labour, and any special requirements.
Where a quotation is provided, it will normally be based on the information supplied at the time. If the site differs materially from the description given, or if hidden issues are discovered after work begins, we may revise the quotation or pause the job until you approve the updated scope. For larger projects, we may require a deposit, written acceptance, or confirmation of access before reserving a date. Appointment times are estimates unless we expressly state otherwise, and delays may occur due to traffic, weather, or prior jobs overrunning.
2. Client responsibilities
You are responsible for ensuring safe, reasonable access to the property and the work area. This includes unlocking gates, providing any necessary instructions, securing pets, and notifying us of any hazards, buried services, fragile structures, or restricted areas. If the garden contains ponds, uneven ground, slippery paths, thorny plants, aggressive wildlife, or concealed objects, you must tell us in advance. We may refuse to continue work if the conditions present an unacceptable risk.
You must also ensure that any necessary permissions, permissions from landlords, managing agents, neighbours, or freeholders are obtained before the service starts. If consent is required for hedge work, tree-related tasks, waste removal, or access across shared land, it is your responsibility to arrange this. We are entitled to rely on the information you provide and will not be liable for delays caused by inaccurate or incomplete instructions from you.
3. Pricing and payments
Prices are typically based on the quoted service, estimated labour time, disposal requirements, and any materials specifically agreed. Unless stated otherwise, all prices are in pounds sterling and may be subject to VAT where applicable. We reserve the right to alter pricing if there is a change in scope, access, waste volume, or site conditions that could not reasonably have been identified beforehand. Any additional work will be discussed with you before being carried out, where practical.
Payment terms will be confirmed at the time of booking or on the quotation. We may request payment on completion, by invoice, by bank transfer, by card, or by another method agreed in advance. For repeat or business customers, alternative payment arrangements may be offered at our discretion. Invoices must be paid by the due date stated on them. If payment is late, we may charge interest and recovery costs to the extent permitted by law. Ownership of any goods supplied remains with us until full payment has been received.
If a deposit is required, it will secure the booking date and may be non-refundable in the circumstances set out in the cancellation section below. A deposit does not guarantee that the price will remain fixed if the job changes materially. Where payment is taken before completion for some services, this will be made clear in advance.
4. Cancellations and rescheduling
You may cancel or reschedule a booking by giving reasonable notice. We ask that you notify us as early as possible if you no longer require the service. If you cancel with sufficient notice, we may offer a new date without charge, subject to availability. However, if cancellation is made after labour has been allocated, equipment has been prepared, or a slot has been reserved specifically for you, we may retain all or part of any deposit to cover our losses.
Where cancellation is made at short notice, including on the day of the appointment, we may charge a cancellation fee to reflect lost time and costs already incurred. If access is not available, the property is not ready, or we are unable to complete the work because of customer-side issues, this may be treated as a late cancellation. If we need to reschedule due to severe weather, unsafe conditions, staff illness, or equipment failure, we will use reasonable efforts to offer an alternative date.
No-show and waiting time rules may apply if we attend and cannot commence within a reasonable period because the site is inaccessible or the person responsible for access is unavailable. In those circumstances, a call-out or wasted journey charge may apply. We will always act reasonably and proportionately when applying any fee.
5. Waste, green waste, and regulatory compliance
We take waste handling seriously and expect all garden clearance and disposal work to comply with applicable UK environmental and waste regulations. Green waste, soil, rubble, timber, and mixed refuse may each require different handling. Unless agreed otherwise, we will dispose of only the materials specifically included in the booked service. Items such as asbestos, chemicals, paint, oils, contaminated soil, clinical waste, electrical items, gas bottles, or hazardous materials are excluded unless we have expressly agreed otherwise in writing and are legally permitted to handle them.
Where we remove waste on your behalf, you agree that we may determine the appropriate disposal route, including licensed facilities and segregated waste streams, in line with legal requirements. You may be responsible for any additional charges arising from unusual volumes, contaminated waste, or items requiring specialist disposal. If waste is left on site for later collection, you must ensure it is stored safely and in accordance with any relevant rules. We are not responsible for penalties, fines, or enforcement action resulting from inaccurate descriptions of waste, unlawful items, or instructions that conflict with applicable law.
We may refuse to collect or transport waste if we believe it could breach the law, exceed vehicle capacity, or pose a risk to staff, the public, or the environment. Any recyclable or reusable materials may be separated where appropriate. Title to waste passes in accordance with the agreed service arrangement and relevant legal obligations. You warrant that any waste you ask us to remove originates from the property or work specified in the booking and has not been mixed with prohibited substances.
6. Liability and limitation
We will carry out services with reasonable care and skill. If we fail to do so, we may at our option re-perform the affected service or offer a reasonable refund, subject to the circumstances. Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be excluded under UK law. Your statutory rights as a consumer are not affected.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss of profit, loss of business, loss of enjoyment, or loss arising from conditions outside our reasonable control. We are also not responsible for damage caused by existing defects, poor maintenance, hidden site hazards, unstable structures, pre-existing plant disease, or instructions given by you against our advice. Garden maintenance can sometimes reveal underlying issues, and we are not liable for those underlying issues unless the problem was directly caused by our negligence.
Where we handle delicate plants, hard landscaping, irrigation systems, decorative features, or customer-supplied equipment, we will take reasonable care but cannot guarantee against all risk of incidental damage. You agree that plants are living materials and may react unpredictably to pruning, transplanting, weather, soil conditions, or prior neglect. If you request a particular method or finish that differs from our recommendation, any resulting outcome is at your risk unless our advice was plainly negligent.
7. Access, safety, and working conditions
We may suspend or stop work if conditions become unsafe, if weather prevents the task from being carried out properly, or if access restrictions make completion unreasonable. If we stop work for safety reasons, you may still be liable for the proportion of the service already completed and for any reasonable costs incurred. We will seek to minimise disruption and will act fairly in deciding whether a service can continue.
You agree not to ask us to undertake tasks that require specialist contractor expertise unless this has been expressly arranged. In particular, we do not accept responsibility for electrical, structural, gas, pest-control, or arboricultural work unless we have specifically agreed to provide it and are legally qualified to do so. If we identify a need for specialist input, we may recommend that work be paused until the appropriate professional has been engaged.
8. Complaints, service issues, and corrections
If you believe a service has not been carried out in accordance with these terms, please raise the issue promptly after completion so that we can inspect the matter and consider a fair resolution. We may need access to the property to assess any alleged problem. If a complaint is valid, our remedy may include a re-visit, partial re-performance, or an appropriate refund, depending on the facts. We are not obliged to accept complaints made long after the service date where the condition of the garden may have changed for unrelated reasons.
Any correction we offer will be limited to the original scope of work and will not extend to unrelated issues, weather damage, plant decline, or further changes made by third parties after completion. These terms are intended to provide a practical framework for fair service delivery while recognising that gardens are dynamic environments and not fixed goods.
9. Governing law
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, except where consumer law gives you the right to bring proceedings elsewhere. If any part of these terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force.
Gardeners St Margarets reserves the right to update these terms from time to time. The version in force at the time of your booking will apply to that service, unless a later change is required by law or agreed with you in writing. By confirming a booking, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and accepted these conditions in relation to the requested gardening work.