Terms & Conditions

1. Introduction

These are Hickman’s Plumbing and Heating Ltd (HPHL) Terms & Conditions for delivering our service to you. They tell you

• The rules for using our services

• What you can expect from us

• Your rights, responsibilities and obligations

2. When These Terms Apply

Please ensure you read these terms before using our services. By using our services, you are agreeing to these terms. You’re also agreeing to our Terms of Use, Privacy and Cookie policies.

The latest version always applies, and we may make updates when we offer a new service, change how we provide a service, or have to comply with a new legal requirement.

3. What We Mean by Services

Anything offered by HPHL, across all the trades we cover (Plumbing, Heating, Drains, Bathrooms, Electrics, Carpentry, Appliances, Building work, Emergencies and Commercial work)

• Enquiries

• Quotations

• Estimates

• Project Work

• Installations

• Repairs

• Emergency Call Outs

• Servicing

• Guarantees

4. Terminology

For the purpose of these Terms & Conditions the following words have the following meanings:

• “Us/We/Our/HPHL” refers to Hickman’s Plumbing and Heating Limited

• “You” refers to you the customer (the person or organisation for whom we agree to carry out work and/or supply or materials)

• “Tradesperson/tradespeople” refers to any representative(s) appointed by HPHL to carry out work

• “Normal Working Hours”  means Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm excluding UK Bank Holidays

• “Quotation” or “Quote”  The Quotation may include the Specification of the work to be carried out, the materials to be supplied, the total cost or hourly rate for the job and the timescales, dates or times

• “Specification”  Details of the work you requested to be carried out, the materials or appliances we will supply.

We reserve the right to refuse or decline to undertake any work. We reserve the right, at our absolute discretion, to designate the tradesperson/tradespeople who will represent us for some or all of the work.

5. Hourly Rate Work

The total charge to you will consist of the cost(s) of:

• Labour (the amount of time spent by us carrying out work) including all reasonable time spent in obtaining non-stocked materials, charged in accordance with our current hourly rates.

• Materials supplied by us. 

You will only be charged for the time spent related to your work. All charges may be subject to VAT at the prevailing rate, except in cases where the work carried out is zero rated.

6. Fixed Price Quotation

The total charge to you will be given as a firm cost (manifest errors exempted), inclusive of labour and materials. All costs may be subject to VAT at the prevailing rate.

Where a written Quotation has been supplied to you we reserve the right to vary the details under the following circumstances:

• If, after submission of the estimate, you instruct us (in writing or verbally) to carry out additional work not referred to in the estimate.

• If, after submission of the estimate, there is an increase in the price of materials.

• If, after submission of the estimate, it is discovered that further work needs to be carried out which was not anticipated when the estimate was prepared.

• If, after submission of the estimate, it is discovered that there was a manifest error when the estimate was prepared.

• Requirement of a detailed Insurance Report (in addition to the estimate and invoice) will incur a nominal charge of £25.00.

We will not be under any obligation to provide an Quotation to you and will only be bound by Quotations given in writing to you by our authorised representative. We will not be bound by any estimates given orally or in which manifest errors occur.

7. Access to Your Property and Permissions

Our Quotation assumes there is reasonable access to the property and that all associated utilities are available at the property to enable work to commence.

By accepting the Quotation, you warrant that all necessary consents and permissions from the relevant authorities have been obtained in order to carry out the work.

8. Material and Parts Collection

Collection of items necessary to complete the work is chargeable, however:

• Time taken will be kept to a minimum and within reason.

• You will receive notification of the reason for any excessive collection times.

9. Invoices and Payment

When you agree for us to carry out estimated or pre-booked work by formally accepting a Quotation in writing, a deposit payment of 50% of the total becomes due prior to commencement of the work. In some circumstances, we reserve the right to request full payment in advance at our discretion.

Further staged payments may be agreed for larger or more complex jobs as agreed in the Quotation.

Upon completion of work, you will be invoiced, and payment is due without delay. HPHL reserves the right to accrue and charge interest at a rate of 4% over the base rate on any part of an invoice which remains unpaid until payment is received by us in full.

You accept sole liability to make payment in full.

10. Timekeeping

Where the date and/or time for work to be carried out is agreed, we will use reasonable endeavours to attend accordingly. We accept no liability in respect of the non-attendance or late-attendance on site, or for the impact of late or non-delivery of materials.

We will not be liable for any delay, or for the consequences of any delay, in performing any of our obligations if the delay is due to any cause beyond our reasonable control, and we will be entitled to a reasonable extension of the time for performing our obligations.

11. Cancellation

We would appreciate as much notice as possible if you intend to cancel your job but in any case you must provide at least two working days notice prior to the scheduled start date and you must request written confirmation from us.

If you cancel your instructions within the two working days prior to work being carried out or the supply of materials, you will be liable up to the full time and materials cost the quotation.

12. Satisfaction

We are committed to providing a professional, high quality service for every customer. If, after we have carried out the work, you are not wholly satisfied with our service(s) you must provide us with written notice as soon as possible but in any case within 3 months of completion of the work. You must allow us, or our insurers, the opportunity to both inspect and carry out remedial work where appropriate. If you fail to notify us, as outlined above, then we will not be liable in respect of any defects in the work carried out.

13. Guarantee

For your peace of mind, we provide a 12 month guarantee on labour carried out by us in respect of poor workmanship only, subject to Clause 14. This is active from the date of completion of work, in addition to any manufacturer’s warranty/warranties on the appliances we supplied.

The guarantee will become null and void if the work/appliance completed/supplied by us is:

• subject to misuse or neglect

• repaired, modified or tampered with by anyone other than an HPHL tradesperson. We accept no liability for, or guarantee suitability of materials supplied by you and will accept no liability for any consequential damage or fault resulting from use of these materials.

We will not guarantee any work in respect of:

• blockages in waste or drainage systems or power-flushes.

• replacement of small parts such as tap washers or any other small fix which could be considered to be of a temporary nature

• any work undertaken on instruction from you and against our written or verbal advice.

Work is only guaranteed in respect of work directly undertaken by us and with full payment having been made. Any non-related faults arising from recommended work which has not been undertaken by us is not subject to our guarantee.

Our liability will be limited to the work and components detailed in the Specification unless, in our opinion, the work or components have been compromised because you did not accept our advice or recommended approach as detailed in the Quotation. In this case we have no liability and provide no guarantee. We will, of course, be happy to provide a Quotation to resolve any issues.

14. Liability

We will only be liable for rectifying our own guaranteed work, and will not be held responsible for any ensuing damage or claims resulting from other work overlooked by you or subsequently requested by you.

We will not be held liable or responsible for any damage or defect resulting from work not fully guaranteed, or where recommended work has not been carried out. Work will not carry a guarantee where you have been notified by the tradesperson either verbally or indicated in ticked boxes or in our comments/recommendations.

We will be entitled to fully recover the costs or damages from any tradesperson whose negligence or faulty workmanship makes us liable to pay for those damages or rectification of work.

You will be solely liable for any hazardous situation in respect of the Gas Safe Regulations or any Gas Warning Notice issued by a HPHL tradesperson. The tradespeople we employ operate under their own individual Gas Safe Registration and, as such, are solely responsible for any gas related work and subsequent liability.

If we can’t do the work we quoted for because of things beyond our control such as adverse weather conditions, fire, accident or war, a failure or delay due to any electricity, water or gas network, the act or omission of any party for whom HPHL is not responsible, we won’t be liable for our failure to carry out the work.

Any materials supplied, including boilers, are subject to their own manufacturer’s warranty and guarantee. You agree that we are not liable for the installation of any faulty items where it was not reasonably apparent that the item was faulty before installation. If an item is faulty at installation or becomes faulty after installation, you agree to contact the manufacturer direct and claim under the manufacturer’s warranty and guarantee.

We shall not be liable for the following loss or damage, howsoever caused and whether or not foreseeable:- 

•  loss of profits, business or revenue, whether suffered by you or any other person

•  special, indirect, incidental or consequential loss, whether suffered by you or any other person

•  any losses arising by reason of any events or other matters beyond our reasonable control preventing the performance by us of any obligation under these Terms, provided that we shall use all reasonable endeavours to eliminate or overcome any of such causes and to resume performance of our obligations with all possible speed

• any losses resulting from your failure to comply with any recommendations made by us or from any defects in your premises, fixtures and fittings, equipment, installations and goods and 

• any losses resulting from any act or default on the part of the personnel supplying the Services that arises from matters outside the scope of our duties under these Terms.

Save as expressly provided in these Terms, all warranties, conditions or other terms implied by statute or by common law in connection with the supply of the Services are excluded to the fullest extent permitted by law. 

15. Title to Goods

Goods supplied and delivered by us to you or your premises, shall remain our property until paid for by you in full. Whilst goods remain our property we have the absolute authority to:

• retake, sell or otherwise deal with or dispose of all or any part of these goods

• enter any premises, at any time and without notice, in which goods or any part thereof is installed, stored or kept, or is reasonably believed so to be

• seek a court injunction to prevent you from selling, transferring or otherwise disposing of such goods

• the risk in such goods will pass to you on delivery to your site/premises/home. You must insure them at replacement value, and if asked you must produce evidence that they are properly insured.

16 . Discovery of Dangerous Materials

Any Quotation, unless explicitly stated, will not include the cost of removing dangerous materials such as asbestos. If such material is discovered, HPHL will withdraw all staff immediately until the site is made safe. If requested HPHL can provide a cost for removing dangerous materials from the site and reissue the Quotation.

17. Removal of Waste Materials

Unless otherwise agreed in writing,  you will be responsible for the removal from site of all waste materials resulting from the work undertaken by us.

18. Potential Disruption to Your Property

We will take care to minimise disruption when working in our customer’s property but we may need to cut through walls or floors, chase pipes into walls, lift floors, cut into woodwork or otherwise alter the decorated finish of your property in order to complete the work in the Specification. We aim to keep disruption to a minimum and we always clear up any mess resulting from the work afterwards to a reasonable standard. We will make you aware of this as part of any Quotation but will not quote for, or have any liability for redecoration, plastering, filling, carpentry or any making good.

We do not accept any liability for the removal of any carpets, linoleum and special types of flooring, eg. tongue and grooved, parquet, hard wood or tiled floors in order to carry out the work.

19. Photography and Video

We may take photographs or videos of the work we do for you for use in publicity, social media posts, use on our website or for other promotional use. You agree to granting us unencumbered use of all such material unless you notify us in writing to the contrary. We will, of course, ensure any photographs we use are anonymous and contain no features which could be used by the general public to identify you or your property.

20. General

These terms and conditions may not be released, discharged, supplemented, interpreted, varied or modified by anyone except in writing signed by an authorised representative of HPHL and you. Our terms and conditions will prevail over any terms and conditions used by you or contained, set out or referred to in any documentation sent to us by you. By accepting a Quotation and entering into a contract with us you agree irrevocably to waive the application of any of these terms and conditions.

These terms and conditions, and all contracts awarded between us and you, shall be governed and construed in accordance with English law and shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English law.

Hickman’s Plumbing and Heating Ltd is a company incorporated in England and Wales with registered number: 15142330.