Terms of Service

1. Who we are

Ellen Cleaning is the trading name of Ellen Cleaning, NIF , of Quarteira, Portugal, providing domestic and commercial cleaning services in the Algarve, Portugal.

Email

elenapetrisoaia@gmail.com

Telephone

+351 965 838 664

2. These terms

By confirming a booking with us — in writing, by message, or verbally — you accept these terms.

If we agree something different with you in writing for a particular job, that agreement takes priority over these terms for that job.

Nothing in these terms removes rights you have as a consumer under Portuguese law.

3. Our services

We provide the services described on this website, including regular home cleaning, villa and holiday-rental changeovers, office and commercial cleaning, deep cleaning, post-construction cleaning, and move-in / move-out cleaning.

• We bring our own cleaning products and equipment unless we agree otherwise.
• We will tell you before the visit if a job needs specialist equipment or extra time.
• The scope of a clean is what was quoted. If you need more doing on the day, we will do what we can within the booked time and quote separately for the rest.

4. Quotes and prices

• Quotes are based on the information you give us about the property — size, condition, number of rooms and bathrooms. If the property differs substantially from that description, we may need to revise the price, and we will always discuss it with you before starting.
• A quote is valid for 30 days unless it says otherwise.
• Prices shown on this website are guide ranges, not fixed offers. Your quote is the price that applies.
• Prices include VAT at the applicable Portuguese rate where VAT is chargeable.
• Travel to properties outside our usual service area may carry an additional charge, which will be in your quote.

5. Booking and confirmation

A booking is confirmed once we have agreed a date, time and price with you. We will confirm in writing where we can.

For regular cleans, we agree a recurring slot. We will tell you in advance about any change to your usual day or cleaner.

6. Access to the property

We can only clean a property we can get into. Please make sure that:

• We have keys, an access code, or someone to let us in at the agreed time.
• You have told us about alarms, pets, parking restrictions or building access rules.
• Water and electricity are connected and working.

If we cannot get in and this is not our fault, we may charge up to the full price of the visit, because the time has been reserved for you and our team has travelled.

Where you give us keys, we keep them securely, labelled in a way that does not identify your address, and return them whenever you ask.

7. Cancelling or rescheduling

More than 48 hours before the visit

Cancel or reschedule free of charge.

Between 24 and 48 hours before

We may charge 50% of the price of the visit.

Less than 24 hours before, or no access on arrival

We may charge the full price of the visit.

These charges exist because a cancelled slot at short notice usually cannot be filled, and our team is paid for the day either way. We apply them with common sense — genuine emergencies and illness are not something we penalise.

If we have to cancel, we will tell you as soon as possible, offer the earliest alternative, and charge you nothing.

8. Payment

• Payment is due on completion of the clean unless we have agreed otherwise in writing.
• For regular customers we may invoice monthly, payable within 14 days.
• We accept the payment methods stated on your invoice or quote.
• Invoices are issued in accordance with Portuguese tax rules.
• We may suspend further cleans while an invoice remains unpaid beyond its due date, after telling you first.

9. Your responsibilities

• Please put away cash, jewellery and other valuables before we arrive.
• Please tell us about anything fragile, antique, or needing particular care, and about any surface that must not be cleaned with standard products.
• Please tell us if anyone in the property is unwell with something contagious, so we can protect both you and our team.
• Please make sure pets are secure and comfortable with people working around them.

10. Our standards, and putting things right

We want you to be happy with the clean. If something has been missed or has not been done to a reasonable standard, tell us within 24 hours of the visit and we will return and put it right at no charge.

This re-clean is the first remedy we offer. If it does not resolve the problem, we will discuss a partial or full refund of that visit with you.

11. Damage, loss and liability

• We take care in your home, but accidents can happen. If we damage something, tell us within 24 hours of the visit so we can inspect it while the circumstances are clear.
• Where we are responsible, we will repair the item, replace it, or pay its reasonable value, at our discretion after discussing it with you.
• We are not responsible for damage caused by existing wear, defects, or improper prior installation — for example, a fitting that was already loose, or a surface already lifting.
• We are not responsible for items of exceptional value that we were not told about.
• Our total liability for any one visit is limited to the cost of that visit, except where the law does not allow such a limit — including death or personal injury caused by our negligence, and fraud.

Nothing in this section limits your statutory rights as a consumer.

12. What we cannot do

For the safety of our team, and because they fall outside normal cleaning work, we do not:

• Clean at heights requiring ladders beyond standard step-stool height, or clean the outside of windows above ground-floor level.
• Handle biohazards, including human or animal waste, blood, needles, mould remediation or hoarding clean-ups.
• Move heavy furniture or appliances. We will clean around and behind them where they are already accessible.
• Deal with pest or vermin infestations, which need a licensed specialist.
• Use a product you supply unless we have agreed to it, since we cannot know how it will react with a surface.

13. Ending a regular arrangement

Either of us may end a regular cleaning arrangement by giving 14 days' notice. You do not need to give a reason.

We may end an arrangement immediately, without notice, if our team is treated abusively, if the property is unsafe to work in, or if invoices go unpaid after we have asked.

14. Your right of withdrawal

If you booked with us at a distance — by phone, email, or through this website — you generally have 14 days to withdraw from the contract without giving a reason, under Portuguese consumer law.

If you ask us to start the service within that 14-day period and we complete it, the right of withdrawal no longer applies to that completed service. If we have started but not finished, you pay for the proportion already carried out.

To withdraw, simply tell us at elenapetrisoaia@gmail.com or +351 965 838 664.

15. Complaints and dispute resolution

If something goes wrong, contact us first at elenapetrisoaia@gmail.com or +351 965 838 664. We aim to respond within two working days and to resolve matters quickly and fairly.

As a service provider in Portugal, we make the electronic complaints book available to you at www.livroreclamacoes.pt.

If a consumer dispute cannot be settled between us, you may refer it to the alternative dispute resolution body for the Algarve:

CIMAAL — Centro de Informação, Mediação e Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo do Algarve

Av. 5 de Outubro, n.º 55, R/C Dtº — 8000-076 Faro · Telephone: +351 289 823 135 · info@consumoalgarve.pt · www.consumoalgarve.pt

You may also use the European Commission's online dispute resolution platform.

16. Privacy

How we handle your personal information is set out in our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these terms.

17. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. The version that applies to your booking is the one published when you made it. For regular customers, we will give reasonable notice of any material change.

18. Governing law

These terms are governed by Portuguese law, and the Portuguese courts have jurisdiction over any dispute. As a consumer, you keep the protection of the mandatory rules of the country where you live.