Terms and Conditions

Heating, plumbing, gas and leak detection work · Version 3.0 · in force from 9 September 2026

These terms apply to all of our heating, plumbing, gas and leak detection / leak testing work.

Please read them before you accept an estimate or book an appointment. If there is anything you do not understand, or you think anything here is unfair, tell us and we will explain or reconsider it.

1. Who we are

CMG Heating and Plumbing is the trading name of Chris Greenhalgh, a sole trader.

In these terms, “we”, “us” and “our” mean CMG Heating and Plumbing, and “you” mean the customer. CMG is a one-person business, so any reference to our engineer means Chris Greenhalgh, or an approved subcontractor where we have told you in advance that one is being used.

If illness, or an emergency arising while we are committed to another job, means Chris Greenhalgh cannot attend, we may ask another Gas Safe registered engineer to attend in his place. We will tell you before that engineer attends, never afterwards, and you are free to rebook with Chris instead at no charge. These terms apply in full to work carried out that way, including our guarantee in section 12 and our insurance in clause 13.3.

2. These terms, and when a contract is formed

2.1 These terms form part of every contract between us.

2.2 A contract is formed when any of the following happens: you accept an estimate or quote in writing; you book an appointment through our website, our online booking system, by phone, by email or by text and we confirm it; or you ask us to carry out work while we are at your property and we agree to do it.

2.3 We will give you these terms in writing before, or at the time, the contract is formed. If work has already started and you have not received them, tell us and we will send them straight away.

2.4 If you are a consumer — an individual acting for purposes wholly or mainly outside a business — you have legal rights that these terms do not affect. Nothing in this document limits your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 or the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. If anything here appears to conflict with those rights, your legal rights win.

2.5 If you are a business customer — including a landlord acting in the course of a business, a letting or managing agent, a company or a public body — the clauses marked “Business customers” apply to you in place of the equivalent consumer clauses, and the cancellation rights in section 7 do not apply to you.

3. Estimates and quotes

3.1 A quote is a fixed price for a clearly defined scope of work. An estimate is our best assessment of the likely cost and is not a fixed price. We always tell you which one we are giving you — if your document is headed “Estimate”, it is an estimate.

3.2 Estimates and quotes are valid for 30 days from the date of issue unless the document says otherwise.

3.3 We survey and price as thoroughly as we can, but heating and plumbing systems frequently conceal problems that are not visible or apparent when we price the work.

3.4 If something unforeseen arises, we will stop, tell you what it means for the cost and the timescale, and get your agreement before we carry out the extra work. We will not add extra cost to your bill without telling you about it first and giving you the chance to decide.

3.5 Where we have given you a fixed quote, that price does not change unless you change what you have asked us to do, or the job turns out to be materially different from what you told us and from what we could reasonably see when we priced it.

3.6 If the price of a material rises by more than [10]% between the date of your quote and the date we order it, we will tell you before we order. You can accept the increase or cancel that part of the work at no charge.

3.7 Please read your estimate or quote carefully. If you think something is missing, tell us before work starts by calling 01204 961827 or emailing chris@cmghp.co.uk, so that we can make sure we do the work you actually want.

4. Our charges

4.1 We work to a fixed price wherever we can. Where that is not possible, we charge a call-out charge that covers travelling to you and the first hour and a half of work, and then for the time we spend after that.

4.2 We believe charging for time is the fairest and most transparent way to work for both of us: the quicker the job is finished, the less it costs you. We will always be as efficient as we can, but we will not rush a job or lower our standards to reduce your bill.

4.3 All prices in this section are shown both excluding and including VAT. The figure including VAT is what you pay.

Fixed-price services

4.4 Some of our work is charged at a fixed price rather than by time:

These prices are the same wherever you are in our service area. There is no distance uplift on a service — the price we quote is the price you pay, whether you are five minutes away or twenty miles out.

Tracing a leak outside the property is a fixed-price service of its own. A leak on the underground supply pipe between your boundary and your home needs specialist correlation and acoustic equipment, which we hire in for your job. The price shown above covers the trace, that equipment, and travel and the first 90 minutes on site, for a run of up to 10 metres between your internal stop tap and the external one. Because the equipment is included in that price, clause 4.15 does not apply to it and it is not itemised separately. Longer runs, and any further time on site, are charged at our usual half-hourly rate and agreed with you before you book. If we cannot identify the position of the leak you pay only what the equipment cost us, and nothing for our time. Where the trace establishes that your supply pipe is sound and the water is coming from somewhere else, that is a result and is charged in full. Clause 14.1 sets out how a leak investigation works.

4.5 A fixed price covers a full service carried out to the manufacturer’s schedule for your appliance. If we find that the appliance needs work beyond that — for example a strip-down clean of the combustion chamber because of the condition we find it in — we will tell you what it costs before we do any of it, and you decide whether to go ahead. Clause 14.3 explains what happens where a fault prevents us completing the service at all.

4.6 Where you want more than one appliance serviced at the same visit, we price the additional appliances before you book, so you know the total in advance.

Call-out charge — covers travel and the first hour and a half on site

4.7 Where the work is not a fixed-price service, we charge a single call-out charge. It is the same price anywhere within 20 miles of BL2 2TA — there is no distance surcharge inside our service area:

4.8 We do not normally travel more than 20 miles from BL2 2TA. If you are further away, ask us — we may still be able to help, but we will agree the charge with you first.

4.9 One hour and a half is our minimum charge. If the work takes less than 90 minutes, the call-out charge is all you pay — there is nothing further to add.

4.10 The call-out charge is quoted to you before you book, and it is never added to afterwards. Because it is one price across the whole service area, there is nothing to work out from your postcode and no surcharge to discover on the invoice.

Time after the first hour and a half

4.11 Once the first 90 minutes are used, we charge £37.50 + VAT (£45.00 including VAT) for each further half hour, or part of a half hour.

4.12 There is no separate day rate for domestic work. A longer job is simply the call-out charge plus the half hours that follow it.

What that means in practice

Examples, anywhere within 20 miles of BL2 2TA:

Longer jobs simply carry on in the same way — another £37.50 + VAT for each further half hour, or part of a half hour. There is no point at which the charging changes.

4.13 Time spent on tasks associated with your job is charged in the same way. That includes, but is not limited to: collecting keys from an estate or letting agent, collecting parts from suppliers, disposing of waste on your behalf, returning to site to re-survey after you have changed the agreed works, and time spent waiting on site for access.

4.14 We tell you about every unavoidable charge — including the call-out charge, parking and materials — before you commit, so the price you are quoted is the price you pay.

Materials

4.15 Materials are charged at our cost plus 22.5%. Where your estimate or quote itemises materials, those are the prices that apply. If you prefer to supply your own materials we will fit them where it is safe and lawful to do so — see clause 11.2 — and our labour charge is the same either way, because the labour is identical. Specialist equipment hired in for a particular job — for example the correlation equipment used to trace a leak on an underground supply pipe — is charged on the same basis, at our cost plus 22.5%, and is itemised on your quote — except where a fixed-price service in the table above already includes the equipment, in which case that fixed price applies and nothing further is added for it.

Contractors and developers

4.16 Continuous site work for builders, main contractors and developers is priced on our separate trade rate card, which works on booked days rather than call-outs. Ask us for it — the rates are lower, because continuous work on one site genuinely costs us less to deliver.

Card payments

4.17 We do not charge you anything extra for paying by personal debit card or personal credit card. Adding a surcharge to a consumer card payment has been unlawful in the UK since 13 January 2018.

4.18 If you pay using a commercial or business card, we may pass on the cost of accepting it. Any such charge will never be more than what the payment actually costs us, and we will tell you the amount before you pay so you can choose a different method.

5. Deposits and payment

5.1 Deposit. We normally ask for a deposit when you book. The amount is confirmed at the time of booking and is shown on your booking confirmation. It secures your appointment slot and covers materials we order specifically for you. It is set against your final invoice — it is not an extra charge. On our fixed-price services booked through our online booking system — a boiler or gas fire service, and the call-out charge — the full price is taken at the time of booking rather than a part deposit. That payment is the whole price for the visit; any parts, or time beyond the first 90 minutes, are agreed with you before they are charged.

5.2 Your deposit is refunded in full if you cancel within the cancellation period in section 7, if we cancel, or if we find we cannot carry out the work.

5.3 If you cancel outside that period, we refund the deposit less the costs we have actually and reasonably incurred — for example materials already ordered that cannot be returned, and any cancellation charge under section 8. We will give you a written breakdown of any deduction. We do not keep more than our actual loss.

5.4 The balance is due on completion. Invoices are payable on receipt. We do not offer credit, as we are not able to carry out credit referencing.

5.5 On larger projects we may invoice in stages. Stage payment points are set out in your quote where we know them in advance; otherwise a stage invoice will not exceed the value of the work completed at that point.

5.6 Where an invoice must be paid before we can book the job in or order parts, we will say so on the invoice. If time is short, prompt us that you have paid by calling 01204 961827 during working hours or emailing chris@cmghp.co.uk, as we may not see the payment straight away.

How to pay

5.7 Our preferred method is bank transfer. We also accept debit and credit cards. Our bank details are shown on your invoice. If you want to pay by transfer, it helps to set us up on your online banking before the appointment so you are ready to pay on the day.

5.8 Fraud warning: we will never contact you to say our bank details have changed. If you receive an email, text or letter that appears to be from us telling you to pay into a different account, do not pay it. Call us on 01204 961827 and check first.

Late payment

5.9 Consumers. If you do not pay on time, we may charge interest on the overdue amount at 4% a year above the Bank of England base rate, running from the due date until the date we are paid. We do not charge a fixed administration fee.

5.10 Business customers. If you do not pay on time we are entitled to statutory interest at 8% a year above the Bank of England base rate, together with the fixed sum compensation and reasonable recovery costs allowed by the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

5.11 If an invoice remains unpaid 30 days after the due date, and after we have written to you about it, we may instruct a debt recovery agent or begin court proceedings, and recover our reasonable costs of doing so to the extent a court allows.

If you are unhappy with the work

5.12 If you think the work is faulty or incomplete, tell us straight away rather than simply withholding payment — that stops us putting it right and helps nobody. But nothing in these terms takes away your legal rights. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you may be entitled to require us to do the work again, or to a price reduction, and where you are legally entitled to withhold or set off a proportionate amount you remain free to do so.

6. Contacting us

6.1 Our office hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm. Our phone line is open during those hours on 01204 961827.

6.2 Outside those hours, email chris@cmghp.co.uk. Emails are picked up on the next working day.

6.3 In an emergency, send a text message to 07535 802814 including your full name, the address, and a description of the problem. We are not a 24-hour company, but we will respond as quickly as we can. Calls to that number outside operating hours will not be answered.

6.4 Calls to any of our numbers cost no more than a standard basic rate call.

7. Your right to cancel

This section applies if you are a consumer. It does not apply to business customers.

7.1 When you have a right to cancel

If the contract between us was made away from our business premises — for example in your home, or online, by phone, by email, by text or through our online booking system — you have a legal right to cancel within 14 days, without giving any reason.

7.2 When the 14 days runs from

For services, from the day after the day the contract is made. For goods supplied but not installed, from the day after you receive them.

7.3 How to cancel

Tell us clearly before the 14 days ends. Call 01204 961827, email chris@cmghp.co.uk, or write to us at 39 Wisbeck Road, Bolton BL2 2TA. You can use the cancellation form at the back of these terms, but you do not have to — any clear statement is enough. Please keep proof that you sent it.

7.4 If you want us to start work within the 14 days

Most customers do, and we are happy to. But we can only start early if you ask us to, so we will ask you to confirm that request in writing — ticking a box on your online booking, or replying to our confirmation email, is enough.

If you then cancel part-way through the work, you pay a proportionate amount for what we have done up to the moment you told us, calculated against the total price. If you have not asked us to start early, we will not start until the 14 days has passed.

7.5 When the right to cancel ends

If you asked us to start early and acknowledged that you would lose the right to cancel once the job was finished, then once we have fully completed the work the right to cancel no longer applies. We ask you to acknowledge this at the same time as clause 7.4.

7.6 Urgent repairs

If you specifically ask us to visit in order to carry out an urgent repair or urgent maintenance, the 14-day right does not apply to that visit. It does still apply to any additional services we provide during that visit, and to any parts other than the replacement parts strictly necessary for the repair itself.

7.7 Made-to-order items

There is no right to cancel goods made to your specification or clearly personalised — for example a bespoke or made-to-measure item ordered specially for you.

7.8 Refunds

We refund you within 14 days of the day you tell us you are cancelling, using the same payment method you used, less any proportionate charge under clause 7.4.

7.9 How this fits with our appointment charges

The cancellation charges in section 8 apply once your statutory cancellation period has ended, or where it never applied. Where both could apply, your statutory right comes first, and we will not charge you a cancellation fee for cancelling within your statutory cancellation period.

8. Appointments: changes, cancellations, missed and shortened visits

This section is subject to clause 7.9.

8.1 If you need to cancel or move an appointment, please let us know as early as you can, by calling 01204 961827 during office hours or emailing chris@cmghp.co.uk. Messages sent outside office hours are picked up on the next working day.

8.2 Cancellation charge. If you cancel within 24 hours of the appointment start time, we charge £66 — half the call-out charge. This reflects our genuine loss from a slot we can no longer fill at short notice. If you book an appointment for the same day, or for a time less than 24 hours away, the charge applies from the moment you book.

8.3 We will not apply the cancellation charge where you are exercising a statutory right to cancel, where we have had to move the appointment ourselves, or where you have had to cancel because of illness, bereavement or another emergency outside your control.

8.4 Missed appointments. If nobody is there to give us access at the agreed time, we charge £66 — half the call-out charge, the same as a late cancellation. Before leaving we will wait 20 minutes and make at least one attempt to contact you on the number you gave us.

8.5 Running late. If you are not ready when we arrive, the standard rate starts from the time we arrive.

8.6 Cutting an appointment short. Please allow enough time for the work. For smaller jobs we book a 2 to 3 hour arrival window, and we may arrive near the end of that window and still need the full working time after that. If you have to end the visit early, we charge the standard rate for the time spent and book a second appointment, which is charged separately.

8.7 If we cancel. If we have to cancel or cannot attend, we will tell you as soon as we can, rebook at a time that suits you, and refund your deposit in full if you no longer want the work done.

8.8 Business customers — booked site days. Clauses 8.2 and 8.4 do not apply to days booked on our trade rates. Booked site days are held for you and other work is turned away to hold them, so they are governed by our trade terms, which set cancellation charges by the notice given: no charge with more than 5 working days’ notice, 25% of the booked days at 2 to 5 working days, 50% at less than 48 hours, and 100% at less than 24 hours or on arrival. Those charges, and the full trade rates, are set out in our separate trade documentation, which we issue before your first booking.

8.9 Who attends. Your appointment is carried out by Chris Greenhalgh. Where clause 1 applies and another Gas Safe registered engineer attends in his place, we will tell you before the appointment, and you may rebook with Chris instead at no charge rather than accept the substitute.

9. Access and the condition of your property

9.1 Please give us safe and reasonable access to the working area at the agreed time.

9.2 Please clear the working area of furniture, floor coverings and belongings before we arrive, and move anything fragile or valuable. We take reasonable care, but we cannot be responsible for items left in the working area that we asked to have moved.

9.3 We need access to a mains water supply, an electricity supply and, where relevant, a working stopcock. Please tell us in advance if any of these is unavailable, seized or faulty.

9.4 Parking. Please tell us in advance if parking is restricted, permit-only or chargeable. Parking charges, congestion charges and clean air zone charges reasonably incurred are added to your invoice at cost, and we will tell you before we incur them wherever we can.

9.5 For everyone’s safety, please keep children and pets out of the working area while we are working.

9.6 Authority to instruct. If you own the property jointly, rent it, or it is a leasehold flat, please make sure you have the authority — and where needed the landlord’s or freeholder’s permission — to have the work done. By instructing us, you confirm that you do.

9.7 If we cannot start or continue because of something covered by this section, we may charge the standard rate for the time spent and for a return visit.

10. Asbestos, gas safety and other hazards

10.1 We are not a licensed asbestos contractor. If we find or suspect asbestos-containing materials — which are common in older flue systems, artex, boiler rope seals and pipe lagging — we will stop work in that area immediately and tell you.

10.2 It is then for you to arrange a survey and, where required, licensed removal, before we can continue. The time we have already spent, and any return visit, is chargeable at the standard rate.

10.3 The same applies to other hazards outside our trade: electrical installations that are unsafe or do not meet current standards, unsafe structures, vermin infestation, or contaminated water.

10.4 Unsafe gas appliances. If we find a gas installation that is Immediately Dangerous or At Risk, we are required by the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and by the Gas Safe Register to act. That may mean turning off, disconnecting or capping the appliance and issuing a warning notice. We will always explain what we have found and why. We cannot leave an unsafe gas appliance in use, even if you ask us to.

11. Materials, parts and ownership

11.1 Materials remain our property until they are paid for in full, so far as the law allows and so far as they have not already become part of your property by being fixed to it.

11.2 Materials you supply. If you supply your own materials or appliances, we will fit them where it is safe and lawful to do so, but we cannot guarantee them, and our workmanship guarantee does not cover a failure caused by them. We may decline to fit an item we consider unsuitable or unsafe, and we will explain why.

11.3 Parts and appliances we remove become ours to dispose of, unless you ask for them back at the time.

11.4 If a part is discontinued or unavailable, we will offer the nearest suitable equivalent and tell you about any price difference before ordering it.

12. Our guarantee

12.1 We guarantee our own workmanship from the date the work is completed, as follows:

If something we did fails within that period because of the way we did it, we will put it right at no charge to you.

12.1a The shorter period on bathroom installations reflects the fact that we are not the only trade working on the room. It does not reduce your legal rights, and it does not affect the 24 month guarantee on any boiler, heating or plumbing work carried out as part of the same job.

12.2 Parts and appliances carry the manufacturer’s own guarantee. It runs alongside ours, from the same date — it does not begin when our guarantee ends. Ours covers our workmanship; theirs covers the appliance. Where an appliance needs registering, we register it and pass the paperwork to you.

12.2a We are an accredited installer with Baxi, Worcester Bosch and Ideal. Where you choose one of their appliances and the model qualifies, that accreditation allows us to register a longer manufacturer’s guarantee than a non-accredited installer is able to offer. The exact length depends on the appliance and on the manufacturer’s scheme at the time, so we will tell you the period that applies to your boiler in writing before you commit, and we register it on your behalf once the work is done.

12.3 Our guarantee does not cover:

• fair wear and tear;
• damage caused by misuse, accident, freezing, or interference by anyone else;
• faults on parts of your system that we did not work on;
• failure caused by materials or appliances you supplied;
• failure caused by a lack of servicing where the manufacturer requires the appliance to be serviced annually;
• work that has been altered, adjusted or repaired by someone else since we attended.

12.4 To make a claim, contact us first and give us a reasonable opportunity to inspect the problem and put it right. If you instruct someone else without giving us that opportunity, we may not be able to cover the cost.

12.5 This guarantee is in addition to your legal rights, not a replacement for them. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 our work must be carried out with reasonable care and skill, within a reasonable time, and for a reasonable price where none was agreed. If it is not, you can require us to do it again or claim a price reduction. Those rights last longer than our guarantee — generally six years from the date of the breach in England and Wales.

12.6 Our workmanship guarantee is given by CMG Heating and Plumbing. Your manufacturer’s guarantee, your Building Regulations Compliance Certificate and your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 are separate from it and do not depend on it. Your manufacturer’s guarantee is registered against your appliance and is honoured by the manufacturer, not by us. Your Building Regulations certificate is lodged through the Gas Safe Register, and you can obtain a copy from them at any time.

13. Our responsibility for loss or damage

13.1 We are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breaking this contract or of our failing to use reasonable care and skill.

13.2 We do not exclude or limit our liability in any way where it would be unlawful to do so. That includes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, and liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation.

13.3 We hold public liability insurance with an indemnity limit of £5 million, underwritten by U K Insurance Limited (Direct Line for Business). A copy of our certificate is available on request.

13.4 Unavoidable disturbance to your property

Some of what we do — drilling, core cutting, lifting floorboards, chasing walls, removing tiles, skirting or plaster — cannot be done without disturbing the surrounding structure and finishes. Where damage of that kind is a necessary and unavoidable consequence of work you have asked us to do, and we have taken reasonable care, it is not something we are liable for, and making good decorative finishes is not included in our price unless your quote says so. We will tell you before we start wherever we expect this to happen.

13.5 Work outside our trade

Lifting and refitting carpets, laminate and floorboards, moving roof tiles and similar tasks fall outside plumbing, heating and gas engineering. We will carry them out where they are necessary to reach our work, taking reasonable care. If you would prefer a specialist to take responsibility for those elements, you are welcome to arrange one. We remain responsible for using reasonable care and skill in anything we actually do.

13.6 Existing systems and pre-existing weaknesses

Existing pipework, valves, fittings, connections and seals in older systems can be at or near the end of their life. The ordinary process of isolating, draining, refilling or working close to them can bring an existing weakness to light. Where a pre-existing component fails for that reason, and we have worked with reasonable care, that failure is not a result of our work and any repair is chargeable. This does not apply where the failure was caused by our lack of care.

13.7 If we do cause damage

If we damage your property, tell us immediately and give us a reasonable opportunity to inspect it and establish the cause, and to put it right. We will either repair it ourselves, arrange for a suitable contractor to repair it at our cost, or claim on our insurance. We will discuss the options with you and take your reasonable preferences into account. If it cannot reasonably be repaired, we will pay you fair compensation for your loss.

13.8 Business customers

Our liability to a business customer for injury and for physical damage to property is limited to the amount payable under our public liability insurance, which carries an indemnity limit of £5 million. For any other kind of loss, our total liability for any one claim or series of connected claims is limited to the greater of the contract price and £50,000. We are not liable to a business customer for loss of profit, loss of business, business interruption or loss of anticipated savings. Nothing in this clause limits our liability under clause 13.2.

13.9 We are not liable for delay or failure caused by events outside our reasonable control — see section 20.

14. Job-specific terms

14.1 Leak detection and leak testing

Where we are instructed to investigate a suspected leak, our initial diagnostic visit aims to establish where the leak is likely to be: inside the property on the internal pipework, or outside it on the underground supply pipe between the boundary and the water main. Depending on what that establishes, one of two further investigations may be recommended: an internal pressure test, or an external trace, pressure test and acoustic survey using cable avoidance and acoustic listening equipment. In most cases only one is needed; both are necessary only where leaks are found in both the internal and external sections. Charges for each stage are set out in your individual quote rather than fixed in these terms, because they vary from job to job.

Where an external investigation requires excavation, our quotes include a limited exploratory dig, as specified in your quote, to expose and confirm the leak. We take reasonable care to avoid other buried services — gas, electricity, telecoms and drainage — using cable avoidance equipment, but we cannot guarantee the position of services that have not been declared to us or that are incorrectly mapped, and we are not responsible for damage to such undeclared or incorrectly mapped services. Reinstatement of any excavated area, for example turf, paving or driveway surfaces, is not included unless your quote expressly says so, and is otherwise costed separately.

If our investigation establishes that the leak is outside your property boundary on the water company’s main rather than your private supply pipe, responsibility for the repair rests with the water company. We will confirm that finding in writing so you can report it to your supplier. Our investigation fee covers the diagnostic work itself and remains payable wherever the leak turns out to be.

Any repair identified as a result of a leak investigation — pipe replacement, excavation beyond what your quote includes, or reinstatement — is not included in the investigation fee and is quoted separately once the location and repair method are confirmed.

Where tracing a supply pipe would require work within a public footpath or highway, separate permissions such as a street works licence may be needed from the local authority. Work of that kind falls outside a standard leak detection quote unless specifically agreed in advance.

14.2 Boiler and appliance fault diagnosis and repair

We cannot guarantee a first-time fix. Boilers and central heating systems can have a number of interacting faults, and some can only be resolved by a process of elimination. That can mean more than one visit and a higher total cost.

We will keep you informed of the likely cost as we go, and we will not continue beyond a spend you have agreed without checking with you first. Where further visits are genuinely needed to reach a diagnosis, they are chargeable.

If you believe a misdiagnosis has occurred, raise it through our complaints procedure in section 20 and we will investigate. If it turns out that our diagnostic procedure was carried out correctly, further work is chargeable at our standard rate. If it turns out that it was not, we put it right at our cost.

Fittings and components in an existing boiler may already be close to failure, and the work we have to do can disturb them. Clause 13.6 explains how we deal with that.

14.3 Boiler and appliance servicing

A service is a check and clean carried out to the manufacturer’s schedule. It is not a warranty that the appliance will not subsequently fail.

If we are booked to carry out a service and find a fault that prevents us completing it, the service remains chargeable and we will quote separately for fault diagnosis. We cannot book a service and a fault diagnosis into the same visit, because we cannot know in advance what a repair will involve.

Faults can appear after a service, usually because a component was already close to failure or because debris in the system has moved. If a fault appears afterwards, a further visit is chargeable at our standard rate — unless the fault was caused by something we did or failed to do, in which case we put it right at no charge. You can trust us to be straight with you about which it is.

14.4 Gas safety checks and landlord certificates

Where we carry out a landlord gas safety check, we issue the record (commonly called a CP12) within 28 days of the check. If you are a landlord, the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 require you to keep a copy for two years and to give a copy to your tenant within 28 days, or to a new tenant at the start of their tenancy.

We issue safety-related documentation as soon as the work is complete, whether or not your invoice has been paid.

14.5 Power flushing and system cleaning

A power flush or system clean is not guaranteed to resolve every underlying problem with a heating system. Where a system is heavily corroded or poorly designed, the only reliable answer may be replacement. We are not responsible where a flush or clean does not fully resolve the problem, and any further work needed is chargeable and quoted separately. We will give you our honest assessment of the likely benefit before you commit to a flush.

15. Waste disposal

15.1 Large jobs — boiler installations and full heating systems. We remove and responsibly dispose of the waste as part of the job; the cost is included in your quote. Where small recyclable packaging can go into your own recycling bin we would prefer to do that for environmental reasons, but only with your permission, which we will ask for first.

15.2 Smaller jobs — radiator installations, thermostat installations and similar. Packaging from items purchased and installed at your property becomes your property, and disposing of it is your responsibility.

15.3 A large job is one valued over £1,200 including VAT. A small job is one valued under £1,200 including VAT.

15.4 We are registered with the Environment Agency as a waste carrier under registration number CBDU428750.

16. Regulations, certificates and paperwork

16.1 We are registered with the Gas Safe Register under number 917962. You can check our registration and the work we are qualified to carry out at gassaferegister.co.uk. Please ask to see our Gas Safe ID card — a genuine engineer will expect you to.

16.2 Where work is notifiable under the Building Regulations — a new or replacement boiler, for example — we notify Building Control through the Gas Safe Register’s competent person scheme, and you will receive a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate. Keep it safe: your solicitor will ask for it when you sell the property.

16.3 On new appliances we complete the Benchmark commissioning checklist in the appliance manual. It is usually a condition of the manufacturer’s guarantee, so keep the manual safe and have the appliance serviced annually as the manufacturer requires.

16.4 Water fittings work is carried out in accordance with the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999. Certain work is notifiable to your water supplier, and we will tell you where that applies.

16.5 We are a WaterSafe Approved Contractor. WaterSafe is the national accreditation body for plumbers approved to work on drinking water systems, and approval means our water regulations competence has been independently assessed. WaterSafe does not issue membership numbers to approved contractors, so to verify our approval, search our postcode BL2 2TA on the WaterSafe register at watersafe.org.uk.

16.6 Unvented hot water storage systems are installed and worked on in accordance with Part G3 of the Building Regulations by a suitably qualified operative.

16.7 We are a member of the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering, membership number 129130, and are bound by its Code of Professional Standards.

17. Photographs of our work

17.1 We often photograph our work — for our own records, to support a guarantee claim, and for our website, social media and Google Business Profile.

17.2 We will not publish a photograph that identifies you or your address, and we will not publish an image of the inside of your home without asking you first.

17.3 Tell us at any time if you would rather we did not photograph your job, and we will not. If we have already published something and you would like it taken down, tell us and we will remove it.

18. Your personal information

18.1 We handle your personal information in line with our Privacy Policy, which is available at cmghp.co.uk/privacy and on request. It explains what we collect, why we collect it, who we share it with, how long we keep it and what rights you have.

18.2 We are the data controller for that information. We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office under reference ZC217946.

19. Feedback and reviews

19.1 We value feedback, positive and critical. Both help us get better.

19.2 If you have been happy with what we have done, a review on the platform where you found us genuinely helps other people find an honest local business.

19.3 We never pay for reviews, never offer anything in return for one, and never write them ourselves.

19.4 If you have not been happy, we would much rather you told us first, so that we get the chance to put it right — please use the complaints procedure in section 20. But you are free to leave an honest review at any time, and nothing in these terms restricts your right to do so.

20. Complaints

We always do our best, but we know things do not always go to plan. If you are not satisfied, here is how to raise it — and we will support you through getting it put right.

Step 1 — Tell Chris on site. Please do not feel awkward about raising something you are unhappy with while we are there. It is almost always the fastest route to a resolution, and we would far rather know.

Step 2 — Put it in writing. If you would rather not raise it on site, or step 1 has not resolved it, email chris@cmghp.co.uk or call 01204 961827. We will acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days and give you a full response within 10 working days. If we need longer, we will tell you why and when you can expect an answer.

Step 3 — Our final response. If you are still not satisfied after step 2, tell us and we will review the matter again and write to you setting out our final position.

Following these steps in order helps us deal with your complaint quickly, but it does not affect any of your legal rights, and you are free to seek advice or take legal action at any stage.

If we cannot resolve it between us

We are not currently a member of an approved alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme, so we do not offer ADR. If you are unhappy with our final response, you can:

• get free, independent advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or at citizensadvice.org.uk;
• report a concern about gas work to the Gas Safe Register at gassaferegister.co.uk;
• raise a concern about professional standards with the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering at ciphe.org.uk;
• take the matter to court. Nothing in these terms prevents you from doing so.

21. Things outside our control

21.1 We are not responsible for delay or failure to perform caused by something outside our reasonable control — including severe weather, flood, fire, serious illness or accident, industrial action, supplier failure, shortage of materials, failure of utility networks, and government or regulatory action.

21.2 If that happens, we will contact you as soon as we can and arrange a new date. If the delay is substantial, you may cancel, and we will refund anything you have paid for work not yet done.

22. General

22.1 Subcontractors. We may use approved subcontractors for parts of the work — tiling on a bathroom installation is the usual example. We tell you in advance where we are doing so, and we remain responsible to you for the work they do.

22.2 Transferring this contract. You may not transfer your rights under it without our written consent, which we will not unreasonably withhold. Our workmanship guarantee is personal to you and does not automatically pass to a new owner of the property.

22.3 Severability. If any part of these terms is found by a court to be unlawful or unenforceable, the rest continues to apply.

22.4 Delay is not waiver. If we do not insist that you do something you are required to do, or delay in taking steps against you, that does not mean we have given up our rights.

22.5 Third parties. Nobody other than you and us has any rights under this contract. The Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 does not apply.

22.6 Changes. We may update these terms from time to time. The version that applies to your job is the version in force when your contract was formed, and we send you the current version with your quote or booking confirmation.

22.7 Governing law. These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you may also bring proceedings in your own country’s courts.

Annex — Model cancellation form

You only need to use this form if you want to cancel a contract with a right to cancel under section 7. You do not have to use it — any clear statement will do.

To: Chris Greenhalgh, trading as CMG Heating and Plumbing, 39 Wisbeck Road, Bolton BL2 2TA, chris@cmghp.co.uk, 01204 961827

I/We hereby give notice that I/We cancel my/our contract for the supply of the following service:

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Ordered on / received on: ……………………………………………………………………

Name of consumer(s): ………………………………………………………………………..

Address of consumer(s): ……………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Signature of consumer(s) (only if this form is notified on paper): …………………………

Date: ……………………………………….