In order for us to operate our business in a professional way, we have written terms & conditions so that you can be clear as to what to expect, so please read the following carefully. Approval to carry out the work constitutes acceptance of our terms.

These terms and conditions may change or are updated from time to time.

1. Your contract for supply of goods or services is with M D & EJ Leicester partnership trading as Pete the Sweep.
2. Warranties: We do not complete product warranties, these are left on site for you to complete of can be obtained direct from the manufacturers. Where we are warrant any equipment or materials or work, it only applies to equipment or materials we have both supplied & fitted. Parts or use excluded by the manufacturer will also remain excluded, in the case of stoves items excluded under any warranty are usually, glass, rope seals, bricks, baffles, and grates. Only those specific parts described in any warranty are covered, not ancillary or associated parts or materials. Our lifetime warranty on labour includes defective workmanship, but it does not cover wear & tear & only covers specific work carried out by ourselves. Due to the nature of roof work, all external repairs only carry a 12 month warranty. In addition, to ensure we can monitor use & ensure servicing is being carried out properly, it is a requirement of our own warranties that one of our service packages have been in place for the duration for the installation. Failure to comply with the servicing requirements will invalidate any manufacturer’s warranty.
3. Quotations: All our quotations are fully inclusive & fixed. This means that our price will be honoured no matter how difficult the installation. In circumstances where the nature of the task becomes different to the one originally quoted, additional costs will be incurred but will be quoted before we commence. Where an error or omission has been made to a quotation, we reserve the right to re-quote or decline the job before commencing. Please check any quote includes all the options & work you are expecting. Sometimes manufacturers will show products that have chargeable options shown. If you are expecting something to be included & it is not shown, please ask.
4. Winter installations & servicing: Please endeavour to avoid booking installations & servicing between October & February. All work carried out at this time is done under extreme pressure, our workload is immense & we are often let down by suppliers. Weather conditions can often delay deliveries & render work impossible to carry out due to wind, rain, frost & snow combined with short daylight working hours. We would strongly recommend you minimise the chance of external factors out of our control causing jobs overrunning by booking work outside this period.
5. Preparation: When we undertake to protect the room, although we take every care in the work we do, & normally raise no, or minimal dust, we cannot guarantee no dust or soot will settle as soot can be produced in microscopic particles which can bypass even the finest of filters. If you are particularly concerned for your decorations we would recommend you cover all furnishings in the room or remove items which may be affected. If we have to use power tools or encounter problems, there will be further disruption but the immediate area will be protected.
6. Roof work: Unless otherwise specified, our quotation allows for ladder access only. On occasions it may not be possible to undertake the work safely without additional equipment due to factors unforeseen at the time of survey. In this instance we will quote for additional equipment before commencing work. Where weather conditions make it unsafe to work we will have to re-schedule the work, you will not be charged for lost time. Where we have quoted for roof & stack repairs, on occasions it is not possible to properly assess the extent of the work at the time of the survey, for instance a simple re-pointing job may end up with a complete stack re-build if the stack turns out to be unstable once we start cutting out the render. In this instance, you will be notified by the engineer & a fresh quote will be agreed before commencing. Where we quote for re-pointing or re-flaunching a stack, unless specifically stated otherwise, this will involve making good poor pointing or flaunching where necessary rather than a complete re-point/flaunch.
7. Rubbish disposal: we are unable to remove commercially produced waste without a waste transfer licence. Therefore waste will be left on site in some form of bag or container & left in or beside the refuse bin unless disposal has been quoted for separately.
8. Cancellation or inability to access the property: If we receive cancellation notification less than 24 hours prior to agreed appointment time, or for any reason we arrive on site for an agreed appointment & we are unable to gain access to the property to carry out our work, we reserve the right to make full charge for the labour element of the work assigned to be carried out.
9. Flue testing: Testing of a flue only gives an indication of the integrity of the flue on the day it is carried out, passing a flue test is not a 100% guarantee that it is safe but only that it has passed the test to BS6461. Subsequent failure can occur at any time.
10. Job overruns: If we are unable to complete any task in the allocated time, we will re-schedule as soon as is possible, this may however not be for a number of weeks due to the pressure of work. Where we are unable to attend at an agreed appointment time or day, we will not be held responsible for any consequential costs or charges.
11. Payment: A deposit is required when ordering with the balance paid on final invoice. Under the “late payments to small business act”, all outstanding invoices more than 30 days will automatically incur an £80 surcharge & will be subject to interest @ 15% above base rate. Furthermore all costs of recovery will be the liability of the customer. Any special prices offered are strictly subject to payment on completion. All bounced cheques will incur all our bank charges. Goods remain the property of the company until paid for in full.
12. Goods delivered to site: Where we are delivering goods to site prior to commencing installation or leave goods on site during an installation, the responsibility lays with the customer for their safekeeping. Should any goods become damaged or go missing while our engineers are not on site, replacement goods will be charged for in full.
13. Fitting/utilising customers own equipment/materials: We cannot guarantee any products not supplied by us, a flue liner may be rendered useless during installation. Where this occurs we cannot be held responsible for the replacement item. Where items are defective or not compatible, additional material & fitting costs will be incurred to rectify the situation.
14. Down-drafting: Many factors govern whether a chimney works or not. A chimney can be constructed to current building regulations and still experience problems in certain atmospheric conditions, in particular prefabricated chimneys particularly those exposed to elements can suffer from becoming “stagnant” which has no simple, permanent solution. Additional work or materials necessary to investigate or resolve down-drafting may be charged for.

18. Chimney cleaning/Nests/ blockages/pests: Chimney cleaning to the required standard is not always possible due to a number of factors including inaccessible crevices, tight bends & incorrect termination, the engineer will normally advice is any aspect of the sweep has been deemed unsuccessful, in any event the cost of the sweep will still be due, this included installations where no provision has been made for sweeping. When clearing a blockage it can take varying amounts of time to clear. Our engineers will advise of the likely cost as we proceed. The minimal charge for nest removal is 1.5 times our sweep rate, this is due to the level of danger, risk of contracting disease & the cost of waste disposal. If we are prevented for any reason from completing the removal of the blockage, or other work to a flue, full time costs incurred will be charged. It is illegal to remove a nest where fledglings are present. Where wasps or bees are found, it is the customer’s responsibility for organising their removal, visits to establish this will still incur a call out charge which is equal to our sweeping charge.
19. Flue lining: Flexible stainless steel lining should be considered a temporary solution, life expectancy may be up to 30 years, however steel liners have been known to fail in as little as 2 years if exposed to chemicals, or incorrect maintenance. We would not recommend burning anything other than untreated seasoned wood or anthracite on solid fuel liners (see our leaflet on stainless steel liners) When re-lining, if a blockage or narrowing is encountered & a hole may need to be cut into the stack, this will incur an additional charge as will removal of a nest. If you decline having an access hole made to facilitate lining labour charges incurred thus far will be due. If a chimney pot breaks during removal, a replacement will be charged for. The specification of a liner fitted may seriously limit the type of appliance that can be used. If we are fitting a lining to an existing appliance we will undertake to fit the correct lining. If no appliance is on site, responsibility of choosing an appliance to match the lining rests with the customer. If a new fireplace/appliance is being fitted by a 3rd party, we may leave the base of the liner so that the 3rd party fitter can finish it off at exactly the right level to suit the new fire. A new steel liner, being made of metal, is much smoother & will absorb less sound than the original flue, it should be expected that it will therefore transmit more noise into the room. By relining the flue we make it narrower and significantly reduce the volume, this will have a negative effect on the up-draft on an open fire. Where the opening is greater than 500mm x 550mm we cannot guarantee that all the smoke will be carried away without further modifications to the fireplace, or in very extreme instances, the installation of a chimney fan may be required. The work involved in this remedial action will incur additional charges. Insulation of a lined flue is with horticultural grade vermiculite. Any spillage is impossible to avoid, but is harmless & will disperse completely in a short time.
20. Fuel: Most stoves, stainless steel flue liners & cowls are not designed for burning processed smokeless fuels or processed wood with added chemicals, use of which will void the manufacturer’s guarantee, we would further advise against burning any processed fuels even those designated suitable for stoves.
21. Chimney systems: When fitting a new steel chimney, it will need repositioning several times during the assembly process. The outer skin is very thin & can in fact be pushed in with a thumb, it is therefore inevitable that several small scratches & even dents may occur during this process, this in no way effects the performance & needs to be accepted as part of the fitting process. Where we have to pass through a roof structure, to conform to regulations with regard to distances from combustible material it therefore may not be possible to align the appliance exactly where we would like to. Cold chimneys in particular external steel chimneys may require pre heating in order to induce an initial up-draft prior to lighting.
22. Preparing & opening up a fireplace: Unless otherwise specified, where we have to increase the size of the builders opening by breaking into the structure of the building additional costs will be incurred. Where a quotation has been given prior to opening up a fireplace, we reserve the right to amend it when the final opening is revealed.
23. Plastering & Rendering: When rendering inside a fireplace opening & plastering to the front it is normal (& unavoidable) for some small shrinkage cracks to appear after drying. Although we regard our plastering/rendering skills as good, we are not professional plasterers & a perfect finish usually cannot be achieved with any patch plastering. For a perfect finish we would recommend a professional plasterer. Inset fires that abut a plastered wall are very prone to plaster “crazing”. We will undertake to return once to rectify this at our own expense but if it re-occurs we would suggest some modification to the surrounding area. Neither skirting board replacement or re decoration, are normally included in our quotation of works, unless specifically included.
24. Stoves: If we have to utilise items that were not originally quoted for in order to fit the stove (for instance fitting it rear exit instead of top exit, or fitting a soot door) these will be incur additional charges. Due to expansion of the stove-pipe during use it is perfectly normal for a crack to form between the register plate & the stove-pipe and where the stove-pipe seals into the stove, this will not affect performance. On occasions a severe offset in the flue will prevent the stove being centred properly in the opening. Often it is not possible to comply with manufacturers recommended gaps around an appliance, due to pre-existing factors, this does not contravene regulations. If you require a DEFRA approved stove please ensure we have confirmed the stove quoted for is suitable prior to accepting the order.
25. Fireplaces/hearths: Where we are utilising natural materials, consistency of colour or finish cannot be guaranteed. When fitting, we will undertake where possible to fit to a tolerance centred on the chimney breast of 10mm & on joints of 2mm. Levels may have to be balanced out to take into account un-level floors & walls. During fitting some scratches or chips that may occur due to the fragile nature & heavy weight of the products, we may need to make good any imperfections incurred.
26. Orders: where a deposit has been taken for goods or materials that have been especially procured, the deposit is taken on the understanding that it is non-refundable. Where we agree to re-stock goods or materials, we will pass on the handling charge made by our suppliers.
27. VAT: We may subcontract out some or all parts of an installation in which case the installer will invoice you directly, therefore your invoice will have VAT applicable. If you are in a position to reclaim the VAT please speak to the office. Where VAT concessions are in place, & the advice we have is that the VAT concession applies in your case, we require that you will accept any shortfall in vat if upon a future re-assessment of the VAT rules; it is found that VAT at a higher rate should have been charged.

These terms and conditions may change or are updated from time to time.

Last updated 22/05/2019