1. GUARANTEE:
Amazing cleaning and superior customer service are 100% guaranteed. If you are not satisfied with the completed cleaning, please call or email us within 24 hours of service and we’ll return to address whatever we may have missed. We DO NOT offer refunds or discounts — we reclean.
2. BONDED & INSURED
Nika Cleaning is an independent, locally owned cleaning company. We carry full liability, workman’s compensation insurance, and all payroll taxes are paid through the local Nika Cleaning office as staff of the company. Our employees are fully bonded and insured. Our coverage will compensate a homeowner for theft if the individual responsible is convicted. We know that the police frequently do not follow up on this sort of report so we strongly urge, as a precaution, that you keep valuables out of sight and in a safe location.
3. COMMUNICATION
Great communication is central to a happy cleaning outcome. We try our best to clearly communicate the scope of service and to manage expectations. We want your experience to be delightful. If we are missing the mark, please call or email us to discuss. You’ll find that we’re responsive and receptive to all feedback.
4. THE SAME TEAM
In the perfect world we’d assign the exact, same employees to your home for each appointment. The reality is that this doesn’t always happen. Our employees take time off for illness or vacations and our clients will often cancel for the same reasons. We focus on training with the goal of delivering consistent service and our quality is guaranteed.
5. OFFICE HOURS
Our office is open Monday — Friday 8:15AM to 5:30PM. Voicemail and email are reviewed during normal business hours only.
6. EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES
We provide all of the equipment and supplies to clean your home. We use fresh, clean microfiber towels and mop pads for each appointment — they are used for your appointment only and not reused throughout the day. Our products and cleaning techniques are gentle and incapable of scratching surfaces.
7. QUALITY CONTROL
Our teams are quality inspected by management on a regular basis. They may enter your home after the team leaves. These inspections insure the highest quality standards.
8. ARRIVAL TIME
If you absolutely, positively need a precise arrival time then we’re probably not the best match for you. Due to the chaotic nature of our workday, i.e. lockouts, late cancellations, aggressive pets, road closures and traffic, we can only provide an estimated time window for arrival. Teams clean from 8:20AM to 5:30PM and occasionally may need to stay past 5:30PM to finish an appointment.
9. RECURRING APPOINTMENT ARRIVAL TIMES
Due to the chaotic nature of our day, we make no guarantee regarding arrival time – we may be stuck in traffic, the appointment before yours make take longer than expected, we may be locked out of a home before yours which will slide your appointment arrival up or back.
The schedule is finalized a day in advance and appointments are grouped by location. Arrival time may vary anywhere from 8:20AM and 5:00PM and may differ with each visit date. If you absolutely, positively need to know what time slot your home has been assigned to, please call us at 201.898.2333 the day before your cleaning and we’ll be happy to share this info. We’ll also send a “we’re on our way” text if you like.
10. ENTERING YOUR HOME
Your home must be easily accessible to our team. We will wait for up to 10 minutes before charging a lock out fee equal to the cost of that day’s appointment. To ensure easy access, please choose one of these options:
- Keys: you’re welcome to pass us a key and/or electronic door fob for coding (no personal info) which we’ll lock in our key safe and dispense only on your cleaning day. In the unlikely event that a key is misplaced, we’ll notify you immediately and pay for replacement and a lock change if required.
- The Concierge Desk: with Permission to Enter and a Key, your concierge team will be able to sign us in.
- Realtor’s Lock Box: please let us know their exact location and a combo number. We’ll return the key there and tumble the lock when doing so.
- Lobby Lockers: place your key into a locker, set a combo and then email us with both numbers.
- Meeting Us: morning drop offs usually range from 8:20AM — 9:00AM. You’re welcome to meet the team, head into the office and we’ll lock the door behind us upon exiting.
11. EXITING / YOUR HOME
We make every reasonable effort to secure your door lock. We cannot accept responsibility for securing doors and locks that are not fully functional. Please contact us for referral to a locksmith or handyman, if necessary.
12. CLUTTER
We ask that you provide us with a clutter free environment. If that is not the case, we may not be able to clean your home in the allotted time and extra charges may be applied.
13. SAFETY
Insurance and safety issues prohibit our teams from moving heavy objects or standing on furniture. Our team is barred from handling any biohazard, including pet or human fluids, rodent feces, mold, etc. We may use a 2 step ladder and extension poles to reach items in your home and cannot climb onto anything higher.
14. SECURITY ALARMS
If your home has a security alarm, please ensure that it is turned off on the day of your scheduled clean. You may also provide us with the code and steps necessary to turn off your alarm. We will reset the alarm when we leave. We cannot be held responsible for alarms set off by mistake.
15. PETS
We love animals but even the friendliest dog can become nervous when the vacuum gets going. Our safety, and your pets’ comfort are important. We ask that your pet is restrained and/or that you are home to supervise until pets and team members are accustomed to one another. We cannot be held responsible for unsecured pets when entering, exiting or actively working in an appointment. If our team members feel threatened by your pet’s behavior, we will exit your home and you will be charged for the full amount of the appointment. For sanitary and safety reasons our team is not permitted to clean flea infested homes or pick up animal excrement.
16. EMERGENCY WEATHER CLOSINGS
There may be times when weather makes it unsafe for us to transport passengers and equipment to your home. We generally follow the Jersey City School system for weather related closures and will reschedule your cleaning appointment as soon as we possibly can. We appreciate your understanding in these circumstances.
17. BILLING
We charge $49/hr/person for our hourly services and work in teams of 2 or 3. If your home requires additional time beyond the typical time allotted, an additional fee of $49/hr/person will be assessed. We bill in 15 increments, rounding up, as necessary (example: is we are there for 1 hr and 52 minutes, you ‘ll be charged for 2 hours). We reserve the right to raise prices at any time and for any reason.
18. PAYMENT:
- WHEN: Payment is due ***ON THE DAY OF*** service, without exception. We will email an invoice — you can simply click on it, add a tip and hit send. We are not permitted to add a tip to a credit card on file.
- LATE FEE: If payment is not received within 7 days, we will add a $20 late fee and charge your credit card on file. We reserve the right to charge your credit card on file at anytime.
- SALES TAX: we are required to collect and submit it NJ Sales Tax and the rate may be revised annually.
19. APPOINTMENT CANCELLING AND RESCHEDULING
You are welcome to cancel or reschedule appointments without charge when providing at least 48 business hours’ of notice via email. Your appointment change will be confirmed via return reply. Please know that your time slot is reserved for you and you alone. If you cancel on short notice, we still compensate our staff. To clarify:
- Monday Appointments: need to be cancelled by 5pm on the preceding Thursday.
- Tuesday Appointments: need to be cancelled by 5pm on the preceding Friday.
• LATE CANCEL / RESCHEDULE FEE: If you cancel or reschedule with less than 48 business hours notice, you will be charged a $70 fee.
• CANCEL / RESCHEDULE ON THE DAY OF SERVICE: you will be charged the full price of the appointment as we still compensate the staff. If the team is unable to enter your home within 10 minutes of arrival (due to lack of keys, a pet not being restrained, turning away at the door, etc.), you will be charged the full amount of the cleaning visit.
20. SUSPENSION OF SERVICE / LIABILITY OF FEES
If any of the above fees have not been paid your service will be suspended until all fees have been paid in full. If service is suspended and you have not paid in full within 30 days we will consider you to have terminated service. In addition to any amounts owed to Nika Cleaning, you agree to be responsible for all reasonable collection and attorney’s fees we incur to bring your account current.
21. SERVICE CANCELLATION
It is agreed that this is an at will relationship and that no contract term is implied and service may be cancelled at any time. To avoid a late cancellation charge of $70 at least 48 business hours notice is required via email. We reserve the right to cancel your appointment for any reason and at anytime. Examples of this have included infestations and rude or disrespectful behavior to our team members. You will be assessed the full price of your cleaning appointment should we cancel your service on the day of your appointment.
22. HOURS OF OPERATION & HOLIDAYS
Nika Cleaning operates M-F from 8:15am — 5:30pm. We are closed on weekends and will respond to email and voicemail messages as soon as we can when back in the office on Monday morning. We are closed on the following holidays — if you have an appointment scheduled for these days, it will be rescheduled in advance:
- New Years Day 1/01
- Memorial Day — the last Monday in May.
- Independence Day 7/04
- Labor Day — the first Monday in September
- Thanksgiving Day — fourth Thursday in November
- Christmas Day 12/25
23. DAMAGE
Our team is trained to clean with care but accidents may happen.
a) REPORTING: our staff is instructed to report incidents immediately to our office and we will contact you. Should you uncover damage, we must be contacted within 24 hours of your appointment. We cannot be responsible for damage reported beyond this time frame.
b) SENTIMENTAL / HIGH VALUE / HEIRLOOM ITEMS: are best cleaned by our clients. You are responsible for letting us know if there are such items in your home so that we can instruct our staff not to touch them. We cannot take responsibility for cleaning or damage to these items if they have not been pointed out to us.
c) LIABILITY: Nika Cleaning’s liability is limited to a refund of the amount paid for the service rendered on the date the damage occurred. Nika Cleaning — at its sole discretion and without admitting liability — may offer to replace or repair the property in lieu of a refund. Nika Cleaning will choose the method, manner and service provider for repair or replacement. Above that you will need to file a claim with your homeowners insurance for damages caused in the routine nature of cleaning. Damage due to negligence will referred to our insurance provider.
d) NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR: we assume no responsibility for damage to items that are loosened, inadequately secured or mounted, negligently placed, excessively worn or in poor repair.
e) PHOTOS OF YOUR HOME: Nika Cleaning has the right to take photos in your home to communicate damage. Photos will be limited to the item/issue involved and are for the sole purpose of communication to management and to you.
24. SUSPECTED THEFT
We conduct background checks and screen our staff prior to hiring. We closely monitor their attitude, behavior and performance. We want to assure you that we will cooperate fully if you suspect that property is missing from your home. In this event:
- CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY: we’ll talk to the staff. They may have noticed the item in an unusual place, mistakenly moved it or relocated it for safekeeping as they worked.
- SEARCH YOUR HOME CAREFULLY:. Most of us misplace things from time to time, so please give a second look around.
- File a Police Report: If you conclude that an item has been removed, contact your local police department; file a report and request an investigation.
25. FLAT RATE PRICING FOR MONTHLY, BIWEEKLY AND WEEKLY VISITS
If rescheduling, your flat rate price will be honored for only 7 additional days before bumping up into the next price tier, i.e. a weekly client may skip 1 week and pricing will be honored. If skipping 2 weeks you’ll be assessed the biweekly rate. Clutter should be cleared from all floors and surfaces to guarantee this flat rate. If you’ve had a party or haven’t had the had the time to pick up clothes, clear clutter from all surfaces and load your dishwasher, we are up for the challenge but you can expect to be billed for the additional time taken to complete this increased scope. Your Flat Rate Price: will be honored as long as clutter is cleared prior to our arrival. If you do not have time to clear surfaces, pick up laundry and load your dishwasher, we’ll be happy to do so at an additional rate of $49/hr/team member.