Updated 29 July 2026
This agreement outlines our services and how we work together to ensure a smooth and reliable experience for everyone.
1. What your daily rate includes
- One fully vetted and experienced HelpingHands@Home domestic housework helper will be assigned to you.
- Compliance with all applicable labour legislation, including payroll, UIF, Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases (COID), HR administration, employee management and statutory employee leave.
- Booking administration and communication with the HelpingHands@Home office.
2. Important information
- Our services are for general day-to-day domestic housework services and do not include specialised cleaning services.
- Clients are required to provide all basic cleaning materials, equipment and tools needed for the services.
- Ongoing services are scheduled on the regular days agreed when the service is initially arranged. These days remain allocated to the client each month unless the service is cancelled in accordance with Clause 5.
- Arrival times cannot always be guaranteed as our employees mainly use public transport. We will keep you informed of any known delays.
- Clients are under no obligation to provide meals, refreshments, tips or transport assistance. Any such gesture is entirely voluntary.
- Clients are responsible for providing a safe and suitable working environment for our employees.
- To ensure a consistent and well-managed service, all bookings, changes, cancellations, concerns and feedback must be communicated directly with the HelpingHands@Home office and not with our domestic employees.
- Our employees remain employees of HelpingHands@Home at all times and are not employees of the client.
- Clients and employees are requested not to exchange personal contact details, including personal telephone or cell phone numbers, WhatsApp numbers, email addresses or social media contact information, for the purpose of arranging, discussing or providing private work or services outside of HelpingHands@Home. All service-related communication should be directed through the HelpingHands@Home office.
- Clients may not directly or indirectly employ, engage, recommend, refer or arrange private work between a HelpingHands@Home employee and any third party, including family members, friends, neighbours or other contacts, without the prior written consent of the HelpingHands@Home office.
- Clients may not make direct payment to employees for additional work or request employees to work beyond their booked hours without the prior approval of the HelpingHands@Home office.
- If an employee arrives late or leaves early without prior approval from the HelpingHands@Home office, clients are kindly requested to notify the HelpingHands@Home office as soon as possible.
3. Assigned helper and statutory leave entitlements
- While we aim to provide consistency by assigning the same helper to your regular booking, our employees are entitled to their statutory leave in accordance with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act ("the BCEA"). This includes annual leave, sick leave and family responsibility leave, where applicable, as well as any other statutory or authorised leave.
- Should your assigned helper be unavailable due to annual leave, sick leave, family responsibility leave or any other authorised leave, HelpingHands@Home may arrange for another suitable helper to attend, subject to staff availability.
- Where a suitable replacement helper is not available, the service may be rescheduled to another mutually convenient day, subject to availability. An alternative day cannot be allocated where the proposed day is already booked by another client who has regular services on that day.
- HelpingHands@Home will endeavour to provide reasonable notice of planned staff leave and any resulting changes to a booked service.
4. Public holidays
- Public holidays that fall on a client's regular scheduled service day remain payable at the agreed daily rate, as our employees are entitled to payment for public holidays in accordance with the BCEA.
- Where a regular service day falls on a public holiday, the service may be rescheduled to another mutually convenient date, subject to helper availability.
- A rescheduled service remains payable at the agreed rate and does not constitute a free or additional service day.
- Services specifically requested to be provided on Sundays or Public Holidays are charged at double the normal daily rate in accordance with the BCEA.
5. Cancellations, missed services and clients going away
- Clients are requested to notify the HelpingHands@Home office as soon as possible if they will be going away, will be unavailable or will not require a service on a scheduled service day. Advance notice allows us to manage our employees' schedules and, where possible, offer the allocated service day to another client.
- A scheduled service day is allocated to the client's assigned helper and remains payable whether or not the client uses the service, including where the client is going away, is unavailable or chooses not to require the service.
- Providing advance notice that a service will not be required does not cancel the booking or remove the client's obligation to pay for the allocated service day. No credit or refund will be provided for a scheduled service day that is not used by the client for these reasons.
- Where reasonably possible, a missed service may be rescheduled to another mutually convenient date, subject to HelpingHands@Home availability and provided the assigned helper is not already booked by another regular client on the proposed alternative day. A rescheduled service remains payable at the agreed daily rate.
- If a client refuses the service when the assigned employee arrives, or asks the employee to leave before the booked hours have been completed, the full agreed daily rate remains payable.
- Ongoing services may be cancelled by giving HelpingHands@Home at least thirty (30) days' written notice. Services remain payable during the notice period at the agreed rate, whether or not the services are utilised.
6. Water and electricity interruptions
- HelpingHands@Home has no control over municipal water or electricity interruptions, load shedding, power failures, or water outages.
- Clients are responsible for ensuring that suitable alternative arrangements are available where possible, such as a JoJo tank, generator, or other backup solutions.
- Should a water or electricity interruption occur during a booked service and prevent your assigned helper from completing the agreed tasks, HelpingHands@Home cannot be held responsible for incomplete work due to circumstances beyond our control.
- The booked service will remain payable, as the assigned helper has reported for duty and their working time has been allocated to the booking.
- Where possible, your assigned helper will continue with tasks that can be completed without water or electricity, depending on the circumstances and the availability of suitable alternatives.
- Clients are requested to inform the HelpingHands@Home office as soon as possible of any planned water or electricity outages that may affect the booked service, so that alternative arrangements, such as rescheduling, can be discussed where needed. The booked service remains payable in accordance with this Agreement if the client chooses not to proceed due to a planned outage.
7. Health and safety
- Clients are responsible for providing a safe working environment and ensuring that cleaning equipment is safe to use.
- Clients are responsible for ensuring that all pets on the property are appropriately vaccinated and that all vaccinations required by law or reasonably necessary for the health and safety of our employees are current, including a valid, up-to-date rabies vaccination. HelpingHands@Home may request proof of current rabies vaccination where reasonably required. Pets must also be safely secured where necessary to prevent any risk to our employees.
- Our employees will not perform work that may place their health or safety at risk, including heavy lifting or moving, working at dangerous or unreasonable heights, cleaning mould-infested areas, handling blood or faeces, cleaning medical tools or equipment, or carrying out unlawful or unsafe tasks.
- Clients are kindly requested to advise the HelpingHands@Home office in advance of any known hazards or risks at the property.
- Any injury sustained by one of our employees while carrying out their duties must be reported to the HelpingHands@Home office immediately.
- To help protect the health and wellbeing of everyone, clients are kindly requested to inform the HelpingHands@Home office before a scheduled service if anyone at the property has a known contagious or infectious illness. Together, we will discuss the most appropriate course of action, which may include rescheduling the service.
- HelpingHands@Home reserves the right to postpone or reschedule a service where it is reasonably believed that attending the property may pose a health or safety risk to our employees.
- Clients are expected to keep a basic, well-stocked first aid kit at the property, together with suitable disposable gloves. Where a member of the household has flu or another contagious respiratory illness, suitable disposable masks must be provided for the assigned helper for their protection.
8. Breakages
While every reasonable care is taken, accidental breakages can occasionally happen. HelpingHands@Home and its employees will not be held responsible for accidental damage unless caused by gross negligence or wilful misconduct. Cleaning valuable items or ironing delicate fabrics is undertaken at the client's own risk.
9. Meal and rest breaks
- For services of up to six (6) hours, where the assigned helper works for more than five (5) continuous hours, a meal or tea break of thirty (30) minutes must be taken at a suitable time agreed with the client.
- For services of seven (7) and eight (8) hours, the assigned helper must take a meal interval of one (1) hour after five (5) hours of continuous work in accordance with the BCEA.
10. Bookings and housework tasks
- To proceed with a booking, clients are required to complete our Client Details and Information Form and our Housework Task Requirements for Each Living Area Form.
- The information provided by clients is used by HelpingHands@Home to assess the required housework services, determine the appropriate service duration and provide a quotation.
- The service address and relevant housework task requirements will be provided to the assigned helper to enable them to find the property and prepare for their first day of service.
- Client information will be treated as confidential and will only be shared where necessary for the arrangement and provision of the services.
- Services will be provided according to the agreed booking/s, selected tasks and booked hours. Our employees will carry out only the tasks selected on the Housework Task Requirements Form.
- Additional tasks or changes to your booking must be arranged through the HelpingHands@Home office before the service. Clients may not instruct the assigned helper to carry out additional tasks that were not selected on the Housework Task Requirements Form without prior approval.
- If additional tasks or services are approved, HelpingHands@Home reserves the right to adjust the booking, hours or applicable charges accordingly.
- Our employees will not work beyond the hours booked unless authorised by the HelpingHands@Home office.
- If transport strikes, protests, road closures, severe weather or any other circumstances beyond HelpingHands@Home's reasonable control prevent our employees from travelling safely, the affected service may be rescheduled to a mutually convenient date, subject to availability.
11. Payment
- Payment must reflect in the HelpingHands@Home bank account by 16h00 on the due date shown on the invoice. Bookings are confirmed once payment has been received.
- Proof of payment must be forwarded to the HelpingHands@Home office after payment has been made.
- Any approved additional hours or services will be invoiced separately.
- Ongoing services are payable in full at the beginning of each month, regardless of the agreed service frequency.
- All bank charges, transaction fees and other costs associated with making payment to HelpingHands@Home are for the client's account, including charges arising from international payments, intermediary or receiving banks, currency conversion or other payment processing costs. The full invoiced amount must be received in HelpingHands@Home's bank account, and any shortfall remains payable by the client.
- Our rates will be increased annually with effect from 1 January. Should circumstances require an earlier adjustment, reasonable notice will be given.
12. Changes to this agreement
HelpingHands@Home may update this Agreement from time to time due to changes in legislation, employment requirements, operational needs or service offerings. Clients will be notified of any material changes before they take effect.
13. Acceptance of this agreement
By confirming a booking or making payment, you acknowledge that you have read and understood, and agree to, this Client Service Agreement and our Terms and Conditions.
HelpingHands@Home Representative: Lisa Wade (Owner)
HelpingHandServices (Pty) Ltd t/a HelpingHands@Home Domestic Services · Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal · Company Registration Number: 2023/847361/07
