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Last updated: August 2026

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These Terms & Conditions apply to services provided by Somerset Chimney Care (“we”, “us” or “our”) to the person booking or receiving the service (“the customer”).

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By booking our services, the customer agrees to these Terms & Conditions. Nothing in these terms affects the customer’s statutory rights.

 

1. Services

Somerset Chimney Care provides services including, where applicable:

• Chimney sweeping

• Stove and fireplace sweeping and cleaning

• Rayburn/Aga and similar appliance flue sweeping where suitable

• Inglenook fireplace sweeping and cleaning

• CCTV chimney and flue inspections

• Smoke and draught testing

• Bird nest and blockage removal

• Chimney condition observations

• Stove glass replacement

• Door rope and seal replacement

• Minor stove maintenance

• Carbon monoxide alarm supply/installation

• Associated chimney and solid-fuel appliance services

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The exact service provided will be based upon the customer’s booking and any additional work agreed during the appointment.

 

2. Customer Responsibilities

The customer must provide reasonable and safe access to the appliance, fireplace, chimney or flue being worked on.

The area immediately surrounding the appliance or fireplace should be reasonably clear of furniture, ornaments and other belongings before our arrival.

The customer should inform us before work begins of any known:

• Chimney fires

• Damaged or defective flues

• Chimney liners

• Bird nests or animal activity

• Blockages

• Water ingress

• Loose masonry

• Problems with the appliance

• Previous alterations or repairs

• Asbestos or other hazardous materials

• Other circumstances which could affect the safety or completion of the work

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We reserve the right to stop or refuse work where we reasonably consider conditions unsafe or unsuitable.

 

3. Appliance Temperature

Appliances and fireplaces must be completely extinguished and sufficiently cool before work begins.

We recommend that the appliance is not used for at least 12 hours before the appointment.

If an appliance remains too hot to work on safely, we may be unable to carry out the service.

 

4. Chimney Sweeping

Every reasonable effort will be made to sweep the accessible chimney or flue thoroughly using methods and equipment considered appropriate for the installation.

The method used may include manual sweeping, rotary power sweeping, flexible rods, brushes, whips or other professional chimney-cleaning equipment.

The appropriate method remains at the discretion of the chimney sweep based upon the construction, condition and accessibility of the chimney, liner and appliance.

 

A chimney sweep removes accessible deposits and debris. It does not constitute a structural survey of the chimney, flue, appliance or property.

 

5. Existing Damage and Defects

Chimneys, liners, fireplaces and appliances can deteriorate due to age, heat, corrosion, moisture, previous installation, lack of maintenance or previous use.

Sweeping or inspection may expose existing defects that were previously hidden by soot, deposits or debris.

Somerset Chimney Care will exercise reasonable care and skill when carrying out work.

We cannot accept responsibility for deterioration or failure caused by a pre-existing defect, poor installation, corrosion, age, wear, defective components or other conditions that were not caused by our work.

Where a defect becomes apparent during the service, we will explain our findings to the customer where reasonably possible.

 

6. Chimney Liners

The condition and installation of an existing chimney liner may not be fully known before sweeping.

If we have reasonable grounds to believe that continuing to sweep could cause damage or create a safety risk, we reserve the right to stop work.

The customer will be informed of the reason wherever reasonably practicable.

 

7. Blockages and Bird Nests

A standard chimney sweep does not automatically include the removal of substantial bird nests, significant blockages, large quantities of building debris or other unusual obstructions.

Where additional work is required, the customer will normally be informed of any additional charge before that work is undertaken.

Nest removal can require considerably more time than a normal chimney sweep and may require a separate appointment.

Work involving birds, nests or other wildlife will only be carried out where it is lawful and appropriate to do so. Work may be postponed or refused where wildlife legislation or safety considerations prevent us from proceeding.

 

8. CCTV Chimney and Flue Inspections

A CCTV inspection provides a visual inspection of areas of the chimney or flue that can reasonably be accessed and viewed using our camera equipment.

CCTV inspections may identify issues including:

• Cracks or damage

• Deterioration

• Debris

• Blockages

• Nest material

• Liner problems

• Joint problems

• Evidence of moisture

• Other visible abnormalities

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A CCTV inspection is not a structural survey and does not guarantee that every defect will be identified.

Visibility can be affected by the construction, bends, offsets, deposits, access restrictions and condition of the flue.

Our findings represent our observations at the time of inspection.

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9. Smoke and Draught Testing

Where appropriate, smoke or draught testing may be carried out following sweeping or as part of an inspection.

A satisfactory result indicates the conditions observed at the time of the test and should not be interpreted as a guarantee against future deterioration, blockage, leakage or other problems.

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10. Stove and Appliance Repairs

Where Somerset Chimney Care carries out minor maintenance such as replacement of glass, door rope, seals or other components, work will be undertaken using parts considered suitable for the appliance.

Additional defects may become apparent when an appliance is dismantled.

If further work or parts are required, these will normally be discussed with the customer before additional chargeable work is undertaken.

We may refuse a repair where we believe the appliance is unsafe, unsuitable for repair or requires work outside the scope of the services we provide.

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11. Access and Roof Work

Unless specifically agreed in advance, our standard services are carried out from within the property and/or from safely accessible areas.

Somerset Chimney Care is not obliged to undertake roof access or work at height where we consider it unsafe or outside the scope of the booked service.

Where external or specialist access is required, the customer may be advised to contact an appropriately qualified contractor.

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12. Protecting the Property

We use appropriate equipment and protective measures to minimise the escape of soot and debris.

The customer should remove particularly valuable, fragile or irreplaceable objects from the immediate working area before the appointment.

While every reasonable precaution will be taken, chimney sweeping is an inherently dirty process and small amounts of dust or soot can occasionally escape despite appropriate precautions.

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13. Photography and Video

Somerset Chimney Care may take photographs or video during an appointment for legitimate business purposes including:

• Recording the condition of an appliance, chimney or flue

• Recording defects or safety concerns

• Supporting CCTV inspection findings

• Before-and-after records

• Evidence of completed work

• Internal training and quality assurance

• Supporting quotations, reports or recommendations

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These records may form part of our job records.

Marketing and Promotional Photography.

We may also ask for permission to use suitable photographs or video of our work for purposes including our website, social media pages, advertising, brochures and other business marketing.

When photographs or video are used publicly, we will take reasonable steps to avoid publishing information that identifies the customer or their property.

We will not intentionally publish:

• Customer names

• Faces or identifiable images of customers or family members

• House numbers

• Full addresses

• Vehicle registration numbers

• Personal documents or photographs

• Other clearly identifiable personal information

Marketing photographs will normally focus on the appliance, fireplace, chimney, flue, deposits, defects, equipment used and the results of our work.

Where an image could reasonably identify the customer or their property, we will not use that image for marketing without appropriate permission.

Customers may tell us that they do not want photographs of their property used for marketing. This will not affect the chimney sweeping or other service they receive.

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14. Certificates and Reports

Where applicable, a sweeping certificate, service record, inspection report or other documentation may be provided following completion.

A sweeping certificate confirms the service carried out and observations made at the time of attendance.

It does not constitute a guarantee that the entire chimney system or appliance is free from defects, nor does it replace specialist structural, installation or engineering inspections where these are required.

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15. Pricing

The price of the service will normally be confirmed before the appointment.

Quoted prices assume that the information provided by the customer is reasonably accurate.

Additional charges may apply where substantially more work is required because of circumstances not disclosed or reasonably apparent when the booking was made, including significant blockages, nests, unusual access requirements or additional appliances.

Where reasonably practicable, additional charges will be explained and agreed before additional work is carried out.

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16. Payment

Unless otherwise agreed, payment is due upon completion of the service.

Payment may be accepted using the payment methods offered by Somerset Chimney Care at the time of the appointment.

Invoices and receipts may be supplied electronically.

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17. Cancellation and Rescheduling

We understand that appointments sometimes need to be changed.

Customers should provide as much notice as reasonably possible when cancelling or rearranging an appointment.

We reserve the right to apply a reasonable cancellation charge for appointments cancelled at short notice or where we attend the property and are unable to gain access, provided that the charge reflects the reasonable loss and costs incurred.

Any applicable cancellation charge will be communicated to the customer.

Nothing in this section affects any statutory cancellation rights the customer may have.

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18. Consumer Cancellation Rights

Where a booking is made online, by telephone or otherwise at a distance, the customer may have a statutory right to cancel the contract within 14 days.

Where the customer requests an appointment or asks us to begin providing services during this cancellation period, the customer expressly requests that the service begins before the cancellation period has expired.

If the customer subsequently cancels after work has begun, they may be required to pay a proportionate amount for services already supplied, where permitted by law.

Where the service has been fully performed following the customer’s express request and acknowledgement that their cancellation right will be lost once the service has been fully performed, the statutory right to cancel may end.

Nothing in these terms limits any cancellation rights provided by law.

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19. Delays and Appointment Times

Appointment times are provided in good faith.

Previous jobs, traffic, weather, emergency situations and unforeseen circumstances can occasionally cause delays.

We will make reasonable efforts to notify the customer of significant delays.

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20. Unsafe Installations

If during the course of our work we identify something that we reasonably believe may be unsafe, we will inform the customer.

We may recommend that the appliance is not used until it has been assessed or repaired by an appropriately qualified person.

We reserve the right to refuse to carry out work that we reasonably consider unsafe.

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21. Liability

Somerset Chimney Care will provide its services with reasonable care and skill.

Nothing in these Terms & Conditions excludes or restricts liability where it would be unlawful to do so, or affects the customer’s statutory rights.

We are not responsible for loss or damage resulting from pre-existing defects, deterioration, defective installations, undisclosed problems or circumstances outside our reasonable control, except where responsibility cannot legally be excluded.

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22. Recommendations and Further Work

Where we identify an issue, we may recommend additional inspection, repair or specialist assessment.

Unless expressly included in the booked service, such recommendations do not mean that Somerset Chimney Care has undertaken a complete structural or installation survey.

Responsibility remains with the customer for arranging recommended remedial work.

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23. Complaints

If a customer is dissatisfied with any aspect of our service, they should contact Somerset Chimney Care as soon as reasonably possible.

We ask that customers give us a reasonable opportunity to investigate and, where appropriate, rectify a problem relating to work we have carried out.

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24. Privacy and Customer Information

Customer information will only be collected and used for legitimate business purposes, including:

• Managing bookings

• Providing services

• Producing invoices and certificates

• Communicating with customers

• Maintaining service records

• Meeting legal, accounting and insurance requirements

Personal information will be handled in accordance with applicable UK data protection law.

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25. Statutory Rights

Nothing contained within these Terms & Conditions is intended to restrict or remove any rights that the customer has under applicable UK consumer protection legislation.

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26. Acceptance of Terms

By booking an appointment, the customer confirms that they have been provided with, or given access to, these Terms & Conditions.

Where the booking is made online, the customer may be required to confirm acceptance before submitting their booking.

 

Somerset Chimney Care

Professional Chimney Sweeping • CCTV Flue Inspections • Chimney & Appliance Services