Terms and conditions

The short version. Quotes are free and valid for 7 days. Anything extra is agreed with you before it’s done. Larger jobs may need a deposit, and the balance is due when the work is finished. Everything we fit, and every part we supply, is guaranteed for 12 months. If you’re a homeowner, you normally have 14 days to change your mind, and none of these terms affect your legal rights.

1. About these terms

IWSE is the trading name of Isaac Stafford, an electrical contractor based in Canterbury, Kent, working across the whole county. Postal address: 2 Almond Court, Chartham, Canterbury, Kent, CT4 7TL. In these terms, “we”, “us” and “our” mean IWSE, and “you” means the person or business we’re quoting for or working for. You can contact us on 07486 977224 or at info@iwse.co.uk.

Section 2 covers using this website. The rest covers any work we quote for or carry out. Some parts apply only to homeowners and other consumers (people having work done for themselves, not for a business), and some only to business customers (companies, landlords letting property as a business, letting agents, builders and other trades). Where a part applies to only one group, it says so.

Which terms apply. Your contract with us is made up of your quote (including the short terms printed on it) and these terms. If anything on your quote is different from these terms, the quote applies. Anything we agree with you later in writing, including by email or text message, applies over both.

Your legal rights. If you’re a consumer, you have legal rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. Nothing in these terms takes those rights away or reduces them. For advice about your rights, contact Citizens Advice.

2. Using this website

• The information on this website is general. It isn’t a substitute for a proper look at your job or a written quote. We keep it up to date, but things can change.
• The IWSE name, logo and the content of this website belong to IWSE and can’t be copied without our permission.
• Links to other websites (such as WhatsApp or Google) are there for convenience. We’re not responsible for their content.
• How we handle your personal information is explained in our privacy policy.

3. Quotes

• Free, with no obligation. Quotes are free and you don’t have to go ahead. We’ll send your quote in writing, usually by email, with a copy of these terms.
• Valid for 7 days. A quote is valid for 7 days from the date we send it. After that, prices may need to be reviewed, because material prices can change.
• The full price. The quote shows the total price, including VAT where it applies and any extra charges we know about at the time, such as parking, waste disposal or notification fees. We won’t add charges that weren’t on the quote unless you agree to them first.
• What’s included. The price covers only the work and materials listed on the quote. Anything not listed isn’t included.
• What it’s based on. We price a job on what we can see and what you tell us. Unless the quote says otherwise, we assume the existing earthing and bonding are adequate, the electricity supply is suitable for the new work, and cable routes are reasonably accessible. If any of this turns out to be wrong, or the information you gave us was incomplete, the price may need to change (see section 6).
• Usually not included unless your quote says otherwise: plastering, painting and decorating; re-tiling; moving furniture, floor coverings or stored items; builders’ work such as cutting through structural walls; fees charged by other people, such as building control or the network operator; and repairs to faults in parts of the installation that aren’t part of the job.
• Estimates are different. If we give you a rough figure or an estimate (for example by phone or text) rather than a written quote, it’s only a guide and the final price may be different. We’ll tell you as soon as we can if an estimate is likely to be exceeded, and won’t go over it without your agreement.
• Mistakes. If there’s an obvious mistake in a quote, such as a typing error in a price, we’ll tell you and correct it before the work starts. If you don’t want to go ahead at the corrected price, you can cancel free of charge and we’ll refund anything you’ve paid.

4. Accepting a quote

• You can accept a quote in writing, including by email, text message, WhatsApp or through the online quote link we send you. Paying a deposit also counts as accepting the quote.
• Your contract with us starts when you accept the quote. We’ll then agree a start date with you.
• By accepting a quote, you agree to these terms as they were on the date you accepted. The version date is at the top of this page.
• We may decline a job or withdraw a quote before you accept it, for example if the job turns out to be unsafe for us or outside the work we do.

5. Call-outs, fault-finding and visit charges

• Call-outs and small jobs. For fault-finding, repairs and small jobs that aren’t priced in advance, we charge for our time and materials. We’ll tell you our rates, and any minimum charge, before we book the visit.
• Fault-finding. Finding a fault can take time. Fault-finding is charged for the time spent, whether or not the fault can be found or fixed on that visit. We’ll keep you updated and won’t go beyond the time you’ve agreed without checking with you first. Parts we fit while tracing the fault are charged.
• Wasted visits. If we arrive at an agreed time and can’t get in, or can’t start because the work area isn’t ready as agreed, we may charge the wasted-visit fee shown on your quote or booking confirmation. It covers our time and travel. We’ll always try to contact you first, and we won’t charge if you couldn’t reasonably have let us know.
• Moving a booked day. If you need to move or cancel a booked day, please give us at least 48 hours’ notice. With less notice, we may charge the late change fee shown on your quote, which covers the day we can no longer fill. This never affects your 14-day right to cancel as a consumer (see section 20).

6. Changes and hidden problems

Extra work you ask for. If you ask for something that isn’t on the quote, we’ll tell you the extra cost and agree it with you before we do it. Where we can, we’ll confirm it in writing, by email or text.

Hidden problems. Some problems can’t be seen until the work starts, for example damaged or unsafe cables under floors or in walls, an existing fault, cables that can’t be traced, or wiring that doesn’t meet current safety standards. If this happens, we’ll stop, explain what we’ve found and agree any change in price or plan with you before carrying on. If you decide not to go ahead with the extra work, we’ll finish what we safely can and charge only for the work done and the materials used.

Danger found during work. If we find something that is immediately dangerous, we’ll tell you straight away, make it safe where we can with your agreement (for example by switching off and isolating the affected circuit), and explain what’s needed to fix it. We won’t leave something we know to be dangerous connected without telling you. If you ask us not to make it safe, we’ll record that in writing.

Changes we need to make. We may make small changes to the materials or methods on your quote, for example if a product is no longer available, as long as the replacement is of the same or better quality and doesn’t cost you more. We’ll tell you about anything you’re likely to notice.

Material prices on longer jobs. If a job can’t start until more than 30 days after you accept the quote, and the cost of the materials goes up by more than 10% before we order them, we’ll tell you the new price. You can then accept it or cancel free of charge and get back anything you’ve paid.

7. Deposits and stage payments

• For larger jobs, or jobs with expensive or specially ordered materials, we’ll ask for a deposit before we order materials or book the work in. If a deposit is needed, the amount will be on your quote.
• The work isn’t booked in until the deposit has been paid.
• The deposit is taken off your final invoice.
• For longer jobs, we may agree stage payments with you, set out on the quote. Each stage payment is due when that stage is complete.
• If a job is cancelled, what happens to the deposit is explained in section 20. We only keep money to cover work done and losses we genuinely can’t avoid.

8. Invoices and payment

• When to pay. For homeowners and other consumers, the balance is due on completion of the work, when you receive our invoice, unless your quote says something different. Business customers, see section 9.
• How to pay. By bank transfer to the account shown on the invoice, using the invoice number as your reference, or by any other method shown on the invoice. We never add a fee for paying by debit or credit card.
• Bank details. We will never change our bank details by email alone. If you ever receive a message asking you to pay into a different account, please call us on 07486 977224 to check before paying.
• Queries. If anything on an invoice doesn’t look right, please tell us as soon as you can, ideally within 7 days, so we can sort it out quickly. If you dispute only part of an invoice, please pay the part that isn’t in dispute while we look into the rest.
• Work over several visits. If a job is finished in stages or over separate visits, we may invoice each completed part.
• Paying for someone else. If you ask us to invoice another person or business, you remain responsible for payment if they don’t pay.

9. Payment for business customers

This section applies to business customers. It’s written to meet the payment rules in the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 (the “Construction Act”), which cover most electrical work for businesses, landlords and letting agents.

• Due date. Each payment becomes due on the date we issue our invoice: on completion, or at each stage set out on your quote. Our invoice states the sum we consider due and how it’s calculated.
• Final date for payment. The final date for payment is 14 days after the due date, unless your quote gives a different period.
• Payment notice. You may give a payment notice within 5 days of the due date. If you don’t, the sum on our invoice is the amount you must pay.
• Paying less. If you intend to pay less than the invoiced sum, you must give us a pay-less notice no later than 3 days before the final date for payment, stating the sum you consider due and how it’s calculated. Without a valid pay-less notice, you must pay the full invoiced sum and can’t make any deduction or set-off.
• Longer jobs. For work expected to last 45 days or more, we’ll invoice in stages, at least monthly, unless the quote says otherwise.
• Suspending work. If a sum isn’t paid in full by the final date and no valid pay-less notice was given, we may suspend all or part of our work after giving you at least 7 days’ written notice. We’re then entitled to our reasonable costs of suspending and restarting, and to extra time to finish.
• Adjudication. Either of us may refer a dispute to adjudication at any time under the Scheme for Construction Contracts (England and Wales) Regulations 1998, as amended.

10. Late or missed payment

Business customers. If a business customer pays late, we may charge interest and fixed compensation under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. Interest is 8% a year above the Bank of England base rate, and the fixed compensation is £40, £70 or £100 depending on the size of the debt. We may also claim our reasonable costs of recovering the debt where these are more than the fixed compensation.

Homeowners and other consumers. We don’t charge late payment interest to consumers. If an invoice isn’t paid, we’ll contact you to sort it out. If it still isn’t paid, we may recover the money through the courts, for example using the small claims process, and ask the court to award interest and costs as it allows.

All customers. While an invoice is overdue, we may decline new bookings from you. We won’t stop work on a separate job you’re paying for as agreed. Materials we’ve supplied remain ours until paid for (see section 11).

11. Materials and ownership

• Materials we supply remain the property of IWSE until they’ve been paid for in full. Once they’re fitted into your property, this no longer applies, but the money for them is still owed.
• Materials delivered to your property for your job are your responsibility to keep safe and dry from the time they arrive. We’ll let you know when they’re coming.
• If you’re a business customer and materials we supplied haven’t been paid for, we may collect any that haven’t been fitted, at a reasonable time and after telling you.
• Unused materials that you’ve paid for are yours to keep. Unused materials that you haven’t paid for are ours, and we’ll take them away.
• We’ll take away waste from our own work, such as off-cuts, packaging and old fittings we remove, unless we agree otherwise. Disposal of large or hazardous items, such as old storage heaters or fluorescent tubes, may be priced separately on your quote.

12. Booking, timings and delays

• Start dates and finish times are our best estimate. We’ll do our best to keep to them and will tell you as soon as possible if anything changes.
• We’re not responsible for delays caused by things outside our reasonable control, such as severe weather, supplier delays, illness, accidents, power cuts, or delays caused by other trades or by access not being available. If something like this stops the work for more than 30 days, either of us may end the contract by telling the other. You’ll pay for work done and materials supplied, and we’ll refund anything you’ve paid for work not done.
• If you’re a consumer and we’re delayed by an unreasonably long time, you may have the right to cancel and receive a refund for any work not done. Your legal rights aren’t affected.
• Charges for wasted visits and late changes are explained in section 5.

13. Your responsibilities

To help the job go smoothly and safely, we ask you to:

• give us clear, safe access to the work area and to the consumer unit (fuse box) and meter at the agreed times;
• clear the work area of furniture, valuables, floor coverings and stored items, or tell us in advance if you need help with this;
• tell us about anything that could affect the job or our safety, including any known or suspected asbestos, previous electrical problems, alterations by others, pets, and parking restrictions;
• tell us where you know of hidden pipes, cables, underfloor heating or other services in the work area;
• keep children and pets away from the work area while we’re working;
• provide parking where possible. If paid parking is the only option, the cost will be shown on your quote. We won’t add parking costs that weren’t on the quote unless you agree first;
• get any permission needed before work starts, for example from your landlord, freeholder, management company or the local council (such as listed building consent);
• let us know about any equipment that mustn’t lose power, such as medical equipment, freezers, alarms, servers or fish tanks. Most electrical work needs the power off for a time, and we’ll agree when this happens;
• back up computers and other devices before we work on networks, WiFi or data cabling;
• if you’re a business customer, give us any site rules, permits or induction we need to follow before we arrive.

14. Our responsibilities

• We’ll carry out all work with reasonable care and skill, using materials that are of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose.
• Electrical work will be designed, installed and tested in line with the current edition of BS 7671 (the IET Wiring Regulations).
• We’ll treat your home or premises with respect, use dust sheets where needed, and leave the work area clean and tidy at the end of each day and when the job is finished.
• We’ll explain what we’re doing, keep you updated, and show you how to use anything new we’ve installed.
• Anything we tell you about the work before you accept the quote, and rely on when deciding to go ahead, forms part of our agreement with you.

15. Existing wiring, testing and making good

• Existing wiring. Our work often connects to wiring and equipment that’s already there. We’re responsible for the work we carry out, but not for faults in parts of the existing installation that weren’t part of the job. Testing our work can sometimes reveal existing faults. If it does, we’ll tell you and quote separately to fix them.
• New work on old installations. Some jobs can’t be completed safely or signed off unless existing problems are fixed first, for example if there’s no earthing or the consumer unit isn’t suitable. If this happens, we’ll explain why and agree the next steps with you.
• Power off. Most work needs the power to be switched off for a while. We’ll keep this as short as we can and agree when it happens. Please protect frozen food and sensitive equipment during the times we’ve agreed, and reset clocks, timers and settings afterwards. We remain responsible if our lack of care causes a longer or unexpected power cut.
• Hidden pipes and cables. We check before drilling or cutting, using detectors where appropriate. We’re not responsible for damage to hidden pipes, cables or other services that we couldn’t reasonably have known about, unless we didn’t take reasonable care.
• Making good. When we chase walls, lift floorboards or cut holes, we’ll fill holes and refix boards to a reasonable standard. Plastering to a decorative finish, painting, wallpapering and tiling aren’t included unless they’re on your quote.
• Floors and fittings. We take great care when lifting floors, moving fittings or working near finished surfaces. Some materials, such as laminate, tiles, old floorboards, glued carpets and fragile ceilings, can be damaged even when every care is taken. We’ll tell you beforehand if we think this is a risk. If damage is caused by our lack of care, we’ll put it right.
• Inspections and EICRs. An Electrical Installation Condition Report is a check of the condition of an installation at the time of the inspection. We’ll agree the extent and any limitations of the inspection with you beforehand, and these will be recorded on the report. Some parts can’t be inspected without dismantling, such as concealed cables. Any remedial work is quoted separately.

16. Asbestos and other hazards

• Older buildings may contain asbestos, for example in textured ceilings, old consumer units and fuse boards, floor tiles and boxing. If we suspect asbestos in the work area, we’ll stop work in that area and tell you. We won’t disturb suspected asbestos until it’s been tested and, if needed, dealt with by a specialist.
• Arranging and paying for testing or removal is your responsibility. Any extra time or changes to the job this causes will be agreed with you as in section 6.
• The same applies to other hazards we find, such as vermin, structural problems, unsafe access or anything that makes the work area unsafe.
• If you’re a business customer, you must give us your asbestos register or survey for the property before work starts, where you’re required to have one.

17. Parts you supply

• If you supply your own fittings, appliances or materials, we’ll install them if they’re suitable and safe. We may decline to fit anything we think is unsafe, not suitable for the location, or not compliant with UK standards.
• Parts you supply aren’t covered by our guarantee. Our workmanship in installing them is covered.
• If a part you supplied turns out to be faulty, incomplete or unsuitable, any extra visits or time will be charged. We’ll tell you the cost before doing anything.

18. Certificates and Building Regulations

• When the work is complete and tested, we’ll email you the electrical certificate for the job where one is needed. This may be an Electrical Installation Certificate, a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate or an Electrical Installation Condition Report. Please keep it somewhere safe, as you may need it if you sell or let the property.
• Some electrical work in homes must be notified under Part P of the Building Regulations. If your job is notifiable, your quote will say how it will be notified (for example to the local building control body, or through a registered third-party certifier), who applies, and any fee. Where the notification has to be made before work starts, we won’t start until it has been. You’ll receive the Building Regulations completion certificate when the process is finished.

19. Our 12-month guarantee

All work we carry out, and all parts we supply, are guaranteed by IWSE for 12 months from the date the work is completed (the completion date on your invoice). If something we installed fails during that time because of our workmanship or a faulty part we supplied, we’ll put it right free of charge. The guarantee covers work we carry out in England, and you can ask us for a copy of it in writing at any time.

How to claim. Contact us on 07486 977224, at info@iwse.co.uk, or by post to 2 Almond Court, Chartham, Canterbury, Kent, CT4 7TL. Please tell us as soon as you notice a problem, and give us reasonable access to inspect it and put it right. Please don’t let anyone else alter or repair the work first, as this may affect the guarantee (but not your legal rights). Business customers must tell us within 14 days of noticing a fault, and extra damage caused by a delay in telling us isn’t covered.

The guarantee doesn’t cover:

• accidental damage, misuse, or normal wear and tear;
• work that has been altered or repaired by someone else;
• faults in existing wiring or equipment that wasn’t part of the job;
• parts or appliances you supplied yourself (our workmanship installing them is still covered);
• consumable items such as bulbs and batteries;
• damage caused by things outside our control, such as power surges, lightning, flooding, damp, pests or building movement;
• software, apps, internet connections and third-party services used with smart home, CCTV or WiFi equipment.

Manufacturer warranties. Any manufacturer’s warranty that comes with a product we supply is passed on to you, in addition to our guarantee. Some manufacturers need you to register the product, keep it serviced or keep it connected to the internet or an app for the warranty to apply. We’ll tell you if this applies to anything we fit.

If we visit for a guarantee claim and the fault turns out not to be covered, we’ll tell you the cost before doing any work. If you’re a consumer, this guarantee is in addition to your legal rights, not instead of them.

20. Cancelling

Homeowners and other consumers

• If you agree to a quote at your home, by phone, by email or online, you normally have 14 days from the day you accept it to cancel, without giving a reason, under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013.
• To cancel, just tell us clearly by email to info@iwse.co.uk, by text, by phone on 07486 977224, or by post to 2 Almond Court, Chartham, Canterbury, Kent, CT4 7TL. You can use the cancellation form in section 26 if you like, but you don’t have to. It’s enough to send your message before the 14 days end.
• If you cancel within the 14 days and no work has started, we’ll refund any deposit in full within 14 days, using the same payment method you used unless you agree otherwise.
• Starting within the 14 days. We’ll only start work, or order materials for your job, within the 14 days if you ask us to, in writing. If you then cancel, you’ll pay a fair amount for the work done up to the point you told us, in proportion to the full price. This includes the cost of materials we ordered for your job at your request that we can’t return or use elsewhere. We’ll refund the rest of anything you’ve paid within 14 days.
• If you ask us to start within the 14 days and we finish the whole job within that time, you can’t cancel it afterwards, as long as you agreed when asking that you’d lose the right to cancel once the work was finished.
• Urgent repairs. If you ask us to visit urgently to carry out a repair, you can’t cancel that repair once it has started, or the parts used for it. Any other work we agree to do on the same visit can still be cancelled in the normal way.
• If materials have been made or ordered specially to your specification and can’t be returned, we may deduct their cost where the law allows.
• After the 14 days, you can still cancel, but you’ll need to pay for the work done so far, plus any losses we reasonably can’t avoid, such as materials that can’t be returned or used elsewhere. This won’t be more than the price on the quote.

Business customers

• The 14-day cancellation right doesn’t apply to businesses.
• You can cancel by telling us in writing. You’ll pay for the work done so far, materials ordered for the job that can’t be returned or used elsewhere, and any reasonable costs we’ve already incurred.

21. When we can pause or stop work

We may pause or stop work, after telling you why, if:

• a deposit, stage payment or invoice for this job hasn’t been paid when due (for business customers, after the 7 days’ notice in section 9);
• the work area becomes unsafe, or we find a hazard that needs dealing with first (see section 16);
• we can’t get the access we need, or permission needed for the work hasn’t been given;
• we or anyone working with us are treated abusively, threatened or put at risk;
• you ask us to do something unsafe, or something that wouldn’t meet the Wiring Regulations or the law.

If the problem isn’t put right within a reasonable time after we’ve told you about it, we may end the contract. You’ll then pay for the work done and materials supplied up to that point. If we have to cancel a job for any other reason, we’ll tell you as soon as possible and refund anything you’ve paid for work not yet done.

22. Responsibility for loss or damage

For everyone

• If we damage your property while working, through our own fault, we’ll put it right or pay a fair amount for the repair.
• Nothing in these terms limits our responsibility for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for anything else where it would be unlawful to limit it.
• We’re not responsible for problems caused by you not following our advice, by information you gave us being wrong, or by work done by others.

Homeowners and other consumers

• We’re responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of us breaking this contract or not using reasonable care and skill. Loss is foreseeable if it was obvious it would happen, or if we both knew it might happen when the contract was made.
• Our work for you is for domestic and private use, so we’re not responsible for any loss of profit, loss of business or interruption to business.

Business customers

• We’re not responsible for loss of profit, revenue, business, contracts, goodwill or data, or for any indirect or consequential loss.
• Our total responsibility to you for any one job is limited to the greater of: the total price of that job, or any amount our insurers pay out for that claim (if we hold cover for it). This doesn’t apply to the things listed under “For everyone” above.
• Any claim must be made in writing within 12 months of the work being completed. This doesn’t stop either of us referring a dispute to adjudication.

23. Landlords, letting agents and tenants

• The customer is the person or business that accepts our quote. If you’re a letting agent or property manager accepting a quote for a landlord, you agree to pay our invoice if the landlord doesn’t, unless we’ve agreed in writing to invoice the landlord directly.
• If we need to visit a tenanted property, it’s your responsibility to arrange access with the tenants and give them proper notice. Wasted visits are covered by section 5.
• Certificates and reports are sent to the customer who ordered the work. It’s the landlord’s responsibility to give copies to tenants or the local council where the law requires it.
• Letting agents, property managers and landlords letting property as a business are usually business customers under these terms, including section 9. Whether you count as a consumer depends on your circumstances, and the law decides that, not these terms.

24. Problems and complaints

• If you’re not happy with anything, please tell us straight away by phone, email or text, or write to us at 2 Almond Court, Chartham, Canterbury, Kent, CT4 7TL, so we can look into it and put it right.
• We’ll acknowledge your complaint, arrange to look at the problem, explain what we’ve found and agree a fair solution with you. We aim to give you our full response within 14 days.
• We don’t currently belong to an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme. If we can’t agree, consumers can get free advice from the Citizens Advice consumer helpline, and either of us can take a claim to court. For smaller amounts, this is usually the small claims process. Business customers can also use adjudication (see section 9).

25. General

• Photos. We may take photos of the work for our records and certificates. We’ll only use photos on our website or social media if they don’t identify you or your property, or if you’ve agreed.
• Your information. We use your personal information to quote, carry out the work, invoice you and keep records, as explained in our privacy policy.
• Contact in writing. “In writing” includes email and text messages. We’ll use the contact details you gave us, and you can use the details in section 1. An email sent on a working day is treated as received the next working day.
• Help from others. We may use suitably qualified people to help with a job. We remain responsible for their work.
• Transferring the contract. You can’t transfer your contract with us to someone else without our agreement. We may transfer our contract with you to another business that takes over IWSE, such as a limited company, and will tell you if we do. This won’t reduce your rights or our guarantee.
• Other people. Only you and we can enforce this contract. No one else has any rights under it.
• If one part doesn’t apply. If a court decides any part of these terms can’t be enforced, the rest still applies.
• Not enforcing straight away. If we don’t enforce a term straight away, we can still enforce it later.
• The whole agreement (business customers). For business customers, the quote, these terms and anything agreed in writing are the whole agreement between us, and you haven’t relied on anything we said that isn’t in them. This doesn’t limit liability for fraud.
• Changes to these terms. We may update these terms from time to time. The version that applies to your job is the one in place on the date you accepted your quote. Ask us for a copy of an earlier version at any time.
• Law. These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales can deal with any dispute.

26. Cancellation form

If you’re a consumer and want to cancel within the 14 days, you can copy this into an email or letter. You don’t have to use it.

To: IWSE, info@iwse.co.uk, 2 Almond Court, Chartham, Canterbury, Kent, CT4 7TL
I hereby give notice that I cancel my contract for the supply of the following service: [describe the work]
Quote number: [if you have it]
Accepted on: [date]
Name: [your name]
Address: [your address]
Signature: [only if sending on paper]
Date: [today’s date]

There’s also a printable copy at iwse.co.uk/cancel.