Legal

Cancellation, deposits and refunds

Effective November 2, 2026. This policy is part of our Terms of Service and uses its defined terms. It governs every cancellation, reschedule, refund, retention of money, claim and chargeback connected with a Visit booked by an individual for a home. If it conflicts with the Terms, this policy controls on those subjects.

1. Summary

1.1 The short version. The deposit is an advance payment that is credited to your Visit. You may reschedule for free, or cancel and receive a full refund, if you do so at least 48 hours before the start of your arrival window (Los Angeles time). The exact cutoff is shown to you, as a date and a time, before you pay. If a Visit cannot go ahead later than that, or because we cannot get in, a person at Clarté looks at what the late change really cost us, keeps no more than that documented loss, never more than the Advance Payment, tells you the reasons in writing, and refunds the rest. If we cancel for any reason that is ours, you receive a full refund or a free reschedule.

1.2 What this policy does not do. It does not charge you a penalty. It does not let us keep more than the Advance Payment. It does not take away any right you have under California or federal law, and it does not stop you from disputing a charge with your card issuer. It also protects Clarté: it states the grounds on which we may refuse, stop or cancel work, the evidence on which claims are decided, and the procedure we follow, so that every decision is made on facts and not on who is more insistent.

1.3 Why it is long. A cancellation policy that is vague is unfair to clients and to the people who clean homes. We have tried to say exactly what happens in each situation, with worked examples in Section 23, so that you can predict the outcome before you book.

2. Definitions

In this policy, the following terms have the meanings given. Terms defined in the Terms of Service and not defined here (for example “Visit”, “Booking”, “Property”, “Team”, “Access Details”) have those meanings.

2.1 “Advance Payment” means the amount that you pay at the time of booking to reserve a Visit, which is twenty-five percent (25%) of the price of the Visit, but not less than seventy-five dollars ($75) or, if the price of the Visit is less than $75, the whole price. The Advance Payment is a payment on account of the price of the Visit. It is not a fee, a penalty or a charge in addition to the price, and it is credited in full toward the price of the Visit.

2.2 “Arrival Window” means the period, shown in your Booking Confirmation, during which the Team is scheduled to arrive at the Property. The start of the Arrival Window is the first minute of that period.

2.3 “Business Day” means any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday, a California state holiday or a United States federal holiday.

2.4 “Client”, “you” and “your” mean the individual who makes the Booking and any person who is authorized to act for that individual in the account. “Clarté”, “we” and “us” mean LIKE A KING INC., a New York corporation doing business in California as Clarté.

2.5 “Client Cancellation” means a cancellation of a Visit that you make, or that is made on your behalf by an authorized person, in accordance with Section 4.

2.6 “Clarté Cancellation” means a cancellation, postponement or non-performance of a Visit that is caused by Clarté, including because of a staffing failure, scheduling error, vehicle failure, Team illness or the unavailability of the Team, other than a cancellation permitted by Section 7 for a reason that arises from the Client, the Property or the circumstances in Section 8.

2.7 “Custom Products” means products, equipment or supplies that you ask us to obtain or use that are not part of our standard supplies for the Visit, for example a particular brand, a fragrance-free or allergen-free product, a specialty surface treatment, or an item you ask us to buy.

2.8 “Cutoff” means the moment that is exactly forty-eight (48) hours before the start of the Arrival Window, measured in elapsed time, and expressed in Los Angeles time. Clarté shows the Cutoff as a date and a time to the minute before you pay and in the Booking Confirmation.

2.9 “Force Majeure Event” has the meaning in Section 8.

2.10 “Late Cancellation” means a Client Cancellation received after the Cutoff and before the Team arrives, or a Client request to reschedule received after the Cutoff.

2.11 “Lockout or No Access” means that the Team cannot enter the Property or reach the agreed work areas during the Arrival Window and the period of waiting in Section 6.6 because of the Client or the Property, including a locked door or gate with no working Access Details, a code that does not work, a key that does not open, no adult present when one was required, a refusal to admit the Team, a blocked entrance, or an animal that prevents safe entry.

2.12 “Los Angeles time” means the time in force in Los Angeles, California, being Pacific Standard Time or Pacific Daylight Time as applicable on the date.

2.13 “Retention” means the part of the Advance Payment, if any, that Clarté keeps after a Late Cancellation or Lockout or No Access in accordance with Section 6.

2.14 “Third-Party Costs” means amounts that Clarté has paid or irrevocably committed to a person who is not an employee of Clarté specifically for the Visit and cannot recover, for example a parking permit, a building or venue fee, a toll, a specialty subcontractor who has been scheduled for the Visit and charges for late cancellation, or an item bought for the Visit that cannot be returned.

2.15 “Unsafe Conditions” has the meaning in Section 7.2.

2.16 “Written Reasons” means a written explanation, delivered to you, that identifies the decision-maker by role, states the facts found, states the evidence relied on, shows the calculation of any Retention, and states how to ask for reconsideration.

3. Interpretation, legal framework and standards

3.1 Interpretation. Headings are for convenience only. “Including” means “including without limitation”. The singular includes the plural. A reference to a statute or regulation includes it as amended or replaced. Times are in Los Angeles time. Periods stated in hours are measured in elapsed time, so that a change between standard and daylight time does not lengthen or shorten them. This policy is to be read as a whole and, if a provision is ambiguous, in the way that is fairer to the Client consistent with its purposes.

3.2 Legal framework. This policy has been written to comply with, among other laws: California Civil Code section 1671 (liquidated damages; subdivision (d) applies to a consumer contract for services for personal, family or household purposes, under which a clause is void unless it is impracticable or extremely difficult to fix actual damage); Civil Code section 1668 (no exemption from liability for fraud, willful injury or violation of law); Civil Code section 1670.5 (unconscionability); Civil Code section 1670.8 and 15 U.S.C. section 45b (consumer reviews); Civil Code section 1749.5 (gift certificates and credits); the Consumers Legal Remedies Act (Civil Code sections 1750 to 1784), including section 1770(a)(19) (unconscionable contract terms) and section 1770(a)(29) (advertised prices that omit mandatory fees); Business and Professions Code section 17200 (unfair competition) and section 17600 and following (Automatic Renewal Law), as amended; the Electronic Fund Transfer Act and Regulation E and the Truth in Lending Act and Regulation Z as to card disputes; and the federal Trade Regulation Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 C.F.R. part 465).

3.3 Standard of decision. Every decision under this policy is made by a person at Clarté, on evidence, by applying the rules written here, and is explained in Written Reasons. A complaint, however sincere, is not itself proof, and a refusal by Clarté is not itself proof either: both sides may present evidence and each decision rests on the evidence. We apply the standard of “more likely than not” to the facts.

3.4 Order of precedence. In case of conflict, the following order applies, with the earlier prevailing: (a) a rule of California or federal law that cannot be waived; (b) the Booking Confirmation, as to the date, time, price and Advance Payment of the Visit; (c) this policy; (d) the Residential Service Agreement, if you have accepted one; (e) the other parts of the Terms of Service. A commercial or rental-host agreement governs for those clients (Section 19).

3.5 Fairness limits. Nothing in this policy permits us to retain more than the Advance Payment, to charge a fee for exercising a legal right, to impose a cancellation fee on a recurring plan, or to refuse a refund that the law requires. If a provision would, on the facts, operate as a penalty or be unconscionable, it is limited to the amount that is lawful.

4. Who may cancel or reschedule, how, and when it is effective

4.1 Who may act. Only the account holder, or a person the account holder has designated in the account as an authorized contact, may cancel, reschedule or change a Visit. A request from anyone else is not effective until we have confirmed the sender’s authority with the account holder, in which case the time of receipt is the time we received the original request, provided that confirmation is obtained within 12 hours. This protects you against unauthorized changes.

4.2 How to cancel. You may cancel or reschedule only through (a) the cancel and reschedule controls in your account on the website or in the Clarté app, or (b) the contact form, choosing “Change or cancel a visit” and giving the Visit date and the name on the account. These are the “Designated Channels”.

4.3 Other channels are not effective. A message sent by another route is not a cancellation, and we are not responsible for it. Examples: a text message or call to a Team member or to a telephone number of anyone at the Property; a message on social media or a review site; a note left at the Property; an email to an individual employee; a message in the AI chat that is not confirmed through a button (the AI characters cannot cancel a Visit; they prepare a request for you to confirm). Our Team members are instructed to direct you to a Designated Channel and to tell us the same day if a client tells them about a change. If you tried another channel, please also use a Designated Channel.

4.4 Time of receipt. A cancellation is effective at the moment our system records it as received (in Los Angeles time to the second), as shown in the confirmation we send. If the Designated Channel is unavailable because of a fault on our side, the request is treated as made at the time you first tried, if you can show it (for example by a screenshot with a time), and we shall resolve any doubt in your favor. A request made after the Team has arrived is a request to stop work (Section 10).

4.5 Confirmation. We shall send you a confirmation of every cancellation or reschedule, showing the time of receipt, the tier that applies (Section 6) and what happens to the Advance Payment. If you do not receive a confirmation within 15 minutes, please check your spam folder and tell us through the contact form, because the request may not have been recorded.

4.6 Same-day and after-hours. The Designated Channels operate at all times. Requests made at night or on a holiday are time-stamped when received; we review requests on each Business Day.

4.7 Rescheduling. A reschedule is a cancellation of the original Visit plus a new Booking for the same service, with the Advance Payment carried over. You may reschedule free of charge before the Cutoff. A reschedule requested after the Cutoff is a Late Cancellation of the original Visit and Section 6.2 applies, unless we agree otherwise.

4.8 Multiple Visits. Each Visit is treated separately. A cancellation of a Recurring Plan is addressed in Section 18.

5. The Advance Payment and the displayed Cutoff

5.1 Nature. The Advance Payment is paid on account of the price. It reserves a date and a Team and is applied to the price of the Visit when the Visit is completed. It is refundable or retained only as this policy states.

5.2 Disclosure before payment. Before you pay, the booking page shows you, in the same place as the price: (a) the price of the Visit, including every mandatory fee and charge other than government taxes; (b) the Advance Payment amount; (c) the balance payable after the Visit; (d) the Cutoff as a date and time (for example, “Free changes until Tuesday, March 3, 9:00 a.m. Los Angeles time”); (e) the plain-language effect of cancelling after the Cutoff; and (f) a link to this policy. You confirm that you have seen them by a separate box or button. We do not add any mandatory fee after you have seen the price (Civil Code section 1770(a)(29)).

5.3 Optional charges. Optional charges (for example Custom Products or add-on services) are shown separately and are charged only if you select them (Section 12).

5.4 Calculation of the Cutoff. The Cutoff is computed by counting back 48 hours of elapsed time from the first minute of the Arrival Window. Example: for an Arrival Window beginning Thursday at 9:00 a.m., the Cutoff is Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. If the clocks change between the Cutoff and the start of the Window, the Cutoff is still 48 elapsed hours before the start, and we shall display the resulting clock time.

5.5 If the Arrival Window changes. If we change the Arrival Window, the Cutoff moves with it and we shall tell you the new Cutoff. If you reschedule, the new Visit has its own Cutoff.

5.6 Payment method. The Advance Payment is charged to the card or other payment method you provide, through our payment processor. We do not store your full card number. The balance is charged after the Visit as the Terms state.

5.7 No other deposits. We do not require any other deposit or security for a Visit booked by an individual, other than the Advance Payment.

6. Client cancellations: the three tiers

6.1 Tier 1: at or before the Cutoff. If a Client Cancellation or a request to reschedule is received at or before the Cutoff:

(a) there is no charge of any kind;

(b) if you cancel, the whole Advance Payment is refunded (Section 11); and

(c) if you reschedule, the Advance Payment is carried over to the new Visit, or, if you prefer, refunded.

6.2 Tier 2: after the Cutoff and before the Team arrives (Late Cancellation). If a Late Cancellation is received:

(a) the Advance Payment is not refunded automatically; instead, a person at Clarté reviews the Visit in accordance with Section 6.5 and decides how much, if anything, to retain;

(b) Retention is limited to Clarté’s documented actual loss, calculated under Section 6.4, after deducting the costs we avoided and the revenue we earned from slots that were refilled;

(c) Retention can never exceed the Advance Payment, and you will never be charged anything beyond it; and

(d) the remainder of the Advance Payment is refunded to you, with Written Reasons for the decision.

6.3 Tier 3: Lockout or No Access. If the Team arrives and cannot work because of a Lockout or No Access (Section 2.11), including a refusal of access, no adult present when one was required, a pet issue that prevents safe entry, or Access Details that do not work, the same rule as Tier 2 applies, with a documented timeline (Section 6.6) and photographs of the entrance, to the extent they can be taken without showing people. A person reviews and decides under Section 6.5. Retention cannot exceed the Advance Payment.

6.4 The actual-loss method. Retention equals the sum of the following documented items that were caused by the Late Cancellation or Lockout or No Access (the “Gross Loss”), less the deductions below, but never more than the Advance Payment.

Items in Gross Loss: (i) Wages actually owed to Team members for the Visit because of the late change, including reporting-time pay and any split-shift or minimum-pay obligation under the applicable Industrial Welfare Commission wage order and California Labor Code (for example, where a Team member reports for work and is not put to work or is given less than half of the usual or scheduled day’s work), together with the employer payroll taxes and workers’ compensation premium that attach to those wages; (ii) travel costs actually incurred for the Visit and not recoverable, including mileage reimbursed under Labor Code section 2802 at the Internal Revenue Service rate, tolls and parking; (iii) non-returnable supplies and Custom Products already bought for the Visit; and (iv) Third-Party Costs.

Deductions: (v) wages and other costs that Clarté did not have to pay because the Team was told in time or was reassigned to other paid work (for example if the Team worked a different Visit in the same period); (vi) supplies and Custom Products returned, reused for another Visit or usable in future Visits for you; (vii) revenue that Clarté earned from the slot because it was filled by another Visit, counted at the contribution that the other Visit earned in the period the slot was held (not the entire price); and (viii) any cost that Clarté could reasonably have avoided by acting on your timely notice.

Not included: lost profit beyond the contribution described above, general overhead, marketing cost, the cost of attempting to collect, or any amount not documented.

6.5 Decision procedure and timeline.

(a) Open a case. When a Late Cancellation or Lockout or No Access occurs, the system holds the Advance Payment and opens a case containing the time of receipt, the Team assignment and the schedule.

(b) Person decides. A person at Clarté, who did not take part in the Visit, reviews the case. The decision is not made by software, by an AI character or by the Team member concerned.

(c) Invitation to respond. Within 2 Business Days after the event, we tell you what happened and invite you to give any information, including any reason such as illness or emergency, within 3 Business Days. We consider it; Section 6.7 describes the grounds on which we waive Retention.

(d) Decision in 10 Business Days. We deliver the decision, with Written Reasons and the calculation, within 10 Business Days after the event. If we have not decided by then, the whole Advance Payment is refunded and no Retention is made.

(e) Refund of the remainder. The refund of the amount not retained is initiated within 5 Business Days after the decision (Section 11).

(f) Reconsideration. You may ask for reconsideration of a decision within 30 days. A different person reviews it within 10 Business Days. If the decision is not changed, you may use Section 24.

6.6 Documented timeline and waiting. For a Lockout or No Access, the Team waits at the Property for up to 20 minutes after the start of the Arrival Window (or after arrival, if later), tries the Access Details provided, and tries to reach you through the app. The Team records the times of arrival, each attempt to enter and each attempt to contact you, and takes photographs of the entrance, door or gate and the display of any keypad (but not people and not any code). If the Team can do part of the work, Section 10 applies. If the Team cannot work, the Team leaves and reports the matter, and the case follows Section 6.5.

6.7 Evidence standards. For Retention, Clarté must show the facts that support it, by records. The records include: the time-stamped check-in, check-out and attempts; the schedule and payroll records showing what we paid or owe; the Team’s photographs of the entrance; the message log; and the supplies and Third-Party Cost invoices. You may present evidence too (for example screenshots of when you cancelled, a note that the gate was broken, a medical note, a photograph of the keypad). Where the evidence on a point is evenly balanced, the point is decided in your favor.

6.8 When we waive Retention. We waive Retention, in whole, where the Late Cancellation or Lockout or No Access is caused by: your serious illness or injury or that of a household member; a death in the family; an emergency at the Property (fire, flood, break-in); a government evacuation or safety order; hospitalization; a Force Majeure Event; a failure of the Access Details caused by us or our systems; or another event outside your reasonable control, if you tell us as soon as reasonably possible and, if we ask, give a short explanation. We do not require documents of a private medical nature.

6.9 One courtesy waiver. In addition, for each calendar year, on your first Late Cancellation, we waive Retention on request. This is a courtesy and does not affect your rights.

6.10 Why Retention is limited this way. You are a consumer. California law (Civil Code section 1671(d)) permits a business to keep money on cancellation only to the extent that it reflects a loss that is impracticable or extremely difficult to fix in advance, and only in an amount that is a reasonable estimate. We do not rely on a fixed forfeiture. We measure the loss after the event, and we limit it to the Advance Payment.

7. Clarté’s grounds to cancel, suspend, stop work or refuse service

7.1 Principle. Clarté may cancel, suspend, stop or refuse a Visit or a service only on a ground listed in this Section or in Section 8, and each ground has a stated outcome for money. A ground that arises from our side or from a Force Majeure Event leads to a full refund or a free reschedule. A ground that arises from the Client, the Property or the Client’s conduct leads to the actual-loss rule in Section 6.4, never more than the Advance Payment. We do not rely on a ground that is a pretext, and we do not refuse service on the basis of a protected characteristic (Section 7.4).

7.2 “Unsafe Conditions” means a condition at or around the Property that creates a reasonably apparent risk of injury, illness or property damage to the Team or others, including: hazardous materials (for example asbestos-containing debris, unlabelled chemicals, leaking fuel or gas, needles or sharps, or lead paint disturbed by damage); biohazards (blood, bodily fluids, human or animal waste, decomposition, or other infectious material, other than ordinary household soiling); infestation by pests that pose a health risk (bed bugs, fleas in large number, rodents or cockroaches in quantity); visible mold in a quantity that requires remediation; structural risk (unstable floors, ceilings, stairs, balconies, ladders or fixtures); electrical or gas hazards; aggressive or uncontrolled animals; weapons displayed or handled in a threatening manner; evidence of illegal activity; extreme clutter or hoarding that blocks safe access or egress; and conditions that the Team reasonably believes would violate a Cal/OSHA safety standard.

7.3 Table of grounds and money outcomes.

7.4 Protected characteristics. We do not cancel, suspend, stop or refuse service because of race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, genetic information, age, source of income or any other characteristic protected by the Unruh Civil Rights Act (Civil Code sections 51 and 52) or other law. The grounds above are based on conduct and conditions, not on who you are. A client who believes a decision was based on a protected characteristic can ask for reconsideration under Section 24.

7.5 Notice of a ground. Where Clarté relies on a ground in this Section, the Team or Clarté tells you promptly, through the app or the contact form, which ground applies and, where it is safe to do so, what you could do to correct it. A person at Clarté reviews every decision to refuse or end service, and gives Written Reasons if it affects money.

7.6 Zero tolerance. Clarté has zero tolerance for harassment, discrimination, threats, violence and abuse directed at its people, because the people who clean homes are employees with legal rights to a safe, respectful workplace (Cal. Gov. Code § 12940; Cal. Lab. Code § 6400 and following). A Team member may leave a Visit if the Team member reasonably believes that continuing is unsafe or abusive, and will not be penalized for doing so (Section 15.14). Respect for staff is a condition of the service.

7.7 Right to inspect on arrival. The Team may inspect the Property on arrival for the conditions in Section 7.2 and for the work areas, and may record the condition in the arrival condition report (Section 15.2).

8. Force Majeure Events

8.1 Meaning. A “Force Majeure Event” is an event beyond the reasonable control of Clarté and the Client that makes a Visit unsafe, unlawful or impracticable, including: fire, wildfire or smoke; an air-quality emergency (Section 8.2); a government evacuation order or warning, shelter-in-place order, curfew or road closure that affects the Property or the route; a utility public safety power shutoff (PSPS) or a prolonged outage affecting the Property; flood, severe storm, extreme heat or earthquake (including damage to the Property or a significant aftershock risk); a pandemic or public-health order; civil unrest, riot, terrorism or a declared state of emergency; or a cyberattack or failure of a public network that prevents Booking or dispatch.

8.2 Air-quality thresholds. For work that requires exposure to outdoor air (exterior cleaning, work in open garages and patios, and outdoor access between buildings for more than brief periods), Clarté may postpone the Visit if the Air Quality Index for PM2.5 reported by AirNow (airnow.gov) for the nearest monitor is 151 or higher at any time in the 3 hours before the start of the Arrival Window, or is forecast for the Visit day to be 151 or higher. For interior work at a Property where the Team can work with the windows closed, Clarté may postpone the Visit if the AQI is 201 or higher, or if the Team is directed by the employer’s wildfire-smoke protection plan (Cal. Code Regs. tit. 8, § 3207) to stop work. If a government agency has issued an order to stay indoors, we postpone every Visit that requires travel. The AQI is the measure we use; it is not the only measure, and we also take account of visible smoke, odor and official advisories.

8.3 Evacuation and PSPS. If an evacuation order or warning covers the Property, the Team’s route or the Team’s base, or the utility has announced a PSPS that will affect the Property at the time of the Visit, we postpone the Visit.

8.4 Outcome. For a Force Majeure Event, the outcome is reschedule or full refund, and nothing more. Neither side owes the other anything for the event. Clarté is not liable for consequential damages arising out of a Force Majeure Event. If the event prevents a Visit for more than 30 days, either side may cancel without charge and we refund everything paid for that Visit.

8.5 Who decides. Clarté decides whether a Force Majeure Event applies, in good faith and on the objective measures above, and tells you promptly. If you disagree, you may ask for reconsideration (Section 24).

8.6 Client-side events. If a Force Majeure Event prevents you from allowing access (for example you are evacuated), Section 6.8 applies: no Retention.

8.7 No double use. We do not treat a Force Majeure Event as a cancellation by you for the purpose of any limit on free cancellations, and we do not count it against you.

9. Clarté Cancellations and Team illness

9.1 Full refund or free reschedule. If Clarté cancels or cannot perform a Visit for a reason that is ours, including a Team member’s illness, a vehicle breakdown, a staffing gap or a scheduling error, you may choose (a) a new date at no charge, with the Advance Payment carried over, or (b) a full refund of everything you have paid for that Visit.

9.2 Illness. A Team member who is sick should not enter your home. Where a Visit is cancelled or delayed because of illness, the outcome is reschedule or full refund, and nothing more. We do not charge you, and we are not liable for consequential damages such as the cost of a guest’s accommodation or lost income. We shall try to send a substitute.

9.3 Short-notice goodwill. If we cancel less than 24 hours before the start of the Arrival Window for a reason that is ours, in addition to the refund or reschedule we shall give you a credit of ten percent (10%) of the price of the Visit, up to fifty dollars ($50). The credit is a courtesy, it is not liquidated damages, it does not limit your other rights, and it is redeemable under Section 11.6.

9.4 Substitutions. If a Team member is replaced, we tell you in advance who will come, where we can. A substitution is not a cancellation.

9.5 Lateness. If the Team is late, we tell you through the app. If the Team cannot arrive within 2 hours after the end of the Arrival Window, you may cancel for a full refund.

10. Partial Visits and stopping work

10.1 When work stops. If the Team begins a Visit and work stops, Section 10 applies.

10.2 Stopped for the Client’s reasons. If work stops because of the Client, the Property or a ground in Section 7.3 that arises from the Client or the Property (for example Unsafe Conditions that the Client caused or failed to disclose, a request by the Client to end the Visit, a refusal of access to part of the Property, abusive conduct, or a Lockout midway), the Client pays (a) for the time worked at the proportion of the agreed price that the work completed bears to the work agreed (or, if the Visit is priced by the hour, at the hourly rate), plus (b) actual loss under Section 6.4 for the part not performed, up to the agreed price of the Visit. The Advance Payment is applied first. If the Advance Payment is more than the sum, the surplus is refunded.

10.3 Stopped for Clarté’s reasons. If work stops because of Clarté (for example illness, an injury, a vehicle failure or a decision to leave without a ground in Section 7), the Client pays pro-rata only for the work completed to the standard agreed, and nothing for the rest. If the Client chooses, we return to finish the work at no extra charge.

10.4 Stopped by a Force Majeure Event. The Client pays pro-rata for the work completed, and the remainder is rescheduled or refunded, with nothing more owed (Section 8.4).

10.5 Record. The Team records the time at which work stopped, the reason, the work done and not done, and photographs of the work areas (not people). The Client may add comments through the completion review (Section 15.5).

11. Refunds, credits and tips

11.1 Method. Refunds are made only to the original payment method. We cannot refund to a different card, by cash, by check or by transfer to another person, because that would breach card-network rules and anti-fraud obligations.

11.2 When a refund starts. We initiate every refund that this policy provides within 5 Business Days after the decision (for a cancellation at or before the Cutoff, within 5 Business Days after the cancellation is received).

11.3 Processor timing. After we initiate a refund, the time it takes to appear depends on your bank and the payment processor, commonly 5 to 10 Business Days and in some cases up to a full billing cycle. We shall give you the refund reference. We are not responsible for delays by your bank. If it has not appeared after 15 Business Days, tell us through the contact form and we shall trace it.

11.4 Amount. A refund is of the amount stated in the decision. If the processor returns a refund because the card has been closed, we shall contact you to arrange another lawful method.

11.5 Tips. Tips are voluntary, belong to the Team member who earned them (Cal. Lab. Code § 351), and are not refundable unless charged in error. If a Visit is cancelled before it takes place, any tip authorization is cancelled with it.

11.6 Credits. A credit may be offered as an alternative to a refund, or as a courtesy. A credit given instead of a refund is given only if you choose it. A credit does not expire while your account is open (Civil Code section 1749.5). If you close your account, any unused credit that you paid for is refunded to the original payment method. A credit that we give as a courtesy has no cash value, except that where the law requires cash for a small remaining balance we pay it, and it is applied to the price of Visits only.

11.7 Taxes. If a refund includes a tax, the tax is refunded with it.

11.8 No offset. We do not offset a refund against any amount you disputed or any unrelated balance without telling you, and we do not hold a refund to pressure you to change a review or drop a dispute (Section 16).

12. Custom Products and Third-Party Costs

12.1 Disclosure before payment. If you ask for Custom Products, we tell you, before you pay, whether they carry a surcharge, the amount of the surcharge, and whether the cost will be returned or credited if you cancel. The surcharge is optional: it applies only if you choose the Custom Products.

12.2 Cancellation before purchase. If you cancel at or before the Cutoff, we do not buy Custom Products, and nothing is charged for them.

12.3 After purchase. If Custom Products were bought for the Visit and you make a Late Cancellation, the cost of those that cannot be returned, reused or used in a later Visit is a Gross Loss item under Section 6.4, supported by a receipt. If they can be used in a later Visit for you, we hold them and credit them.

12.4 Products you supply. If you ask us to use products or equipment that you provide, you are responsible for their suitability. We may decline to use a product we reasonably believe is unsafe, prohibited or unsuitable for the surface. We are not responsible for damage caused by a product we used at your direction in the manner you directed (Section 15.3).

12.5 Third-Party Costs. We shall tell you before the Visit if a Third-Party Cost is likely (for example a building that charges a move-in fee for contractors), and the cost is shown in the Booking Confirmation. We shall not include a Third-Party Cost in Gross Loss unless it was disclosed or you were told as soon as it became likely.

13. The re-clean promise and quality complaints

13.1 The promise. If a task within the agreed scope was not done to the standard of the checklist, tell us through a Designated Channel within 24 hours after the end of the Visit, with photographs of the area (not of people) and a description. Within the scope of the Booking Confirmation, we shall, at our choice, either (a) return and re-clean the affected area at no charge, at the earliest time we can offer, or (b) if you prefer or if we cannot return within 5 Business Days, refund a pro-rata portion of the price of the Visit that corresponds to the affected task.

13.2 Reasonable window. The 24 hours is the period within which a complaint can reasonably be tied to the Visit and the area can be compared with our arrival and departure photographs. If you notice a problem later, tell us anyway: we shall consider it fairly, but the passage of time and use of the room may mean that we cannot fairly say that the condition was caused by the Visit, and the remedy may be a courtesy.

13.3 Exclusions. The re-clean promise does not apply to: tasks listed as excluded in the Booking Confirmation or the Terms; areas the Team could not reach because of locked doors, objects or hazards; conditions that ordinary cleaning cannot remove without risk of damage (set-in stains, etched or corroded surfaces, worn finishes, pre-existing damage); results affected by a product you directed us to use; matters that were disclosed to you at the time of the Visit and not objected to; and requests for work outside the agreed scope.

13.4 Exclusive remedy for quality complaints. To the extent the law allows, the re-clean or pro-rata refund in this Section is your remedy for a complaint that a task was not done to the standard of the checklist. It is never an exclusive remedy, and it does not limit any right, for (a) personal injury or death, (b) damage to property caused by the negligence of Clarté or its Team, which is addressed in Sections 14 and 22, (c) fraud or willful misconduct, or (d) violation of law, or any right under the Consumers Legal Remedies Act that cannot be waived.

13.5 Procedure. A person reviews the complaint and the photographs from the Visit. We respond within 2 Business Days with a date for the return visit, a refund decision, or Written Reasons for declining.

13.6 Second attempt. If a re-clean does not resolve a valid complaint, we refund the pro-rata portion for the affected task.

14. Claims for damage, missing items and other loss

14.1 Principle. A claim is a request for money or repair for loss that you say arose from a Visit. A claim is decided on evidence under this Section. We take every claim seriously; we do not decide a claim on the strength of insistence alone, and we do not reject a claim without looking at the evidence.

14.2 Written notice and windows. To make a claim, give notice through a Designated Channel, in writing, with a description, the location, photographs and, where possible, proof of value (a receipt, appraisal or listing). The following windows are conditions of our claims service and are chosen because the evidence of how a room looked at the end of the Visit fades quickly:

(a) Visible damage or a quality problem: notice within 48 hours after the end of the Visit;

(b) Missing items: notice within 7 days after the end of the Visit (and within 48 hours after you discover the loss, if you discover it later within that period);

(c) Latent or concealed damage that could not be seen at the end of the Visit: notice within 48 hours after you discover it, and in any event within 30 days after the Visit.

14.3 The windows do not shorten the law. These windows govern how we handle claims under our own claims service. They do not shorten the time that California law gives you to bring a legal claim, they do not waive any statutory right, and a claim reported later is still considered on its merits, with the evidence available. A court or arbitrator remains free to decide a claim brought within the statutory limitation period.

14.4 Acknowledgment and decision. We acknowledge a claim within 2 Business Days, and give our decision with Written Reasons within 20 Business Days after receiving the information we need. If we cannot decide in that time, we tell you why and the date by which we shall decide.

14.5 Right to inspect and to repair or re-clean first. You allow us to inspect the item and the area, in person or by photographs, within 5 Business Days of a request, and you leave the item as it is, if it is safe to do so, so that we can inspect it. At our choice, we may repair, restore, replace or re-clean the item before any payment, using a qualified professional where appropriate. We shall consult you before choosing, and if the repair does not restore the item to its condition before the Visit, we shall pay the reasonable cost of the shortfall.

14.6 Valuation. If payment is due, it is the lesser of the reasonable cost to repair and the actual cash value of the item at the time of the loss (replacement cost less reasonable depreciation for age, wear and condition), proved by receipts, appraisals or comparable listings. We are not an insurer of the contents of your home and do not agree to pay for sentimental value.

14.7 Insurance. We handle claims through our insurance, and you agree to cooperate with our insurer’s reasonable requests for information. You may also have a claim under your own household insurance, and nothing in this policy prevents you from making one. We do not require you to make a claim on your own insurance first.

14.8 Theft. If you allege theft, we ask that you file a police report and give us the report number. We shall cooperate with law enforcement. We say neutrally that knowingly making a false report to the police or to an insurer is a crime under California law (Cal. Penal Code §§ 148.5 and 550), and that no honest claimant need be concerned. We do not accuse any person without evidence, and we conduct our own review of the Team’s records, access logs and photographs of the Visit.

14.9 Burden of proof. The person who makes a claim shows, more likely than not, that (a) the loss exists, (b) it was caused by the Visit, and (c) its value. The records in Section 15 are evidence of what happened. Each side may present evidence, and no record is conclusive.

14.10 Payment. If we accept a claim, we pay by the method you choose among a refund to the original payment method, a credit or a payment by check, within 10 Business Days after the claim is agreed.

14.11 No admission. Offering a repair or a courtesy credit is not an admission of fault.

15. Clarté’s records, rights and defenses

15.1 Records of the Visit. Clarté keeps a record of each Visit made in the ordinary course of business. It consists of: check-in and check-out timestamps and location records of the Team made by the time clock only while the Team is working; an event log of the Visit, in which each event is time-stamped and linked to the previous one by a cryptographic hash so that later alteration can be detected; photographed checklists; photographs of the work areas before and after the work (never of people); the arrival condition report (Section 15.2); the completion review (Section 15.5); message logs; and payment records. These are Clarté’s business records of the Visit. You may present your own evidence, including photographs, videos taken in your home, camera footage, receipts and messages, and nothing in this policy stops a court or arbitrator from weighing all the evidence fairly and giving each item the weight it deserves. A record is evidence; it is not a substitute for the decision-maker’s judgment.

15.2 Arrival condition report. On arrival, the Team records the condition of the work areas and any visible pre-existing damage, wear, stains, loose fixtures and aging finishes, with photographs of the surfaces concerned (not of people), before work starts. You agree that the Team may make this report. The report is available to you in the app after the Visit. If you disagree with it, you may tell us through the completion review.

15.3 Pre-existing conditions and exclusions. Clarté is not responsible for: damage, wear, stains, loose fixtures and aging finishes that existed on arrival and are noted in the arrival condition report or that a reasonable person would see on arrival; normal wear and tear; latent defects; the failure, in ordinary handling, of items that are improperly installed, unstable, cracked, repaired, weakened by age or inherently fragile; damage arising from surfaces cleaned with products that you approved, supplied or directed us to use in the manner you directed; items that you did not tell us were fragile, valuable or irreplaceable and that were left in a place where cleaning was agreed to take place; and loss of items that you did not secure after we asked you to do so. This Section does not apply to damage that our negligence caused to an item that was in good condition and ordinary handling would not have damaged.

15.4 Client duties and comparative responsibility. You agree to: (a) secure or remove cash, jewelry, firearms, medications, documents, data devices and irreplaceable items, or disclose them to us in writing; (b) disclose hazards, pets, special finishes, antiques, fragile and valuable items, alarms, cameras and recording devices, and any condition of the Property that could affect safety; (c) provide safe access, working utilities (water and electricity), reasonable working space, and conditions as agreed in the Booking Confirmation; and (d) keep the Access Details accurate. If you do not, and the loss would not have occurred, or would have been smaller, had you done so, responsibility shifts to you to the extent of your fault, applying the rules of comparative fault that California law applies (Li v. Yellow Cab Co., 13 Cal.3d 804 (1975)). This does not reduce our responsibility for our own negligence.

15.5 Client completion review. After each Visit we invite you, in the app, to review the work by choosing Approve or Report a concern. If you choose Approve, the Visit is recorded as approved. If you choose Report a concern, you describe it, add photographs of the area, and the matter is handled under Section 13 or Section 14. You have 24 hours from the end of the Visit to respond. If you do not respond within that time, the Visit is recorded as “delivered, no concern reported”. The recording that you approved the Visit, or that you reported no concern, is a strong presumption that the work was delivered to the standard of the Booking Confirmation, and it is rebuttable: you may show the contrary by evidence, as Section 14 provides, including if the concern could not have been seen within 24 hours. The presumption is a matter of evidence only. It is never a waiver of a statutory right or remedy, it does not shorten any limitation period, and it does not bar a claim for personal injury, for latent damage, or for loss that could not reasonably have been seen.

15.6 Consent to photographs of work areas. You consent to the Team photographing the work areas before and after the Visit, the arrival condition report and the checklist, through the app, to document the condition of the work, and to Clarté keeping and using those photographs to document the Visit, resolve claims, respond to chargebacks and defend legal claims. The Team does not photograph people, children, documents, screens, medication, safes or the layout of security systems. We do not use the photographs for marketing without your separate written permission. You may withdraw consent for future Visits; withdrawal may limit our ability to resolve later claims by the same evidence, and a Visit without photographs is treated without any presumption in our favor from the photographs.

15.7 Automatic evidence for payment disputes. When a payment is disputed with a card issuer, Clarté prepares an evidence package automatically from the records in Section 15.1 and provides it to the payment processor and the card network. The package contains the Booking Confirmation, the acceptance of the terms and this policy, the Cutoff displayed, the time-stamped event log, the photographs of work areas, the completion review, and the message log. The package contains no information about you that is not already part of the Booking.

15.8 Retention and legal hold. We keep Visit records, photographs, logs and payment records for four years after the Visit, which matches the limitation period for most claims arising from a contract (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 337), and then delete them. We keep arrival condition reports and work-area photographs for 24 months unless they relate to a claim, dispute or chargeback, in which case we keep them until that matter is finally resolved and for 12 months afterward. If we receive notice of a claim, a dispute or a legal proceeding, or reasonably expect one, we place a legal hold on the related records and suspend deletion until the matter is concluded. You may ask to see, correct or delete records about you under the Privacy notice, subject to the legal hold and to retention required by law.

15.9 Fraud flags reviewed by a person. We use behavioral signals to detect fraud and chargeback abuse, for example repeated chargebacks after approved Visits, claims inconsistent with the time-stamped records, multiple accounts using the same payment method after refusal, and disclosures of false identity or authority. A signal is not a finding. A person reviews every flag before it affects a Booking, and no automated system decides alone to refuse service. Our payment processor also screens payments for fraud (including through Stripe Radar, which acts as our processor and is described in the Privacy notice), and we treat the processor’s score as one input and not as a decision.

15.10 The “service refused” list. We may place an account, identity or payment method on a list of persons to whom we decline future Bookings, only for these conduct-based reasons: fraud or misrepresentation; a chargeback that a person at Clarté has reviewed and found unfounded on the records; threats, harassment, discrimination or abuse of the Team; falsifying a claim; or persistent non-payment. We review each listing before it takes effect, tell you the reason in writing, give you 30 days to respond, and review it again at least annually. We never list a person because of a protected characteristic (Section 7.4). Listing someone who disputed a charge in good faith, or who reported a concern or posted an honest review, is not allowed.

15.11 False claims and fraud. A claim, a chargeback or a statement that a person knows to be false may be reported to the payment processor, the card network, our insurer and, where the law provides, the authorities, and may be pursued by Clarté through the remedies the law gives. We state this neutrally. It does not apply to an honest claim, however it is decided.

15.12 Right to inspect, repair or re-clean first. Section 14.5 applies.

15.13 Not an insurer; cooperation. Section 14.6 and Section 14.7 apply.

15.14 Staff safety and the incident button. Each Team member has a button in the app to report an incident or an unsafe situation, which records the time and notifies a person at Clarté. A Team member may leave a Visit if the Team member reasonably believes that continuing is unsafe or abusive (Cal. Lab. Code §§ 6310 and 6311; 8 C.C.R. § 3203). If a Team member leaves for that reason, the Visit is treated under Section 7 and Section 10: the Client pays for the time worked, and the actual-loss rule in Section 6.4 applies to the rest, up to the Advance Payment, where the cause was the Client or the Property; where the cause cannot be attributed, or arose from a Force Majeure Event, Section 8 applies. A person reviews the report and gives Written Reasons.

15.15 Indemnity. You agree to indemnify Clarté against claims by your guests, tenants, household members and visitors, and by other third parties, to the extent they are caused by your breach of this policy or the Terms, by a hazard at the Property that you did not disclose, or by your instructions to the Team, other than claims caused by the negligence or willful misconduct of Clarté or its Team. This indemnity does not apply to claims by you, and it applies in proportion to your fault.

15.16 What these rights are not. These rights are procedural and evidentiary. They do not waive the Client’s statutory rights, they do not create a penalty, and they are always subject to Civil Code sections 1668 and 1670.5.

16. Reviews, review policy and review extortion

16.1 Honest reviews are protected. You are free to post an honest review of Clarté, positive or negative, anywhere. Nothing in the Terms, in this policy or in any agreement with us restricts that freedom, imposes a penalty for a review, or requires you to keep your experience confidential. We do not include a non-disparagement clause in any consumer agreement (Consumer Review Fairness Act, 15 U.S.C. § 45b; Civil Code section 1670.8).

16.2 Refunds are not for reviews. Refunds, credits, re-cleans and other remedies are available only through the procedures in this policy, on evidence. A review, a threat to post a review, or a promise to change or remove a review is never a basis for a refund or any other thing of value, and Clarté does not offer, give or accept anything in exchange for the removal, alteration or content of a review. This is consistent with the Federal Trade Commission’s rule against review suppression (16 C.F.R. § 465.7).

16.3 How we ask for reviews. We ask every client for a review neutrally after a Visit, using the same message for everyone, without a reward for a favorable review and without screening out unfavorable ones. We do not post reviews that we write or that an AI writes.

16.4 Concerns are handled privately and on evidence. If you have a concern, we invite you to raise it through the completion review or Section 14 first, because that is the quickest way for us to fix it. This is an invitation and not a condition: you remain free to review at any time.

16.5 Demands made under a threat. If a demand for money, a refund or other things of value is made together with a threat to publish a false or damaging statement, we keep the demand and the related messages as evidence and may report the demand to the platform and to the authorities. We say this neutrally and without accusing any person in advance. California Penal Code sections 518 to 524 describe extortion, and we mention them descriptively only. A person who has an honest grievance is never treated this way.

16.6 Our responses. We may respond to a review publicly with facts, protecting the privacy of the client, and we may do so briefly and politely. We do not publish a client’s address, name, payment details or private information in a response.

16.7 Our legal rights. We reserve all of our legal rights and remedies for statements of fact that a person knows are false and that harm our business, including claims for defamation and trade libel (Civil Code sections 44 to 46), and for fake or fabricated reviews. This is a description of the law and not a threat directed at anyone: statements of opinion, honest criticism and reviews of a bad experience are protected.

16.8 Platforms. If a review violates a platform’s own rules (for example it is from a person who was never our client), we may report it to the platform and ask the platform to apply its policy.

16.9 Public policy. Our review policy is published at the page “Our review policy” on this website and is part of this policy.

17. Chargebacks and payment disputes

17.1 Your right is preserved. You may dispute a charge with your card issuer at any time and for any reason the law or the card rules allow. Nothing in this policy imposes a penalty, fee or sanction for a lawful dispute or for exercising a right under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, the Fair Credit Billing Act or other law. We do not charge you a fee because you disputed.

17.2 Please contact us first. We ask that you contact us before filing a dispute so we can fix a problem quickly, often faster than your issuer can. This request is not a condition of your right.

17.3 Our response. If a dispute is filed, we respond to the processor with the evidence in Section 15.7. We pursue recovery of an amount that was refunded twice, or disputed after we already refunded it, or disputed in a way that the evidence shows was knowingly false.

17.4 Service after a dispute. While a dispute is open, we may decline to schedule new Visits for the account, to avoid a second dispute over the same facts. When the dispute is resolved, we restore service unless Section 15.10 applies. A good-faith dispute that is decided in your favor has no consequence for you.

17.5 Unauthorized charges. If a charge was made without your authority (for example a stolen card), tell us and your issuer at once. We refund an unauthorized charge in full.

17.6 Billing errors. If you believe a charge is wrong, tell us through the contact form within 30 days of the receipt. We respond within 10 Business Days. Please pay the undisputed portion (Section 20.3).

18. Recurring Plans

18.1 Automatic renewal disclosures. A Recurring Plan renews automatically, at the frequency shown at checkout, until you cancel. Before you enroll we show you, clearly and next to the button that you press: that the plan renews automatically until cancelled; the frequency; the price per Visit and the amount of each charge; when the Advance Payment and the balance are charged; that you can cancel at any time online; and how to cancel. You agree to these terms by checking a separate box that is not already checked. We keep a record of your consent for the longer of three years or one year after the plan ends (Bus. & Prof. Code § 17602, as amended effective July 1, 2025).

18.2 Cancel online, at any time. You may cancel a Recurring Plan at any time, online, through the “Cancel plan” control in your account, or through the link in any confirmation or reminder email. You do not need to call, chat, write a letter or give a reason. The cancellation stops all future Visits that have not yet reached the Cutoff. We shall send you a confirmation.

18.3 No early-termination fee. There is no early-termination fee, minimum term or cancellation fee for a consumer Recurring Plan. A Visit that is within 48 hours of the cancellation is governed by Section 6; a Visit before the Cutoff is cancelled free.

18.4 Pause and skip. You may pause the plan, or skip a Visit, at least 48 hours before the Visit, at no charge.

18.5 Reminders and notices. We shall send you (a) an annual reminder stating the service, how often you are charged, the amount and how to cancel; (b) a notice at least 7 and not more than 30 days before any change in price or material term takes effect, with cancellation instructions you can keep; (c) where there is a promotional or free period longer than 31 days, a notice 3 to 21 days before the paid period starts; and (d) where the initial term is one year or longer, a notice 15 to 45 days before renewal.

18.6 Save offers. If you start to cancel, we may show you an offer to stay, but the cancel control is shown with it and never hidden.

18.7 Price changes. A price change takes effect only after the notice in Section 18.5(b). If you cancel before the change takes effect, you pay the old price for Visits until then.

18.8 Cancelled by us. If we end a Recurring Plan, we give you notice and refund any Advance Payment for a Visit we shall not perform.

19. Commercial clients and short-term-rental hosts

19.1 Their agreement governs. A Visit for a business, office, gallery, boutique or other commercial site is governed by the signed Commercial Janitorial and Facility Services Agreement, which sets its own notice, term, termination, invoicing (net 15 days) and insurance terms. A turnover for a short-term-rental host is governed by the signed Short-Term Rental Host Turnover Services Agreement. If the signed agreement says something different from this policy about cancellation, refunds or payment, the signed agreement controls for that client.

19.2 Where the agreement is silent. If the agreement is silent on a point, the following parts of this policy apply to the extent they are consistent with the agreement: Sections 4 (how to cancel), 7 (grounds), 8 (Force Majeure), 10 (partial Visits), 11 (refund method), 15 (records) and 24 (disputes).

19.3 Consumer protections. The protections in this policy that exist because a client is a consumer, including the limit of Retention to the Advance Payment, the Automatic Renewal Law protections and the consumer-specific rights, do not apply to a client that buys for business purposes, to the extent the law allows. A client that is an individual but books for a business purpose is treated as a business client for those provisions.

19.4 Janitorial registration. Services for commercial premises begin only after Clarté’s janitorial contractor registration is in effect, as the commercial agreement states. A commercial client is not charged for time before the Services begin.

19.5 Hosts. For turnovers, the host agreement states the turnover window, the same-day allocation of risk, the cancellation charge (a reasonable estimate of lost crew time) and the reporting of damage. The host remains responsible for guests, registration and taxes.

20. Quotes, price changes, misdescribed homes and payment

20.1 Quote validity. A quote is valid for 14 days from the date shown, for the work and the Property described, and for the Arrival Window and date that you book. A quote is based on the information you give (size, number of rooms, condition, pets, access, and so on). If you give inaccurate information, Section 20.3 applies.

20.2 Price changes need notice. We do not change the price of a Booking after it is confirmed, except as this Section states. If we need to change a price (for example for an additional task you ask for), we tell you in writing, in the app, before the work, and the change applies only if you accept it. Prices for Recurring Plans change only on the notice in Section 18.5.

20.3 Misdescribed homes. If, on arrival, the Property is materially different from the Booking (for example the home is substantially larger, much more heavily soiled, has additional levels or areas, has unsafe clutter, or access to areas is denied), the Team tells you through the app and a person at Clarté provides a revised quote. You may (a) accept the revised quote, (b) change the scope to match the booked price, or (c) cancel at no charge and receive a full refund. The only amount that may be retained in case (c) is the documented cost of travel, if the difference was material and was not disclosed to us (Section 7.3, row F), up to the Advance Payment. A difference that is not material, such as small variations in size, does not change the price.

20.4 Balance and card on file. The balance of the price is due on completion of the Visit and is charged to your payment method on file, as you authorize at booking, once the work areas have been photographed and checked. You will receive a receipt. You authorize charges only for the Visit, the balance and any extras that you accepted. This authorization does not cover any other charge.

20.5 Disputed amounts. You may dispute any amount. Please raise the dispute in writing first, through the contact form, within 30 days of the receipt, so that we can investigate. You must pay the portion of the charge that is not disputed. Raising a dispute does not stop you from using your rights with your card issuer.

20.6 Late payment. If an undisputed amount is not paid within 30 days after we give you written notice that it is due, interest accrues on the undisputed amount at the legal rate that California law provides for breach of contract, currently ten percent per year (Civ. Code § 3289), until it is paid. We may recover costs of collection only to the extent a court or arbitrator awards them or the law otherwise allows. We charge no late fee to a consumer.

20.7 Suspension for non-payment. We may decline further Bookings while an undisputed amount is overdue after notice, and refund any Advance Payment for Visits we do not perform.

21. Taxes, fees and price display

21.1 All-in price. The price shown includes all mandatory fees and charges, other than taxes and charges imposed by a government (Civ. Code § 1770(a)(29)). We do not add hidden or mandatory fees after the price is shown, including any “booking fee”, “processing fee”, “supply fee” or “fuel surcharge” that you must pay to receive the service.

21.2 Optional charges. Any surcharge that is optional, such as Custom Products, is disclosed before you pay and applies only if you select it.

21.3 Taxes. If a tax applies to the service, it is shown separately before you pay.

21.4 Tips. Tips are optional and belong to the Team.

21.5 Currency. All prices and amounts are in United States dollars.

22. Limits on liability

22.1 Cap. To the extent the law allows, Clarté’s liability to you for direct damages arising out of a Visit is limited to the greater of (a) the price you paid for the affected Visit and (b) for damage to your property, the reasonable cost to repair it or its actual cash value, up to two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) per Visit.

22.2 Excluded damages. To the extent the law allows, Clarté is not liable for consequential, incidental, special or indirect damages, such as loss of use, loss of rental income, the cost of alternative accommodation, or emotional distress arising from a service dispute that does not involve personal injury.

22.3 What the limits never do. Nothing in this policy or the Terms limits or excludes liability for fraud, willful injury, gross negligence, violation of law, bodily injury or death, or anything else that California law does not allow a business to limit (Civ. Code § 1668), and nothing limits a right that cannot be waived.

22.4 Reasonableness. The limits reflect the price of the service and the availability of household insurance for contents. You may buy additional insurance for high-value items.

23. Worked examples

The examples show how this policy works. Dollar amounts are illustrations.

Example 1: Free cancellation. You book a $240 Visit for Thursday with an Arrival Window beginning at 9:00 a.m. The Advance Payment is $75 (25% would be $60, but the minimum is $75). The Cutoff is Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. On Monday you cancel through your account. You receive the full $75; no charge of any kind; the refund is started within 5 Business Days.

Example 2: Reschedule inside the Cutoff. You cancel at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, 22 hours before the Window. A person reviews the case. Our documented loss: one Team member was scheduled for a 3-hour Visit and was told at 11:30 a.m.; he was reassigned to a different 2-hour Visit for the same afternoon, and the crew worked the rest of the day; no reporting pay was owed; supplies were not bought. Gross Loss: $0 in wages owed, $0 in supplies; avoided costs and refilled slot offset the rest. Retention: $0. The whole $75 is refunded with Written Reasons.

Example 3: Lockout at a gated estate. You book a Visit for an estate with a gate code. On the day, the code in your booking does not work and nobody answers the gate intercom. The Team waits 20 minutes, tries the code three times, calls you through the app twice, and photographs the gate and keypad (not the code). The Team leaves at 9:35 a.m. The Team had two members; because they reported to work and were not put to work, wages of $96 are owed for the reporting-time period, plus $11 of mileage and a $6 toll. They were assigned to a different job at 11:00 a.m. that was already scheduled, so no further wages are avoidable. Gross Loss $113; no deductions apply; Retention is $75, the Advance Payment, because the loss exceeds it, and you are charged nothing more. We invite you to respond. You reply that the gate code was changed by your property manager without telling you. We tell you that we remain willing to reschedule and credit the $75 to the new Visit. If you instead ask for a refund, we decide in 10 Business Days and, because the code failure was outside your control and was promptly communicated to us in your reply, we waive Retention and refund all $75. Written Reasons are sent either way.

Example 4: Unsafe conditions on arrival. The Team arrives and finds a large amount of what looks like mold on a bathroom ceiling, and a room with rodent droppings and a nest. It is not described in the Booking. The Team tells you through the app, photographs the area, declines to clean those rooms, and cleans the rest of the Property for the time they worked, which is 45 minutes of a planned 3-hour Visit. Section 10.2 applies: you pay for time worked ($60); actual loss for the remaining time is considered, but because the condition was not disclosed and you did not cause it, we waive Retention for the rest; the balance of the Advance Payment is refunded. We recommend a professional remediation service and offer to rebook when it is done.

Example 5: Force majeure, wildfire smoke. A wildfire raises the Air Quality Index at the nearest monitor to 238 the morning of your Visit, and a shelter-in-place advisory is issued for your ZIP code. We postpone your Visit and tell you at 7:30 a.m. You choose between a new date and a refund of everything you paid for that Visit. Nothing more is owed by either side.

Example 6: Team member illness. The Team member scheduled for your Visit calls in sick at 6:45 a.m. We have no substitute. We tell you and offer a new date at no charge or a full refund. Because we are cancelling less than 24 hours before the Window for a reason that is ours, we also give you a $24 credit (10% of the $240 price), which does not expire while your account is open.

Example 7: A partial visit stopped by the Client. Two hours into a 4-hour Visit, you ask the Team to stop because you must leave the house and no adult will be present. The Client pays for time worked (2 hours, half of the $240 price, or $120); actual loss for the part not performed is limited, because the Team could not be reassigned in the remaining time and wages of $80 are owed and not avoidable. The total cannot exceed the price: you pay $120 + $80 = $200. The Advance Payment ($75) is applied first; $125 is charged.

Example 8: A quality complaint. You report within 24 hours, with photographs, that the kitchen oven was not cleaned as the checklist says. We return two days later to clean it at no charge. If we cannot return within 5 Business Days, we refund the part of the price that corresponds to the oven task.

Example 9: Damage claim, visible damage. You notice a chip on a bathroom vanity the next morning and report it with photographs within 48 hours. The arrival condition report, taken at 9:12 a.m. with photographs of the vanity, shows the chip was present; the completion review recorded no concern. We explain this in Written Reasons and show you the photograph. You send a photograph taken two days before the Visit that shows no chip. A person weighs both pieces of evidence, concludes the matter is not clear, and, because evidence on the point is evenly balanced, decides in your favor and pays the reasonable repair cost.

Example 10: Missing item. You report a missing watch 5 days after the Visit. We ask for a police report number, check the time-stamped event log and the access log for the Visit (which show the Team was in the Property for the booked hours and photographs of the work areas only), and ask whether anyone else was in the home. We ask that you describe the last time you saw it. We inspect the area with you. We neither assume nor accuse. The decision is made on the evidence and in Written Reasons.

Example 11: A threat tied to a review. A client writes that unless a full refund is given she will post a one-star review saying the Team stole from her home, which the records do not support. We tell her that refunds are decided only under this policy, on evidence, that we will review any concern she raises, and that she remains free to post an honest review. We keep the messages. We do not offer anything for a review. If a review is posted that contains a statement of fact that is false, we may respond publicly with facts and may report it to the platform. We do not accuse her of anything in advance.

Example 12: A chargeback. After a Visit that you approved in the app, you dispute the whole charge with your issuer. We respond with the evidence package. The processor decides the dispute. We do not penalize you for disputing. If the dispute is decided in your favor, nothing further happens. If a person at Clarté reviews the records and concludes that the dispute was unfounded on the evidence and was part of a pattern, Section 15.10 may apply, with notice to you first.

Example 13: Recurring plan. You sign up for a biweekly plan. You cancel in your account on a Sunday evening; your next Visit is Tuesday morning, less than 48 hours after the Cutoff. That Visit is a Late Cancellation and Section 6.2 applies (a person decides). The following Visits are cancelled with no charge. You are not charged an early-termination fee, because there is none.

24. Dispute escalation ladder and arbitration

24.1 Step 1: contact form. Raise the matter through the contact form. A person reviews it and responds within 5 Business Days.

24.2 Step 2: reconsideration. If you disagree, ask for reconsideration within 30 days. A different person, who did not make the first decision, reviews and gives Written Reasons within 10 Business Days.

24.3 Step 3: written notice of dispute (informal resolution). If the matter remains unresolved, either side may send a written Notice of Dispute through the contact form that describes the dispute and what is wanted. The parties then try to resolve it informally for 30 days, including a call or video meeting if either asks. A claim may not be started in arbitration or court until this period has ended, except for small-claims court, urgent injunctive relief, or where a limitation period would otherwise expire (in which case the period is tolled).

24.4 Step 4: arbitration or small claims. If the dispute is not resolved, it is decided as the Terms of Service provide in their dispute-resolution section: by individual arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, with fees as those rules and the Consumer Fee Schedule provide (your share is limited to the filing amount in that schedule, or the filing fee you would pay in court if lower, and Clarté pays all other fees and costs of the arbitration), in Los Angeles County, California, under California law. To the extent the law allows, claims are brought on an individual basis and not as a class or representative action; this does not waive any right to bring a claim under the Private Attorneys General Act, which is not covered, or any right that cannot be waived. Either side may bring an individual claim in small-claims court. You may opt out of arbitration within 30 days after you first accept the Terms, as the Terms explain. If arbitration is unenforceable, the dispute is decided in the courts of Los Angeles County.

24.5 Regulators. At any time you may contact the California Attorney General, the Federal Trade Commission or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or the Contractors State License Board (for contractors we introduce).

24.6 No retaliation. We do not retaliate against you for using this ladder or for contacting a regulator.

25. Interaction with the Terms; severability; survival; notices

25.1 Terms. This policy is part of the Terms of Service. On cancellation, deposits, refunds, claims and chargebacks, this policy controls. The limitation of liability in Section 22 operates together with the Terms’ limitation of liability and the Civil Code section 1668 carve-outs in both. The Terms’ arbitration provision governs as Section 24 states. If the Terms state a claim window that is different from Section 14, the window in Section 14 controls and the Terms will be conformed.

25.2 Severability. If a court or arbitrator finds a provision of this policy unenforceable or unconscionable, the provision is limited or severed to the minimum extent necessary and the remainder stays in effect. In particular, if Retention under Section 6 would exceed the loss that the law permits us to recover, it is reduced to that amount.

25.3 Survival. Sections 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 22, 24 and 25 survive the end of the relationship.

25.4 Notices. Notices to you are given through the app and to the email address on your account. Notices to us are given through the Designated Channels. A notice by email is effective when sent.

25.5 Changes. We may change this policy for Visits booked after the change. A change does not affect a Booking already confirmed, unless it is more favorable to you. The date at the top shows the version.

25.6 Language and accessibility. We provide this policy in another accessible format on request.

26. Version history

27. Questions

Please use the contact form. See also: Terms of Service, Privacy notice, Our review policy.