Legal · Terms
Terms of service
The terms that apply to every cleaning service we provide, commercial and residential, in Victoria and in Western Australia: quotes, bookings, cancellations, payment, access, liability and the 7 day re-clean guarantee.
This document is in draft
This document is provided in draft and is under legal review. It will be finalised before the site accepts live enquiries.
Marlow Facility Services is a registered business name of Marlow Services Group Pty Ltd · ABN [ABN-TBC]
Broadmeadows VIC 3047 · South Guildford WA 6055
Version 2.0 · Effective 1 September 2026 · Victoria and Western Australia
1. About these terms
1.1 These terms apply to every service provided by Marlow Services Group Pty Ltd (ABN [ABN-TBC]), trading as Marlow Facility Services ("Marlow", "we", "us") to a client ("you"). They apply together with our written quote or service agreement.
1.2 If there is an inconsistency, the order of precedence is: (a) a signed service agreement; (b) our written quote or proposal; (c) these terms.
1.3 By accepting a quote, making a booking, or allowing us to attend and perform work, you agree to these terms.
1.4 We operate in two states. These terms are governed by the law of the state in which the services are performed — Victoria for work in Melbourne and its surrounds, Western Australia for work in Perth and its surrounds. See clause 17.
1.5 Service areas. We provide services across Melbourne's northern suburbs from a base in Broadmeadows, Victoria, and across Perth's eastern corridor and wider metropolitan area from a base in South Guildford, Western Australia. Each state has its own phone number, its own people and its own published prices.
2. Quotes
2.1 Validity. Every written quote is valid for 30 days from its date unless it says otherwise.
2.2 Basis of the quote. Quotes are based on the information you give us and, for commercial sites, on our site inspection. We do not quote a commercial site without inspecting it, and we do not quote from a stated floor area we have not verified.
2.3 Site inspection and written proposal for commercial sites are free.
2.4 Variation. If, on attendance, the property is materially different from what was described or inspected — a substantially larger area, a materially worse condition, additional rooms, hoarding, biological or hazardous material, or building work in progress — we will stop, tell you before continuing, and give you a revised price. We will not perform additional work and invoice you for it without your agreement.
2.5 Hourly work. Where a job is quoted hourly rather than at a fixed price, we will tell you before starting and we will give you an estimated range. Hourly work is subject to a 2 hour minimum.
3. Bookings and cancellations
3.1 Confirmation. A booking is confirmed when we send you a written confirmation, and for one-off residential work, when the deposit under clause 5 is received.
3.2 Residential recurring services — cancelling or rescheduling a single clean
| Notice given | Charge |
|---|---|
| More than 24 hours before the scheduled start | No charge. We will reschedule at no cost |
| 24 hours or less before the scheduled start | 50% of the scheduled price |
| We attend and cannot gain access (see clause 7) | 50% of the scheduled price |
| We attend and the property is unsafe or unsuitable to clean | 50% of the scheduled price |
Why there is a late-cancellation charge. Our cleaners are employees. Under the Cleaning Services Award 2020 we must pay them a minimum engagement of between one and four hours depending on the size of the site, whether or not the work proceeds. A clean cancelled on the morning cannot be refilled, and the wage is still payable. The charge recovers that cost; it is not a penalty and it is not a profit.
3.3 Residential one-off, deep and bond cleans
| Notice given | Outcome |
|---|---|
| More than 48 hours before the scheduled start | Deposit refunded in full, or transferred to a new date |
| 48 hours or less | The 50% deposit is retained |
| No access on the day | The 50% deposit is retained, and a re-attendance is quoted separately |
3.4 Ending a residential recurring arrangement. Either of us may end it at any time with 7 days' written notice. There is no lock-in period, no exit fee, and no minimum number of services.
3.5 Commercial services. After an initial 3 month establishment period, either party may terminate the agreement on 30 days' written notice, for any reason. There is no lock-in contract. This is a deliberate commitment and we state it in every proposal.
3.6 Termination for cause. Either party may terminate immediately, in writing, if the other commits a material breach and does not remedy it within 14 days of written notice, or becomes insolvent.
3.7 Our right to reschedule. We may reschedule a service where a cleaner is ill, where a vehicle or equipment fails, or in severe weather or an emergency. We will give you as much notice as we can and offer the earliest alternative. We will not charge you for a service we did not perform.
3.8 Access unavailable through our fault. If we cannot perform a service because of something within our control, we will reschedule at no cost to you, and no charge applies.
4. Prices and GST
4.1 Residential prices are quoted and invoiced including GST.
4.2 Commercial prices are quoted and invoiced excluding GST, and GST is added to the invoice.
4.3 Every invoice is a valid tax invoice showing our ABN and the GST amount.
4.4 Travel. No travel charge applies within 25 km of South Guildford. Between 25 and 40 km, a residential travel charge of $25 per visit applies and will be stated in the quote. Beyond 40 km, travel is quoted individually.
4.5 Price reviews. For recurring services we may increase prices once a year, on 30 days' written notice, to pass through the annual increase in award wage rates or CPI. We will state the reason. Award increases take effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July each year and we pass them through no later than 1 September. We will not increase a price mid-contract for any other reason without your agreement.
4.6 Consumables. Where we supply client consumables — toilet paper, hand towel, soap, bin liners — they are charged at cost plus 20% and itemised.
4.7 Equipment hire. Where a specialist machine is hired for your job, the hire cost is charged at cost plus 30% and itemised in the quote.
5. Payment
5.1 Terms
| Client type | Terms |
|---|---|
| Residential recurring | Card on file, charged the day after service |
| Residential one-off, deep and bond cleans | 50% deposit to confirm the booking; balance on completion, before keys are returned |
| Commercial recurring | Invoiced monthly in arrears, 14 days |
| Commercial one-off and builders cleans | 30% deposit; balance 7 days |
| Government and large corporate | 30 days, only where required by your procurement terms |
5.2 Late payment. Interest of 1.5% per month accrues on amounts more than 14 days overdue. This is stated on every invoice.
5.3 Suspension. We may suspend services where an account is more than 30 days overdue, on 7 days' written notice. Suspension does not end the agreement and does not waive the amount owed.
5.4 Recovery costs. You are responsible for reasonable costs we incur in recovering an overdue amount, including debt collection and legal costs.
5.5 Disputed invoices. If you dispute part of an invoice, tell us within 7 days and pay the undisputed part on time. We will resolve the disputed part under clause 12.
5.6 Card on file. By providing card details for a recurring arrangement you authorise us to charge the agreed service price the day after each service. You may withdraw that authority in writing at any time; if you do, and no alternative payment method is provided, we may suspend the service.
6. The 7 day re-clean guarantee
6.0 The name. This guarantee was previously described as a bond back guarantee. It is not one, and we no longer use that phrase anywhere. A bond depends on rent, damage, keys and other matters entirely outside cleaning, so no cleaning contractor can honestly guarantee its return. We guarantee our own work, and clause 6.3 sets out plainly where that guarantee stops.
6.1 What it is. For an end of lease or bond clean, if your agent or landlord identifies a cleaning deficiency within 7 days of the final inspection, we will return and rectify it free of charge.
6.2 Conditions. The guarantee applies only if:
- the claim is made to us in writing within 7 days of the final property inspection
- the deficiency is cleaning that was within the agreed scope and that we did not perform to standard
- the property has not been re-occupied, and no further work, moving or use has occurred since we finished
- we are given reasonable access to return, within 48 hours of the claim
- the invoice has been paid in full
- you provide the agent's or landlord's written list of items, or photographs
6.3 What the guarantee does not cover. Stated plainly, because this is where every dispute in this industry starts:
- Carpet steam cleaning, unless you purchased it from us. We will always offer it, and if you decline, the carpets sit outside the guarantee. Whether carpet cleaning is required at all is a question about your own tenancy agreement, not about the law: no law in either Victoria or Western Australia requires a renter or tenant to engage a professional cleaner or a professional carpet cleaner. In Victoria, regulation 12 of the Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021 further limits when a professional cleaning requirement is permitted at all
- Pest control and fumigation, unless purchased from us
- External window cleaning above ground floor
- Garden, lawn, rubbish removal and external areas beyond what was quoted
- Pre-existing damage, wear and tear, or deterioration — chipped tiles, scratched floors, worn paint, mould behind sealed surfaces, cracked grout, damaged flyscreens, water staining
- Items that cannot be cleaned to a better standard without damaging the surface — permanent staining, etched glass, burnt-on oven enamel, hard water scale that will not lift, paint over-spray
- Anything outside the agreed scope, or anything you asked us to skip
- Anything arising after we left — use of the property, a tradesperson attending, weather, insects
- The return of your bond itself. We guarantee our cleaning. We cannot guarantee the outcome of a bond dispute, which may turn on damage, rent, garden condition, keys or other matters that have nothing to do with cleaning
6.4 The limit of the guarantee. Our obligation under the guarantee is to return and re-clean. It is not a right to a refund, and it is not an indemnity for a withheld bond. If we cannot rectify the deficiency, we will refund the portion of the price attributable to that item.
6.5 The guarantee is in addition to your rights under the Australian Consumer Law, not a substitute for them. See clause 11.
7. Access, keys and the premises
7.1 Access is your responsibility. You must provide safe, lawful access at the scheduled time — a key, a code, a lock box, a swipe card, or someone to let us in.
7.2 No access. If we attend and cannot gain access, clause 3.2 or 3.3 applies. We will call you before leaving.
7.3 Keys and codes. Where you give us keys, cards, fobs or access codes:
- they are recorded in our key and access register and are individually signed in and out
- keys are tagged with a code, never with your name or address
- codes are stored encrypted and given only to the cleaners rostered to your site
- keys are held in a locked cabinet, not left in vehicles overnight
- on termination, all keys and cards are returned to you within 7 days and access codes are deleted
- if a key is lost we will tell you the same day and, subject to clause 9, meet the reasonable cost of re-keying
Full detail is in our privacy policy, section 5.
7.4 Utilities. You must provide running hot and cold water, and working electricity with accessible power outlets. If they are unavailable we may be unable to complete the service, and clause 3.2 may apply.
7.5 Parking. Where paid parking is unavoidable at a commercial site we will tell you in advance and it is charged at cost.
7.6 A safe workplace. You must tell us about any hazard at the premises, including asbestos, biological material, sharps, aggressive animals, unstable structures, and areas we should not enter. Our cleaners will leave a site immediately if they believe it is unsafe, and we will contact you to agree how to proceed. We will not direct a worker to enter a situation we consider unsafe, and that is not a breach of these terms.
7.7 Valuables. Please secure cash, jewellery, medication and irreplaceable items before we attend. We do not move or handle them.
7.8 Pets. We do not charge a pet surcharge. Please secure any animal that may be distressed by cleaning equipment or may leave the property when a door is opened.
7.9 Occupied premises. Where staff, residents or the public are present, we will use signage and barriers, but you must ensure your people comply with them. We are not liable for injury to a person who walks onto a floor we have signed and barricaded as wet.
7.10 Shared workplace. At every commercial site we and you are both duty holders under the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA). We will consult, co-operate and co-ordinate with you on health and safety, and we ask you to do the same, including telling us of hazards, of other contractors working at the same time, and of your emergency procedures.
8. What is excluded from every clean
Unless it is expressly written into your quote, the following are excluded from every service we provide:
- Anything requiring us to work above ground floor level externally, or from a ladder for extended two-handed work
- Anything requiring a boom lift with a boom of 11 metres or more, rope access or industrial abseiling
- Asbestos, hazardous material, mould remediation, biohazard, trauma or crime scene cleaning
- Pest control and fumigation
- Grounds and garden maintenance, lawn mowing, weeding, gutter clearing
- Rubbish and hard waste removal, other than the normal contents of bins provided
- Human or animal waste, vomit, blood or bodily fluids, other than routine washroom cleaning. If we encounter it, we will stop, isolate the area, and contact you
- Sharps and needles. We will not handle them. We will isolate and report
- Moving heavy furniture or appliances. We clean around and under items we can safely move alone. Two-person lifts must be arranged in advance
- Dishes, beyond loading a dishwasher; laundry and linen, beyond a linen change if purchased
- Inside ovens, inside fridges, inside windows beyond spot cleaning, walls, blinds, garages and balconies on a regular residential clean — these are add-ons, listed and priced separately
- Hoarding, extreme condition and post-construction dust on a standard clean — these are quoted separately after inspection
- Anything requiring a licence, ticket or permit we do not hold
- Discharging wash water or detergent to stormwater. External pressure washing is performed with containment. If a site cannot be contained, we will not perform it. This is a legal restriction under the Environmental Protection Act 1986 (WA), not a preference
Anything on this list can usually be quoted as a separate service, or referred to a specialist we trust. Ask.
9. Damage, breakage and liability
9.1 Tell us within 48 hours. If you believe we have damaged something, tell us in writing within 48 hours of the service, with photographs, before the item is repaired, replaced or disposed of. This lets us investigate and, if appropriate, make an insurance claim. If you do not tell us within that time and we are unable to investigate as a result, we may be unable to accept the claim.
9.2 What we will do. Where we are responsible we will, at our option and acting reasonably, repair the item, replace it with one of comparable value, or pay its reasonable value.
9.3 Insurance. We hold public liability insurance of $20,000,000 with a Care, Custody and Control extension, and a current workers compensation policy. A certificate of currency is available on request and is provided to every commercial client at the start of the contract and at each renewal.
9.4 What we are not responsible for:
- Pre-existing damage and wear and tear — worn surfaces, chipped tiles, cracked grout, failing seals, loose fittings, perished rubber, sun damage
- Items that were already broken, unstable or improperly fitted, including wall-mounted items, loose toilet seats, unsecured shelving and items sitting on top of appliances
- Deterioration of a surface caused by its own age or condition, including a finish that lifts when cleaned normally
- Damage arising from a defect or condition you knew of and did not tell us about
- Colour change or damage to a surface where you directed us to use a particular product or method, or where the surface was not what you told us it was
- Loss or damage caused by anyone else at the premises
- Consequential loss — see clause 9.5
9.5 Limitation. To the extent permitted by law, and subject to clause 11: (a) our total liability arising out of or in connection with the services is limited to the amount you paid us for the service that gave rise to the claim, except where the loss is covered by our public liability insurance, in which case our liability is limited to the amount recoverable under that policy; and (b) we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, including loss of profit, loss of revenue, loss of business opportunity, or loss of data.
9.6 Nothing in this clause excludes, restricts or modifies any right or remedy you have under the Australian Consumer Law. See clause 11.
10. Complaints and rectification
10.1 Tell us within 24 hours. If you are not satisfied with a clean, tell us within 24 hours of the service.
10.2 We will re-clean. For any item within the agreed scope that we did not perform to standard, we will return and re-clean it at no charge, at the earliest time you can give us access. This is our first response to every complaint.
10.3 If a re-clean does not resolve it, we will discuss a partial or full credit or refund for the affected item.
10.4 Escalation. If you are not satisfied with the outcome, write to the Director at hello@marlowfacility.com.au. We will respond within 5 business days.
10.5 Our complaints process is in addition to your rights under the Australian Consumer Law, not a substitute for them.
11. Australian Consumer Law
11.1 Our services come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law, including that services will be provided with due care and skill, will be fit for the purpose you told us about, and will be supplied within a reasonable time.
11.2 For a major failure you are entitled to cancel the service contract and to a refund of the unused portion, or to compensation for the reduced value of the services. You are also entitled to be compensated for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. For a failure that is not major, you are entitled to have the problem fixed in a reasonable time and, if it is not, to cancel and obtain a refund of the unused portion.
11.3 Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or modifies those rights. Where any provision of these terms is inconsistent with the Australian Consumer Law, the Australian Consumer Law prevails and the inconsistent provision has no effect to the extent of the inconsistency.
12. Dispute resolution
12.1 If a dispute arises, the party raising it must give the other written notice describing it.
12.2 The parties will meet, in person or by telephone, within 14 days and attempt in good faith to resolve it.
12.3 If it is not resolved within 30 days, either party may refer it to mediation, or commence proceedings.
12.4 This clause does not prevent either party from seeking urgent interlocutory relief, and it does not prevent a consumer from going directly to their state consumer regulator — Consumer Affairs Victoria or Consumer Protection Western Australia — or to a tribunal.
13. Staff non-solicitation
13.1 During the term of your agreement with us and for 12 months after the last date on which a Marlow worker attended your premises, you agree not to directly or indirectly employ or engage — or attempt to employ or engage — any person who was employed or engaged by us and who attended your premises during that period, otherwise than through us.
13.2 If you do, you agree to pay us $3,500 as a genuine pre-estimate of our loss, representing the cost of recruiting, screening, inducting and training a replacement — including the National Police Certificate, Working With Children Check where applicable, WHS induction, chemical and equipment training, and the supervised productivity ramp of a new cleaner.
13.3 This clause does not apply where the person responds to a public advertisement not directed at our workforce, or where we consent in writing.
13.4 Nothing in this clause restricts a worker's own freedom to seek or accept employment. It is an agreement between you and us, not a restraint on the worker.
14. Subcontracting
14.1 We may engage a specialist subcontractor for a part of the service — for example, carpet steam cleaning, external window cleaning, or pest control — where that specialist service is required.
14.2 Where we do, we remain responsible to you for the service, and the subcontractor is bound by written obligations including confidentiality, insurance and workers compensation.
14.3 Our cleaners are employees, not subcontractors. We say this in our marketing and we mean it as a term of these agreements.
15. Confidentiality
15.1 Each party will keep the other's confidential information confidential and use it only for the purpose of the services.
15.2 Our workers sign a confidentiality undertaking. It covers anything seen at your premises, including documents, screens, patient and client records, and commercial information, and it survives the end of their employment.
15.3 We will not name you as a client, use your logo, or photograph your premises for marketing purposes without your written consent, obtained separately from these terms.
15.4 This clause survives termination.
16. General
16.1 Force majeure. Neither party is liable for a failure to perform caused by an event outside its reasonable control, including severe weather, fire, flood, epidemic, industrial action or a government direction. Either party may terminate if the event continues for more than 30 days.
16.2 Assignment. You may not assign your agreement without our written consent. We may assign ours on notice to you, for example on a sale of our business.
16.3 Notices. Written notice may be given by email to the address each party last used, or by post to the address on the quote. Email notice is effective when sent, unless a delivery failure is received.
16.4 Variation. These terms may be varied only in writing. For recurring services we may update these terms on 30 days' written notice; if you do not accept a change you may terminate under clause 3.4 or 3.5 without penalty.
16.5 Severability. If any provision is unenforceable it is severed and the rest continues.
16.6 Entire agreement. These terms, together with the quote or service agreement, are the entire agreement between us and replace any earlier understanding.
16.7 No waiver. A failure to enforce a term is not a waiver of it.
17. Governing law
These terms and any agreement they form part of are governed by the laws of the state in which the services are performed. For services performed in Victoria that is the law of Victoria, and each party submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Victoria. For services performed in Western Australia that is the law of Western Australia, and each party submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Western Australia. In each case that includes the courts able to hear appeals from them.
Nothing in this clause limits your rights under the Australian Consumer Law, which applies nationally and cannot be excluded, or your right to approach Consumer Affairs Victoria or Consumer Protection Western Australia.
18. Contact
Marlow Services Group Pty Ltd
ABN [ABN-TBC]
Broadmeadows VIC 3047 · South Guildford WA 6055
hello@marlowfacility.com.au ·
hello@marlowfacility.com.au
Melbourne 1300 672 034 ·
Perth 1300 672 034
marlowfacility.com.au
See also our privacy policy.