Terms and Conditions

These Terms and Conditions shall represent a legally binding contract between Oxford & London Sitters (''the Agency'') and the parent(s) or person acting on parent(s) behalf (''the Client''), covering the consulting service and/or the placement of the ''Candidate''. The Agency specializes in placing babysitters and providing consultancy services to families

​

Oxford & London Sitters acts as an introduction and booking agency providing vetted, experienced childcare professionals, Oxford & London Sitters does not employ the Childcarers booked by Clients.

Oxford & London Sitters provides childcarer introduction services and will endeavour to introduce to the Client, Childcarers on Oxford & London Sitters' register. Oxford & London Sitters undertakes to ensure that all Childcarers on the register have been carefully selected and have demonstrated satisfactory previous experience in childcare employment.

The Client accepts that no amount of reference checking can provide a guarantee of future performance by individual Childcarers.  Oxford & London Sitters cannot be held accountable for negligence on the part of a Childcarer who has provided Oxford & London Sitters with satisfactory references except where reasonable care has not been taken in the reference checking process or where Oxford & London Sitters has failed to take note of other information received concerning the Childcarer's past performance.

Oxford & London Sitters will always use its best endeavours to fill a booking providing a minimum of twelve hours' notice is given.  Wherever possible Oxford & London Sitters will ensure that the Client's bookings are offered to their preferred Childcarers first. The Client accepts that Childcarers on Oxford & London Sitters register are free agents and Oxford & London Sitters is not able to require any particular individual to work at any time or for any particular Client.

​

The following terms and conditions apply:

Fees

The Client either;

1. Pays a membership subscription of £8 per month, in return the Client is permitted to book Childcarers via Oxford & London Sitters.

2. Pays a one off booking fee per booking (listed below).

2a. A booking is defined as a scheduled start and finish time within a 24 hour period. On each booking Oxford & London Sitters charges a booking fee for finding a Childcarer for the Client. A booking fee falls due once the booking has been confirmed.

2.b The Client agrees to give 24 hours notice to cancel a booking to the Agency. The agency fee is non refundable. 

2.c If less than 24 hours notice is given to cancel a booking the Client agrees to pay 50% the hourly rate x the number of hours booked to the sitter.

3. The Agency's Current Scale of Charges for the placement of a Candidate (Placement Fee) are: 

Members booking Fees

Evening Babysit after 6pm | £6

Short notice bookings made at less than 48 hours notice | £12

Bookings lasting longer than 8 hours | £12

Non-members booking fees

Evening babysit after 6pm | £15

Short notice bookings made at less than 36 hours’ notice | £21

Bookings lasting longer than 8 hours | £21

 

4. If you change the start time or expected return time for a booking, no additional fee is payable if the booking has not yet been filled and confirmed to you by email. However, if the booking has already been confirmed a £4 administration fee is payable, provided your booked Childcarer is able to accommodate the change.  If your booked Childcarer is unable to accommodate the change and Oxford & London Sitters is unable to find you an alternative Childcarer, a further booking fee will be payable once we are able to refill your booking.

5. Booking and membership fees are inclusive of VAT.

6. Memberships renew on a monthly basis automatically unless we receive notification to cancel a membership. The client may cancel their membership of Oxford & London Sitters at any time provided 30 days notice is given.

7. Oxford & London Sitters undertakes to give the Client a minimum of 30 days' notice of any change in membership or booking fees via our website.

Conditions

1. In paying a membership fee the Client undertakes to make all bookings with Childcarers through Oxford & London Sitters. Private approaches to Childcarers are not permitted without the prior agreement of Oxford & London Sitters. If a Client is found to have made an offer of childcare employment to a Childcarer beyond the scope of the original booking made through Oxford & London Sitters then the Client's membership will be cancelled with immediate effect. No refund of membership fees paid will be made and no further bookings will be accepted. The Client will be liable in damages to Oxford & London Sitters to compensate Oxford & London Sitters in respect of all past present and future losses which Oxford & London Sitters suffers by reason of any breach of the undertaking above to a maximum sum of £1,000. If a Client wishes to employ a specific Childcarer originally introduced by Oxford & London Sitters on a long term or regular basis, then Oxford & London Sitters should be notified in advance. If such an arrangement is to be made Oxford & London Sitters will charge an introduction fee calculated as the average of Oxford & London Sitters' daily booking fees and 15% of the Childcarer's prospective earnings - both calculated for the duration of the employment up to 1 year.

2. The Client accepts that Oxford & London Sitters' responsibility is to introduce Childcarers who have demonstrated previous satisfactory professional childcare experience and service provision.

3. The Client is responsible for ensuring the Childcarer clearly understands any special needs of the Client's children.

4. Oxford & London Sitters has no responsibility for a Childcarer's acts or omissions except where these could reasonably have been identifiable from Oxford & London Sitters selection procedure or as a result of other information received by Oxford & London Sitters.  If during a booking, any accidental damage occurs to the Client's property or possessions, this will need to be covered by the Client's own home insurance policy. 

5. In the event that a Childcarer is booked and for reasons beyond the agency's control the Childcarer cancels at short notice or fails to arrive at the appointed time the agency will use its best endeavours to find another Childcarer for the Client. In the event that it is not possible to refill the booking no booking fee will be charged and a refund of a proportion of the Client's membership or an extension of their membership will be offered.

5.1 

6. The agency is not responsible for any loss suffered as a result of the Childcarer's failure to keep the appointment except where Oxford & London Sitters has failed to use reasonable care in confirming the details of the appointment with the Childcarer.

7. The Client is responsible for ensuring that their home contents insurance includes cover for Employers and Public Liability insurance for domestic workers, including Childcarers. Oxford & London Sitters does not exclude or restrict liability for death or personal injury resulting from its negligence.

8. Oxford & London Sitters reserves the right to terminate any membership either when the current paid membership expires or by giving the Client 14 days notice and a refund of any un-expired membership fee.

9. Oxford & London Sitters Clients accept that we may communicate with them by email, text message or phone in relation to any matter concerning childcare bookings made by the Client and periodically with news about Oxford & London Sitters services. Apart from in the course of arranging your childcare provision Oxford & London Sitters will keep your email address, phone number and other personal data confidential at all times.

10. In case of any dispute English law shall apply.