Terms and Conditions for Freelancers
1. Eligibility
1.1 To use the Platform as a freelancer, you must be at least 18 years old.
1.2 You must have created an account on our Platform to offer services.
2. Agreement to Terms
2.1 By creating an account and using our Platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions. This creates a legally binding agreement between you and Simply Book One Ltd.
3. Account Creation and Maintenance
3.1 You agree to provide accurate and up-to-date information when creating your account and during your use of the Platform.
3.2 You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials.
4. Service Delivery
4.1 Quality of Service: You agree to provide high-quality services that meet or exceed customer expectations.
4.2 Timely Delivery: You agree to deliver services within the agreed-upon timeframe.
4.3 Communication: You must maintain open and timely communication with customers throughout the project.
4.4 Platform Rules: You must adhere to our Platform’s rules and guidelines, including those related to fair practices, intellectual property, and dispute resolution.
4.5 Equipment Safety: If your services require the use of electrical equipment, you must ensure that it is regularly PAT tested. You must be able to provide proof of this to the customer upon request.
4.6 Insurance: You must maintain appropriate insurance coverage to protect yourself and your clients while providing services, especially when working on-site at a customer’s location. You must be able to provide proof of this to the customer upon request.
5. Relationship of Parties
5.1 Independent Freelancer: You are an independent freelancer and not an employee, agent, or partner of Simply Book One Ltd.
5.2 Business Structure: You may operate as a sole trader or limited company.
5.3 Tax and Legal Responsibilities: You are solely responsible for paying all taxes, fees, and other charges associated with your services, including VAT and income tax. You are responsible for registering for VAT and declaring your income to the relevant authorities, such as HMRC.
6. Payments, Commission and Fees
6.1 You agree to the fee structure and payment terms outlined on the Platform.
6.2 You understand that we may charge fees for using the Platform, including transaction fees, a percentage-based commission or service charges. The current rate of commission is set at 8%. This is charged on the full price paid to you by the customer. If you charge a customer £100 for a booking, then the resulting commission payable to us will be £8.
6.3 Commission may be automatically deducted by us at the point of booking if the customer makes a payment at the time of booking.
6.4 In instances where a payment is not made by the customer at the time of booking, our commission or fees will become due for payment on the day that the booking is made but you have one calendar month to pay the commission. We recommend that you take a booking deposit from the customer to hold the date booked by them, which will then cover the commission or fee payable by you to us. If you do not take a booking deposit from the customer at the time of booking, you are still liable to pay our commission or fees on the booking.
6.5 If any fees or commissions remain outstanding after one calendar month, we may add a late payment fee of £12.
6.6 If commission or fees are still outstanding after 2 calendar months from the date that they became due (the date of booking confirmation), we may take further action to recover the outstanding balance, including but not limited to:
* Sharing your personal information with debt collection agencies and employing them to collect the outstanding balance from you.
* Initiating legal proceedings against you.
* Selling the debt to a third-party debt collection agency.
* You will be responsible for any costs incurred by us in recovering outstanding fees and commissions, including legal fees and debt collection charges.
7. Intellectual Property
7.1 Copyright Ownership: You retain ownership of the copyright to your work.
7.2 License Grant: By delivering a service, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, and display your work as necessary to provide the Platform’s services.
8. Dispute Resolution
8.1 Direct Resolution: You are responsible for resolving any disputes with customers amicably.
8.2 Platform Involvement: We may, at our sole discretion, assist in mediating disputes, but we are not obligated to do so.
8.3 Mediation: If you are unable to resolve the dispute directly with the customer, you may wish to engage the services of a third party mediation service.
9. Breach of Terms
9.1 If you breach these Terms, we may take appropriate action, including issuing a written warning to your account email address or terminating your account.
10. Data Privacy
10.1 We may share your personal information with third-party service providers who assist us in operating the Platform. We may also share your information with law enforcement or regulatory authorities if required by law.
10.2 If you fail to pay any fees or commissions owed to us, we may share your personal information with debt collection agencies to recover any outstanding amounts.
11. Assignment
11.1 We may assign our rights and obligations under these Terms to a third party. Upon such assignment, all rights, interests, and titles under these Terms will transfer to the third party and remain in full force and effect.
12. Termination
12.1 By You: You may terminate your account and your obligations under these Terms by closing your account on the Platform. However, this termination will not be effective until all outstanding fees and commissions have been paid to us.
12.2 By Us: We may terminate your account or access to the Platform at any time, with or without notice, for any reason, including violation of these Terms.
13. Governing Law and Jurisdiction
13.1 These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales.
13.2 The English courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms.
14. Changes to Terms
14.1 We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. Any changes will be effective upon posting to the Platform.