Terms and conditions

1. Who this agreement is between

1.1 This agreement is between you, the customer named on the quotation, and Halo International Relocations, referred to below as we, us or our.

1.2 It takes effect when you accept our quotation, whether in writing, by email or by allowing us to begin work.

1.3 Only you and we have rights under this agreement. Nobody else may enforce any part of it.

1.4 To carry out the services we need to collect and use personal information about you. Our privacy policy explains what we hold and why.

Please read clauses 3, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15 and 16 with particular care. They set out what our price covers, what you must do, what we will not carry, the limits on what we pay if something is lost or damaged, and the deadline for telling us about a problem.

2. Words we use

2.1 An item means the whole contents of any box, carton, package or similar container, and any single object we handle, move or store. A sealed carton holding forty plates is one item, not forty.

2.2 Owner-packed means anything you or someone other than us packed and closed.

2.3 Working days means Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.

2.4 The services means the work described in our quotation, which may include surveying, packing, collection, shipping, customs clearance, storage and delivery.

3. Our quotation

3.1 Our quotation is based on the volume, weight, access and dates you have told us about, and on what we saw at survey. If any of those turn out to be materially different, the price may change and we will tell you before we proceed.

3.2 Unless our quotation says otherwise in writing, the price does not include customs duties or taxes, port and terminal charges, demurrage or container detention, customs or quarantine examination fees, storage beyond the period quoted, insurance premiums, or any charge levied by a government body.

3.3 Our quotation is open for acceptance for [28] days from its date.

3.4 Where our price includes delivery out of storage, that price assumes delivery takes place within [6] months of the quotation date.

4. Charges we may add

4.1 We may charge reasonable additional sums where any of the following applies, and we will tell you as soon as we reasonably can:

4.1.1 The work does not start within [28] days of your acceptance.

4.1.2 There is more to move than we were told about, including items discovered on the day.

4.1.3 Access at either address needs equipment, a shuttle vehicle, a hoist or an external lift that was not quoted for, or our vehicle cannot get within a reasonable distance of the door.

4.1.4 We have to collect from or deliver to a floor above the first without a serviceable lift, where that was not allowed for.

4.1.5 You ask us to work on a weekend or public holiday, or outside 08:00 to 18:00.

4.1.6 We have to pay parking charges, permit or bay suspension fees, congestion or emission zone charges, tolls or ferry surcharges. Parking fines incurred through our own fault are ours to pay, not yours.

4.1.7 Our costs rise because of currency movement, fuel, freight rates, taxation or carrier surcharges outside our control, between quotation and performance.

4.1.8 You ask to access goods while they are in store, or ask for extra services.

4.1.9 We are delayed by something outside our reasonable control which extends the time or resources the job needs.

4.1.10 We agree in writing before we start to accept a higher limit of liability than clause 12 provides.

4.2 You agree to pay any such reasonable charges.

5. Work we do not carry out

5.1 Unless we have agreed it in writing, we will not:

5.1.1 Dismantle or reassemble furniture.

5.1.2 Disconnect or reconnect appliances, aerials, alarms, fixtures or fittings, or anything connected to gas, water or electricity.

5.1.3 Lift or lay fitted floor coverings.

5.1.4 Enter a loft that is unlit, unboarded or without safe access.

5.1.5 Dismantle sheds, greenhouses, play equipment, satellite dishes or similar, or move paving, planters or garden structures.

5.2 Our crews are not qualified to do this work and are not insured for it. Please arrange a suitably qualified person separately.

6. Goods we will not move or store

6.1 The following must not be given to us, and we will not knowingly move or store them unless a director has agreed in writing beforehand.

6.1.1 Dangerous or damaging goods. Loose lithium-ion batteries, power banks, vapes and e-cigarettes, aerosols of any kind, gas cylinders, fuels and oils, paints, thinners and solvents, chemicals, fireworks, ammunition, firearms, asbestos, toxic or biological material, and anything that gives off fumes.

6.1.2 Money and valuables. Cash, jewellery, watches, precious stones and metals, coins, stamps, bonds, deeds, securities, passports and other irreplaceable documents, mobile phones, laptops, tablets and similar portable devices.

6.1.3 Anything perishable, or which needs a controlled temperature or humidity to survive.

6.1.4 Living things. Animals, birds, fish, reptiles, insects and plants. We can arrange pet relocation separately.

6.1.5 Anything likely to attract pests, or which is dirty, contaminated or a risk to health. We may refuse such goods without liability to you.

6.1.6 Anything needing an export or import licence or government permission, unless that permission has been obtained and shown to us.

6.1.7 Anything unlawful. Stolen goods, controlled drugs, prescription medicines belonging to someone else, indecent material or anything else whose possession is an offence. We will not move these in any circumstances.

6.2 If we do agree in writing to carry something in this clause, we accept no liability for it unless the loss or damage was caused by our negligence or our breach of this agreement.

6.3 If you give us any of these goods without telling us, we will make them available for you to collect. If you do not collect them within a reasonable time we may apply to the court for permission to dispose of them, and you will reimburse our reasonable costs, including legal costs and any penalty imposed on us.

7. What you agree to do

7.1 You agree to:

7.1.1 Tell us in writing, before we start, the value, volume and quantity of what we are moving or storing. Clause 12.2 explains what happens if the value is understated.

7.1.2 Obtain, at your own cost, every permit, licence, visa, import approval and customs document the move requires.

7.1.3 Be present, or have someone you have authorised present, throughout collection and delivery, and to supervise children and pets while we are working.

7.1.4 Check and sign the inventory, worksheet or delivery note at collection and at delivery.

7.1.5 Make sure nothing that should travel is left behind, and nothing that should stay is taken.

7.1.6 Empty, defrost, dry and clean fridges and freezers. We are not responsible for their contents.

7.1.7 Drain and clean anything that has held fluid or fuel, including washing machines, dishwashers, hosepipes, mowers and power tools.

7.1.8 Prepare and stabilise appliances and electronic equipment for transit.

7.1.9 Pack owner-packed cartons well enough to be handled, stacked and shipped.

7.1.10 Arrange protection for goods left in premises that are empty, or where other people such as tenants or contractors are present.

7.1.11 Give us a current address, email address and telephone number, and tell us if they change while your goods are in transit or storage.

7.2 Except where we have been negligent or have broken this agreement, we are not liable for loss, damage or extra cost arising because these things were not done.

8. Ownership and authority

8.1 By entering into this agreement you confirm that the goods are yours and free of any charge, or that you have the owner's full authority to make this agreement and have shown them these terms.

8.2 If anyone else acquires an interest in the goods, you must tell us their name and address in writing straight away.

8.3 You will indemnify us against any claim, damages or costs arising if clause 8.1 turns out to be untrue.

8.4 If you want to transfer this agreement to someone else, tell us in writing with their name and address. Your agreement with us continues until we hold a signed agreement from them.

9. Postponing and cancelling

9.1 You may postpone or cancel at any time. Because we reserve crews, vehicles and shipping space in advance and may be unable to refill the slot, we charge on the following scale, calculated on the total price:

9.1.1 More than 10 working days before the start date: no charge.

9.1.2 Between 6 and 10 working days: [30]% of our charges.

9.1.3 Between 2 and 5 working days: [60]% of our charges.

9.1.4 Within 1 working day: [75]% of our charges.

9.1.5 On or after the day work starts: [100]% of our charges.

9.2 Where we have already paid a third party on your behalf and cannot recover it — a booked sailing or flight, for example — that cost is payable in addition.

9.3 These charges reflect our genuine loss. If our actual loss is lower, we will charge the lower amount.

10. Payment

10.1 Unless we agree otherwise in writing, payment in cleared funds is due before the services begin. We may decline to start until payment is received.

10.2 We do not accept payment on delivery for international shipments, because goods are usually released against payment at the destination.

10.3 On overdue sums we may charge a reasonable administrative fee not exceeding £[50], together with interest at the statutory rate.

10.4 You may not withhold payment because of a claim or dispute, unless we have agreed it in writing.

11. Our responsibility for your goods

11.1 Our responsibility is to deliver your goods, or make them available for collection, in the same condition they were in when we packed them or took them into our care.

11.2 Where we have packed the goods, that condition is judged as at the moment immediately before packing.

11.3 Our responsibility begins at the earlier of the moment we begin packing and the moment the goods come into our custody. It ends when delivery is complete or the goods are handed over from store.

11.4 If we fail in that responsibility we will compensate you, subject to clauses 12, 13, 15 and 16.

12. Limits on what we pay

12.1 There are two bases. Which one applies depends on whether you give us a written valuation before we start.

12.2 Declared value basis. If you complete our valuation form before the services begin, we will accept liability up to the declared value, subject to an overall maximum of £[amount] for a total loss. We may agree a higher figure in writing for an additional charge. If the goods turn out to be worth more than you declared, what we pay is reduced by the same proportion that your declared value bears to the true value.

12.3 Basic basis. If you do not give us a written valuation, our liability is limited to £[amount] per item, and arises only where we have been negligent or have broken this agreement.

12.4 On either basis, what we pay is the lesser of the reasonable cost of repair and the reduction in value, taking account of the age and condition of the item immediately before the loss or damage. We do not pay for any fall in value that remains after a proper repair.

12.5 Where an item is part of a pair or a set, we pay for that item alone, not for the set.

12.6 For an owner-packed item, our maximum liability is £[amount] for that item.

12.7 Where we pay the full replacement value of an item we may take it as salvage. Please keep it until the claim is settled.

12.8 We will ask for evidence of what a repair or replacement actually costs, and we need to agree the figure before we pay it.

12.9 These limits apply however the claim is handled, including through an insurer or a claims assessor.

12.10 If you hold your own insurance covering the loss, please claim on it first.

Our liability limits are not insurance and are not intended to be. For a household shipment they will usually be well below what your belongings are worth. We strongly recommend marine transit insurance, which we can arrange or which you may buy elsewhere.

13. Shipments to and from outside the UK

13.1 We will accept liability on the declared value basis only where you have completed our valuation form.

13.2 When we book a shipping line, airline or overseas haulier, we do so as your agent. That carrier's own conditions of carriage govern their part of the journey, and those conditions usually limit their liability severely.

13.3 General average. If a vessel carrying your goods suffers a serious casualty, maritime law can require every cargo owner to contribute towards the cost of saving the ship and its cargo, and to provide security before their goods are released. This can apply even though your own goods are undamaged. It is an insurable risk and it is your responsibility to insure against it. We are not liable for it.

13.4 If a vessel or aircraft fails to deliver, or delivers somewhere other than the agreed destination, your recourse is against the carrier under their conditions, and you may have to pay the cost of onward carriage.

13.5 We are not liable for goods seized, detained, examined, damaged or destroyed by customs, quarantine or any other authority, unless that happened because of our negligence or breach of this agreement.

13.6 Where a destination is affected by war, civil unrest, sanctions or serious instability, we will tell you at quotation if we are unable to accept liability there.

13.7 Outside our own physical possession, we accept liability only where the loss or damage is shown to have been caused by our failure to pack the goods to a reasonable standard, where we were engaged to pack them.

14. Damage to premises

14.1 Other trades and contractors are often on site on moving day, which makes responsibility hard to establish afterwards. Please tell us at the time.

14.2 If we damage your premises or property other than the goods being moved, through our negligence or breach of this agreement, our liability is limited to making good the damaged area or item itself.

14.3 If we cause damage while following your express instruction, given against our advice, we are not liable for it.

14.4 Damage to premises must be recorded on the worksheet or delivery note at the time, or told to us by the end of the next working day. This is an important condition of this agreement.

15. What we are not responsible for

15.1 Unless caused by our negligence or breach of this agreement, we are not liable for loss of or damage to:

15.1.1 Documents, deeds, securities, stamps, manuscripts or stored electronic data.

15.1.2 Jewellery, watches, precious stones and metals, money, coins, phones, laptops and similar portable devices.

15.1.3 Plants, animals, birds or fish.

15.1.4 Perishable goods, or goods needing a controlled environment.

15.1.5 Anything listed in clause 6.

15.2 Unless caused by our negligence or breach of this agreement, we are not liable for loss or damage arising from:

15.2.1 War, invasion, terrorism, civil unrest, government action, epidemic or pandemic, extreme weather, industrial action by others, port congestion, or changes to sailing and flight schedules.

15.2.2 Nuclear, chemical, biological or electromagnetic incident, or cyber attack.

15.2.3 Ordinary wear and tear, or gradual deterioration, leakage or evaporation.

15.2.4 Moths, vermin, insects or infestation.

15.2.5 Mould, mildew, rust, corrosion or tarnishing caused by changes in atmospheric conditions, unless water got in because of something we did wrong.

15.2.6 Cleaning, repair or restoration not arranged by us.

15.2.7 The collapse of furniture made from particle board or similar material.

15.2.8 Anything with an existing defect, or which is inherently fragile or badly made.

15.2.9 Anything left inside furniture, drawers, wardrobes or appliances.

15.2.10 Electrical or mechanical failure of any appliance, instrument, clock or computer where there is no visible external damage.

15.2.11 Scratches, dents or marks to a vehicle, unless we prepared a condition report with you before collection.

15.2.12 Damage to a vehicle being driven, other than during loading or unloading.

15.3 We are not liable for breakage of china, glass or other fragile items inside an owner-packed carton, whatever the cause. Where damage would have happened regardless of how the carton was packed, our liability is the lower of £[amount] and the item's actual value.

15.4 We are not liable for financial or business loss of any kind, including lost profit, lost income, wasted expenditure, missed deadlines or loss of goodwill.

15.5 We are not liable for loss or damage that was not reasonably foreseeable, unless you told us in writing before we quoted and we accepted that risk in writing.

15.6 No individual member of our staff is personally liable to you under this agreement.

15.7 Nothing in these terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for anything else which cannot lawfully be limited. Your statutory rights as a consumer are not affected.

16. Making a claim

16.1 Please check your goods on delivery and note anything missing or damaged on the delivery note or worksheet at the time.

16.2 If you or someone acting for you collects the goods, tell us in writing about any loss or damage at the point of collection.

16.3 A claim must reach us in writing, with detail, within [7] days of delivery. This lets us investigate while the evidence still exists.

16.4 If you need longer, ask us in writing within the same [7] days and we will not unreasonably refuse.

16.5 These time limits apply however the claim is handled, including through an insurer or claims assessor.

16.6 On an international shipment, please also tell us before the container or vehicle leaves your property if anything is visibly missing at delivery, so we can raise it with the carrier within their own deadlines, which are often shorter than ours.

17. Storage

17.1 We choose the storage location and the method, and may move goods between our facilities.

17.2 Our warehouses are dry and ventilated. They are not temperature or humidity controlled unless your quotation says so. Please tell us if anything you are storing needs those conditions.

17.3 Storage is billed monthly in advance. We review our rates periodically and will give you [30] days' written notice of any increase.

17.4 To take goods out of store, please give us at least [10] working days' notice. We will release earlier if we can and your account is up to date.

17.5 If you add to or remove from your stored goods, the original inventory and valuation no longer apply. Please send us an updated list and value within 10 days.

17.6 If you access the goods during storage, our liability for the remainder of the storage period is restricted to loss or damage caused by fire, lightning, explosion, earthquake, storm, flood, escape of water, theft involving forced entry, riot, malicious damage, impact by vehicle or aircraft, or the dropping of a storage container.

17.7 If we need to end a storage contract we will give you three months' written notice, provided your account is up to date.

18. Delays

18.1 Transit times we give you are estimates based on what we know when we quote. They are not guarantees.

18.2 Sailing schedules, routings and port conditions are outside our control and change frequently. We will tell you as soon as we know of a material change.

18.3 Except where a delay results from our negligence or breach of this agreement, we are not liable for it or for any cost arising from it.

18.4 If we cannot deliver through no fault of ours, we may place the goods into storage. This agreement is then fulfilled, and storage and later delivery are chargeable.

19. Holding goods against unpaid charges

19.1 A lien is a legal right to keep hold of goods until what is owed has been paid.

19.2 If you do not pay what is due under this or any other agreement with us, including sums we have paid out on your behalf, we may keep some or all of your goods until you do.

19.3 While we hold them, storage charges continue and you are responsible for our reasonable costs of recovering the debt, including legal costs. These terms continue to apply throughout.

20. Selling goods against unpaid charges

20.1 If your account is in arrears we may give you 28 days' written notice requiring payment and the removal of your goods.

20.2 If the account is still unpaid after that notice, we may sell or otherwise dispose of the goods. The cost of doing so is charged to your account.

20.3 We will credit the net proceeds to your account and pay you any surplus, without interest. If the proceeds do not clear the debt, the balance remains payable.

21. Subcontracting, route and method

21.1 We may subcontract all or part of the services. These terms continue to apply.

21.2 We choose the route, the method and the vessel or vehicle.

21.3 Unless your quotation says the container or vehicle is for your sole use, we may carry other customers' goods in the same space.

22. Import and export information

22.1 We will do our best to give you accurate, current information about the customs, quarantine and import rules that apply to your move, and we do so in good faith.

22.2 Those rules change, are interpreted differently at different ports, and vary with your own immigration status. The information we give is guidance, not advice, and it is your responsibility to verify anything you are relying on.

22.3 We are not liable for loss arising from a change in law or its interpretation, or from a decision by a customs or quarantine authority.

23. Complaints and disputes

23.1 If something has gone wrong, please tell your move consultant first. Most things are resolved quickly at that stage.

23.2 If you are not satisfied, write to us and we will acknowledge within [2] working days and give you a full response within [10] working days.

23.3 If we cannot resolve it between us, either of us may refer the dispute to an independent alternative dispute resolution provider. Details of the scheme we use are available on request. Using it does not affect your right to go to court.

23.4 Nothing in this clause affects your statutory rights.

24. Governing law

24.1 This agreement is governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have non-exclusive jurisdiction.

24.2 If you live outside the United Kingdom, or are moving outside it, a different law or jurisdiction may apply only where we have agreed that in writing before the services begin.

24.3 If any part of these terms is found to be unenforceable, the rest continues to apply.

25. Changes to these terms

25.1 We may update these terms to reflect changes in law or regulation.

25.2 For any other substantive change, we will give you at least 30 days' written notice before it takes effect.

25.3 The version in force is the one published on this page on the date you accepted our quotation. We will provide a copy of that version on request.

Version 1.0 · in force from [date] · © Halo International Relocations