We want customers to know exactly how the businesses featured on this website work. These terms are intended to keep things clear, fair and straightforward for everyone.

Independent Businesses

The businesses featured on this website are independent businesses working alongside one another.

They currently include:

Southcrest Building & Roofing Maintenance
Crouch Carpentry & Tiling Services
JWM Plastering & Building Services Ltd
Hopper Electrical Services Ltd
On The Ball Plumbing & Heating Ltd

Each business remains responsible for its own quotations, contracts, invoices, payments, work, insurance, qualifications, guarantees and customer service.

Being featured together on this website does not make the businesses one company, partnership or employer and employee relationship.

Where several businesses are involved in the same project, each may still be working independently unless a different arrangement has been specifically agreed.

Choosing a Trade

Customers can contact whichever business is most appropriate for their work.

If you are unsure which trade you need, one of us may help point you towards another business within the group.

A recommendation or introduction does not transfer responsibility for another business's work. The business carrying out the work remains responsible for its own service and agreement with the customer.

Quotations, Estimates & Additional Work

Each business provides its own quotations or estimates and sets its own payment arrangements.

Sometimes additional work becomes necessary because:

• the customer asks for extra work;

• hidden damage or defects are discovered;

• the existing property is different from what could reasonably have been known beforehand;

• additional work is needed to complete the job safely or correctly.

Where reasonably possible, additional work and any effect on cost will be discussed with the customer before that additional work is carried out.

The individual quotation or written agreement issued by the business carrying out the job takes priority over these general website terms for that particular project.

Customer Instructions & Authority

The person instructing a business to carry out work should have authority to do so.

If you are a tenant, leaseholder, managing agent or are arranging work on behalf of somebody else, please tell the relevant business and obtain any permission required from the property owner, landlord, freeholder or other responsible person.

Any necessary planning permission, listed building consent, landlord approval, freeholder permission, Party Wall procedures or similar consent should be discussed before work starts.

Responsibility for obtaining a particular approval should be agreed as part of the job and should not automatically be assumed to be included.

Existing & Hidden Conditions

Building and maintenance work can sometimes reveal problems that were not visible before work started.

Examples include hidden water damage, rotten timber, defective wiring, damaged pipework, unsuitable previous work or structural defects concealed behind existing finishes.

Where something unexpected is discovered, the relevant business will explain the issue and discuss the best way forward.

Carrying Out the Work

Work will be carried out with reasonable care and skill and with proper consideration for the customer's property.

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires services supplied to consumers to be performed with reasonable care and skill. Nothing in these terms removes those statutory rights. Legislation.gov.uk

Reasonable efforts will be made to keep working areas organised and to leave areas affected by the work in an appropriate condition.

Building work can sometimes involve disturbance to existing finishes. Where floors, walls, ceilings, brickwork, tiles, paintwork or other existing materials have to be removed or altered, an exact match with older materials or finishes cannot always be guaranteed.

Where additional making-good or decorating is not included within the agreed work, this should be made clear between the customer and the relevant business.

Health & Safety

Safety is taken seriously across all participating trades.

Each business is responsible for complying with the health and safety requirements relevant to the work it carries out.

Construction work is covered by the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015). Contractors have duties to plan, manage and monitor their work so that risks are properly controlled. HSE

CDM 2015 also applies to work carried out for domestic customers. On a domestic project involving a single contractor, certain client duties normally pass to that contractor. Where more than one contractor is involved, additional duties may apply, including those of a principal contractor. HSE

A business may pause, postpone or refuse to continue work where it reasonably believes conditions are unsafe.

Building Regulations & Standards

Where applicable, work will be carried out with regard to relevant Building Regulations, recognised industry standards, manufacturer instructions and the requirements applicable to that particular trade.

Not every regulation or certification shown on this website applies to every business or every job.

Qualifications, Training & Registrations

The businesses featured on this website collectively hold or undertake a range of trade qualifications, training and registrations.

Any qualification, membership, certification or accreditation displayed applies only to the business or individual entitled to hold it and the work for which it is relevant.

For example, electrical registrations shown for Hopper Electrical Services do not automatically apply to the other businesses, and Gas Safe registration associated with On The Ball Plumbing & Heating does not mean the other businesses are Gas Safe registered.

Customers are welcome to ask the relevant business for details of qualifications or registrations applicable to their work.

Timescales & Delays

Every reasonable effort will be made to complete work within an agreed or expected timeframe.

Building and property work can, however, be affected by matters such as severe weather, material availability, unforeseen defects, emergency work, delays by suppliers or other circumstances outside the reasonable control of the business.

Where a significant delay occurs, the relevant business should keep the customer informed.

Photographs

Photographs may be taken before, during and after work for legitimate business purposes such as recording existing conditions, documenting progress or keeping a record of completed work.

Photographs may also be used to showcase completed work on websites, social media or advertising.

Where a photograph would clearly identify a customer, vehicle registration, private documents or other personal information, appropriate care should be taken before publication.

If a customer does not want photographs of their property used for promotional purposes, they can tell the business carrying out the work.

Reviews & Feedback

Customer reviews belong to the individual business that carried out the work.

Reviews should not be presented as belonging to another participating business.

The shared website may direct customers to the appropriate Google, Facebook or other review page so that feedback is left for the correct business.

Complaints

We hope problems can normally be resolved quickly by speaking directly to the business concerned.

If a customer has a concern, they should contact the individual business that carried out the work and explain the problem, giving that business a reasonable opportunity to inspect and respond.

Southcrest may assist with contact or communication where useful, but maintaining this website does not make Southcrest responsible for resolving complaints about another independent business.

Nothing in this section affects a customer's right to seek independent consumer advice or pursue any legal remedies available to them.

Responsibility for Work

Each business is responsible for the work that it carries out.

One participating business does not automatically accept responsibility for another business's workmanship, actions, omissions, debts, contractual commitments or guarantees simply because both businesses appear on this website or have worked on the same property.

Where responsibility is shared or a different arrangement exists on a particular project, that will depend on the actual agreement and applicable law.

Nothing in these terms is intended to exclude liability that cannot legally be excluded or to remove statutory consumer rights.

Website Information

We aim to keep the information on this website accurate and up to date.

Services, qualifications, contact details, memberships and availability can change, so customers should confirm anything particularly important directly with the relevant business.

Information and photographs on the website provide a general indication of services and previous work. They do not form a survey, specification, quotation or guarantee that exactly the same result can be achieved at another property.

Our Approach

Although each business remains independent, we share the same basic approach:

Clear communication. Respect for customers' homes. Safe working practices. Appropriate trade knowledge and training. Quality workmanship. Straightforward dealings with customers.

The purpose of working together is to give local customers access to trusted trades while allowing every business to retain its own independence and responsibility for its work.