Elite Utility Services LTD General Terms & Conditions

Definitions

In this document the term “EUSL” shall mean Elite Utility Services LTD & the term “Customer” shall mean the person or legal entity whose name is on our quotation, estimate, contract or their authorised representative or the person or other legal entity that has instructed EUSL or whose instruction EUSL has accepted.
The EUSL employee in charge of the works, on site and on behalf of EUSL shall be known as the “Crew Leader”.

Acceptance

All quotations, estimates or contracts are accepted on these General Terms & Conditions unless agreed in writing and
signed by both EUSL and the Customer. These terms cannot be varied or overridden by any other terms stipulated or inferred by the Customer, whether in negotiations or instructions.

Health & Safety

The safety of the general public and EUSL’s employees is paramount to EUSL has a stringent Health & Safety Policy and EUSL’s
employees will never undertake any task or works that may endanger themselves or members of the public.
The Crew Leader has absolute discretion with regard to safety issues and his decision on any safety matter is final.

The Quotation

EUSL’s quotation is valid for 30 days from the date shown. It may be subject to change should the information provided
be incorrect however the Crew Leader will check, before commencing works, that the measurements and details of the quote are accurate and if alteration is necessary, will agree the same, with the Customer, before commencing.
The Customer should carefully check EUSL’s quotation and ensure that we have included everything required, as errors and omissions are excluded, E&OE.
EUSL’s quotation is prepared utilising a number of factors including geographical distance from EUSL’s offices; hours anticipated on site; type of reinstatement; size, type, length and complexity of pipework; internal connection requirements surfaces, reinstatement materials and other unlisted factors.
All disbursements including parking charges or costs, penalty notices, congestion charges, low emission zone charges or other charges incurred by EUSL in the course of carrying out the Customer’s works are charged in addition to the quotation.
If a Public Opening Notice is required then EUSL will charge an administration fee currently (14/01/2023) of £175.00 plus VAT, in addition to the charges requested from the local authority and/or any utility provider’s fees, who may need to provide drawings detailing the location of their apparatus. These charges will be invoiced in advance of the works and need to be paid before the notice is applied for. Local Authorities do not usually charge VAT on such notices.

Minimum Call Charge & Waiting Time

Currently (14/01/2023) our Minimum Call Charge is £495.00 plus VAT, this charge is subject to review from time to time.
In the event that the EUSL crew is prevented from continuing, carrying on or completing their works due to circumstances beyond or outside of their control then the Customer will be subject to Waiting Time charges which equates to £100.00 plus VAT per
hour per two man crew or part thereof. Additional crew members will be charged pro rata.

Aborted Call

EUSL reserve the right to charge a Minimum Call Charge, to contribute to EUSL’s costs, in the event that works are cancelled, aborted or otherwise necessarily delayed for reasons beyond EUSL’s control, these reasons may include, but are not exclusively limited to, the presence of scaffolding, skips, vehicles, trees, walls or other obstacles present in the area of EUSL’s works; the presence of unsafe working conditions including the discovery of asbestos in or near EUSL’s working area; insufficient information given at the time of quotation in relation to surfaces, boxing, trunking, flooring, kitchen or bathroom units or other undefined items which may result in damage or require removal and reinstatement to facilitate EUSL’s works; the Customer not being present or no answer received when we attend; no legal or adequate place for EUSL’s vehicle and plant to park within required distance to facilitate works. For the avoidance doubt, this list is not exhaustive or exclusive.
If specific materials have been procured by EUSL to facilitate the Customer’s works, i.e. not usually held in stock by EUSL, then EUSL
reserve the right to charge the material costs plus 20% administration fee in addition to the Minimum Call Charge.

Payment

At present, EUSL accepts payment by cash, credit/debit card or bank transfer and payment is due immediately upon completion of the works unless otherwise agreed in writing by EUSL no longer accepts payment by cheque.
All works will be subject to an advance deposit of 40% of the total value of the works inclusive of VAT prior to commencement, in order to reserve the date.
EUSL is VAT registered and by law must charge VAT on all works at the rate in force at the time of invoice.
Companies, Partnerships or Sole Proprietors, who apply for works to be completed, may first be credit checked by our credit agency Experian and in some cases may be asked for part or all of the charges to be paid in advance.
© Elite Utility Services LTD – Document Revision 1.0 Dated 14 January 2023
All pipework, fixtures & fittings remain the property of EUSL until paid for in full at which point title will transfer to the Customer.
In the event of late payment occurring, which was not agreed in writing between EUSL and the Customer, then EUSL reserves the right to charge £15.00 plus VAT per 7 calendar days that the invoice remains unpaid, to cover administration costs, as well as interest on outstanding balances, at the Nat West Bank PLC commercial interest rate that is in force at the time, plus 5%, accrued on a daily basis, along with any other recovery & legal costs incurred, until payment is received in full.

Limitations of Liability

EUSL will attempt to complete the works within the dates and timescales originally indicated however these are estimates only and do not form part of a contract between EUSL and the Customer. EUSL will not be held liable by the Customer if it is impractical to start or carry out the works due to circumstances beyond EUSL’s control including, but not exclusively, lack of access, lock out, industrial action, adverse weather conditions, vehicle, plant or machinery failures, sickness or other reasonable reasons given by EUSL.
Whilst every reasonable effort is made by EUSL to limit any damage occurring to the Customer’s property, EUSL does not accept liability or responsibility for:
• damage which may occur as a direct result of EUSL’s works, in particular to tiled surfaces in or around the area of works, imprinted concrete or sealed surfaces, plants, trees, bushes or other vegetation, older slabs, blocks or concrete which may break upon lifting;
• damage of any kind, which may occur as a result of any rust, lime scale or grit deposits, which may be loosened by EUSL’s works or by increasing the water pressure;
• damage to drains or sewers on the Customer’s property, caused through EUSL’s works. EUSL will make every reasonable effort to identify the presence of drains or sewers before commencing works however it is not always possible;
• any of the Customers existing pipework, seals, fixtures, fittings or attachments which may leak or fail, as a
result of EUSL’s works or increasing the water pressure or any failure of the Customer’s Local Water Authority apparatus;
• any other attached or remotely connected pipework, seals, fixtures, fittings or attachments which may leak or fail, as a result of EUSL’s works or increasing the water pressure, where the Customer is on a shared supply;
• EUSL’s works failing to increase flow or pressure;
• repairs on or to older pipework which, through increased pressure or other reasons, may cause or create other leaks;
• reinstatement which later fails, where ground conditions or other factors exist, that creates slipping or sinking; For the avoidance doubt, this list is not exhaustive or exclusive.
Guarantee
EUSL guarantees the works against defective parts or workmanship for 5 years from the date of completion. This does not cover other mechanical or accidental damage, damage through ground sinking or slippage, damage committed by the Customer or any third parties, through negligence or lack of action. EUSL’s guarantee is immediately invalidated in the event of any party other than EUSL working on EUSL’s installation.
The monetary value of EUSL’s guarantee is limited to the value of the works excluding VAT.

Paperwork & Photographs

The Crew Leader will usually have a worksheet and during the works the Crew Leader will complete the worksheet
showing details of the works completed. The Customer will usually be asked to sign the worksheet as confirmation that the works have been completed to their satisfaction. This sheet is then scanned in to our secure server at EUSL and filed for future reference.
During the works the Crew Leader will usually photograph any pre-existing damage before commencement of the works, excavations while they are open, completed works and reinstated surfaces. These photographs are stored on EUSL’s secure server for future reference and will never be made available to third parties without the express permission of the Customer.
Data Protection
EUSL keep specific data only relating to the Customer’s works for future reference and for the duration of the guarantee. The specific data is limited to contact details, copies of any quotations, emails between the Customer & EUSL, details of the works carried out and photographs. No data whatsoever, held by EUSL, will ever be shared or sold to any third parties and EUSL will not use said data for any type of marketing purposes.
© Elite Utility Services LTD – Document Revision 1.0 Dated 14 January 2023
Elite Utility Services LTD General Explanations

Who Owns What?

Your Local Water Authority owns the pipes on the public side up to the property boundary, it is their responsibility to repair leaks on this side or replace any pipework that may need replacing. You or your Landlord own the pipes from the boundary into your property, and it is usually your responsibility to repair or replace these pipes.

In most cases, if the boundary box is within 40cm of the edge of your property, EUSL can usually tunnel under the public side from your property and are legally allowed to connect to your side of the boundary box. If the boundary box is too far to reach then EUSL will bring the pipework to a suitable point adjacent to your boundary, make a connection there and then you can arrange for your local water authority to replace the remainder on the public side, which will usually be free of charge. Sometimes there is a charge, so it is prudent to check this first before ordering works from EUSL.
Shared supplies are the shared responsibility of all of the households or consumers utilising that pipe even if the issue or leak is only to one of the properties.
You can read more about this on OFWAT’s website here;
https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/households/supply-and-standards/supply-pipes/ How Do You Replace the Pipework?
Unless there is a specific need for open cut trenching, EUSL will usually employ a method to replace your pipework called Impact Moling. EUSL will first survey the ground using dedicated equipment to trace and locate other services that may be present, marking these up in the process so as to avoid them. Not all services will show up on a survey e.g. drains. EUSL will normally excavate a hole near your property boundary and another approximately 15M or less and
then ‘fire’ the Mole through the ground between these two excavations. Finally EUSL reverse the Mole and insert your new pipework in the cavity created.
This creates the minimum of disruption to the surface, has the least environmental impact and significantly reduces spoils and waste.

Once the pipework is in place, EUSL will make an internal connection and connect to the existing main. Your water supply will usually be disconnected for no longer than 30 minutes. EUSL then test the installation & reinstate the excavations to Local Authority Standards, leaving the site looking as undisturbed as possible, in many cases you will not even see that EUSL have been there.
For larger works, EUSL may use a Horizontal Directional Drilling machine which EUSL can steer underground and can install services up to 100M between excavations. The rest of the process is similar to that of moling as described above.
© Elite Utility Services LTD – Document Revision 1.0 Dated 14 January 2023

Public Side Works

Elite’s Crews are NSWRA “Street Works” trained however EUSL usually DO NOT carry out works on the public side as the costs and administrative paperwork involved are extremely excessive. Most local councils require a holding deposit of several hundred pounds, sometimes up to two years, along with the opening notice fees.

Best Route

It may be that the Crew Leader, once attending site, suggests a better or alternative route for the pipework due to a variety of reasons e.g. other services are in direct conflict with the proposed route, ground or surface conditions. This will be discussed with the Customer before any changes are accepted.
What’s included in an Internal Connection?
When EUSL make an internal connection, EUSL will connect to the nearest cold feed adjacent to the outside wall of the property and usually include a new internal stop tap. If EUSL have to run additional internal pipework then an additional fee will apply unless already quoted for.

Can EUSL run internal pipework?

EUSL can run the incoming main to any point necessary subject to access and charges of course however more extensive
plumbing is undertaken by EUSL’s in house plumbing team and EUSL will need to survey and quote for this prior to commencement if required. EUSL are not insured for hot works so as such use compression or push fit fittings.

Lead or Cast Iron Replacement

When EUSL are installing a new supply to replace lead, cast or other pipe, EUSL will usually just abandon the existing pipework and leave it in situ to minimise disruption. As mentioned earlier, occasionally EUSL may have to leave a small piece of existing pipework connected, this is usually when the box on the foot path is too far for EUSL’s operatives to reach. Most water authorities will replace this section free of charge however the Customer will need to check this and arrange this with them direct as the local water authority will only deal with the property owner.

Pipe Entries.

Occasionally or if requested, your installation may require an above ground pipe entry, this is usually a brown external sheath containing insulation along with your pipework, from the surface to a suitable entry point, in order to bring the main into the property, at a location above the surface. This is a commonly accepted method of mechanically protecting the main as well as insulating it against possible freezing. Pipe entries are charged separately unless already quoted for.

What is WIAPS?

WIAPS stands for Water Industry Approved Plumbers Scheme and EUSL are registered as Authorised Ground Workers meaning that we are fully insured and can issue a certificate at the completion of EUSL’s works which is accepted by your local water authority as evidence that the water regulations were complied with. EUSL issue a certificate once payment is received in full.
You can see our registration under WIAPS here: https://www.wras.co.uk/

Reinstatement.

Sometimes the Crew Leader is unable to reinstate the surface as it originally was, it may be due to weathering, aging or simply that the surface is difficult to reinstate, e.g. sealed or imprinted driveways etc. EUSL will use reasonable endeavours to try and match reinstatement on a like for like basis to the original surface however from time to time blocks or slabs are no longer available and so the Crew Leader will install the best match, available to him, on the day of the works. In these cases the crew will decide, with the Customer, the best method to reinstate the surface when on site.
EUSL do not carry out Hot Roll tarmac reinstatement, EUSL only stock & lay cold lay, however EUSL does have an association with a company that can complete these works by separate arrangement at an additional cost.

Chlorination

Under water regulations, new pipe work above 50mm in size or over 100M in length, requires pressure testing and chlorination before it can be connected to the local water authority’s apparatus. EUSL can arrange this for a separate charge and this process takes approximately 9 working days from when the original chlorination is carried out until the results and certificates are returned. There is usually a separate charge for Chlorination and like the WIAPS certificate, these are issued once payment is received in full.

Other Works

In addition to water main installation and repair, EUSL can also install ducting for gas, power or data and options like stand pipes for troughs, outside taps and EUSL also undertakes all manner of ground works.

Feedback

EUSL welcomes feedback from clients, feedback helps EUSL to fine tune the services and ensures the provision of the very best installation or repair possible.

© Elite Utility Services LTD – Document Revision 1.0 Dated 14 January 2023