Sample Client Service Terms
At Sachii Lisbon, we prefer complete transparency where appropriate. Below is a sample copy of the service terms and keyholder authorisations that govern our property care packages. When you book our service, a personalised version of this agreement will be provided for your review and signature.
Client Service Terms & Authorisation
1. The Home Care Package (Scope of Services)
For a fixed retainer fee of €250 per calendar month, Sachii Lisbon provides non-invasive visual property care and oversight services for the Covered Property while unoccupied:
- Two Walkthroughs per Month: Physical visits to inspect interior and accessible exterior spaces, check for visible water leaks, dampness, mould, pest activity, broken windows/locks, or equipment failures, flush toilets, and run water lines to prevent dry traps.
- Mail & Parcel Collection: Collecting mail from the property letterbox and placing it inside. (Mail is strictly left unopened unless the Client explicitly requests scanning in writing).
- Digital Visit Reports: A detailed PDF report with dated high-resolution photos delivered via email, normally within 24 hours of each completed walkthrough.
- Visual Checks Only (No Professional Advice): Walkthroughs are routine visual observations only and do not constitute structural, building, engineering, tax, financial, legal, or real estate brokerage advice or formal technical surveys.
2. Additional Services & Hourly Rates
Requested additional services fall strictly within property oversight, vendor access, and property care logistics. They are billed separately:
- Standard Business Hours Rate (€40/hour): Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00 (1-hour minimum charge per task, billed in 30-minute increments thereafter). Used for tasks such as keyholding access for vendors, furniture deliveries, meeting utility technicians, or pre-arrival grocery stocking.
- Out-of-Hours Rate (€60/hour): Monday to Friday 17:00 to 21:00, and Weekends / Portuguese National Public Holidays 09:00 to 17:00.
- Third-Party Expenses: Out-of-pocket expenses (materials, emergency supplies, transit fees) approved by the Client are re-billed at direct cost with original receipts attached. Zero vendor markups are applied.
3. Access, Keyholding & Security
- Zero Subcontracting: Only the Provider (or an authorised direct representative under strict oversight) will access the Covered Property. We never outsource your keyholding or property care.
- Key Storage & Anonymity: Keys are stored in a secure, key box and tagged strictly with anonymised numeric codes. No client names or property addresses are ever attached to physical keys.
- Lost Key Guarantee: If the Provider loses a physical key, liability is strictly limited to re-keying or replacing the affected physical door lock mechanism and providing new keys at the Provider’s sole expense. Consequential or third-party loss is excluded.
- Postponement for Safety: If entry presents an active safety hazard (e.g., structural danger, toxic gas, severe storm impact), the Provider may postpone the visit and notify the Client immediately.
4. Client Obligations, Authorised Representatives & Occupied Property Rules
The Client agrees to:
- Provide accurate access information, functioning key sets, and working alarm codes.
- Ensure main water and electricity utility supplies remain connected, active, and paid.
- Maintain comprehensive property and building insurance coverage.
- Authorised Representatives: The Provider is entitled to rely on written instructions provided by any co-owner or representative explicitly authorised by the Client in writing.
- Tenant & Guest Occupancy: Notify the Provider if guests, family members, or tenants occupy the property. Routine walkthroughs are suspended while the property is occupied, and the Provider will not enter when occupants are present without prior written instruction.
- Client-Caused Access Failures: If a scheduled visit cannot occur due to unannounced lock changes, altered alarm codes, or unnotified occupants, the visit is non-refundable and cannot be credited or rescheduled.
5. Maintenance, Emergencies & Contractor Agency
- Immediate Life-Safety Emergencies: In case of active fire, gas leak, or criminal intrusion, the primary action is contacting emergency services (112).
- Emergency Spend Cap: If an active maintenance emergency occurs (e.g., burst pipe, storm breach) and the Client is unreachable, the Provider is authorised to spend up to €[XXX] per incident to secure the property or hire emergency tradespeople.
- Authority to Turn Off Mains: In an active emergency, the Provider is authorised to immediately shut off main water, gas, or electrical supply valves to mitigate property damage.
- Contractor Agency: When coordinating, accompanying, or facilitating access for third-party contractors, the Provider acts strictly as the Client's local liaison agent. Contractors invoice the Client directly, and the Provider accepts no liability for contractor workmanship, delays, pricing, or warranties.
6. Payment Terms & Billing
- Monthly Fee: The €250 retainer is billed in advance on or before the 1st of each calendar month via bank transfer or electronic payment.
- Green Receipts (Recibos Verdes): Official Portuguese tax receipts are issued for all payments. (Exempt from VAT / IVA under Artigo 53.º do CIVA).
- Pro-rata Mid-Month Starts: Calculated at €125 per remaining scheduled walkthrough, capped at a maximum of €250 for that calendar month.
- Late Payments & Suspension: Payments unpaid past 7 days from the due date may suspend future, unpaid service visits until settled. Prepaid visits already rendered or paid are unaffected.
- Fee Adjustments: The Provider may adjust recurring rates upon giving at least 60 days' written notice to the Client (an agreed exception to the general mutual-amendment rule).
7. Cancellation, Service Pauses & Withdrawal Rights
- Cancellation Notice: Either party may terminate this agreement by providing written notice via email, taking effect at the end of the current paid calendar month. Unused walkthroughs do not roll over.
- Service Pauses (Owner Occupancy): Pauses apply only to full calendar months, requested in writing before the 1st of that month. If you occupy the property for part of a month, the month is billed normally unless both scheduled walkthroughs are skipped because of your occupancy, in which case the month is billed at €125.
- Missed Visit Make-Ups: If a walkthrough is missed due to Provider illness, safety hazards, or extreme weather, it will be made up within 7 working days or credited to the subsequent monthly invoice.
- 14-Day Right of Withdrawal (Distance & Off-Premises): Under Decreto-Lei n.º 24/2014, consumer clients signing remotely or off-premises have a 14-day statutory right of withdrawal. By signing, the Client expressly requests service execution to commence immediately and agrees to pay pro-rata for any walkthroughs completed prior to withdrawal. (A statutory model cancellation form is available upon request).
8. Privacy Policy & Data Retention
- Privacy Notice: Personal data, inspection logs, and photos are handled strictly in accordance with the Provider’s Privacy Notice (provided at signing and available at sachiilisbon.com/privacy) and EU GDPR requirements. Photos are used exclusively for maintenance evaluation and are never published.
- 3-Year Retention Basis: Finished PDF reports and photos are archived securely in cloud storage for three (3) years post-termination, directly aligned with Artigo 498.º do Código Civil (statute of limitations for civil property liability claims).
9. Key Return Guarantee
Upon contract termination, all physical keys, access fobs, and credentials shall be returned to the Client (or a designated agent) within 5 working days, free of charge and regardless of any pending account balance. If an in-person meeting cannot be arranged within this window, keys shall be returned via registered mail, left with a building concierge, or transferred via an agreed secure alternative. Once dispatched or handed over, Sachii Lisbon assumes no further liability for the property.
10. Exclusions, Limitation of Liability & Force Majeure
- Specific Liability Exclusions: The Provider accepts no liability for:
- Pre-existing, hidden, structural, or latent property defects.
- Water ingress, rising damp, structural rot, or pre-existing mould growth.
- Sudden mechanical, electrical, or appliance failures occurring between walkthroughs.
- Interruption of municipal utility supplies (water, electricity, gas, internet).
- Defective workmanship, damage, or delays caused by third-party contractors.
- Limitation of Liability Cap: Subject to mandatory provisions of Portuguese consumer protection law, the Provider’s total aggregate financial liability for any claim arising out of or in connection with these services in any 12-month period is capped at the total fees paid by the Client in the preceding 12 months.
- Accidental Damage: The Provider agrees to exercise reasonable professional care. For any foreseeable direct property damage caused solely by the Provider’s proven negligence, liability is subject to the total aggregate fee cap above.
- Force Majeure (Uncontrollable Events): Neither party is liable for failure or delay caused by events beyond reasonable control (severe natural disasters, floods, civil emergencies, or extreme weather shutdowns). Missed visits due to Force Majeure will be rescheduled or credited.
11. General Terms, Governing Law & Consumer Notices
- Entire Agreement & Amendments: Other than the 60-day fee adjustment notice, this contract represents the entire agreement and may only be amended by mutual written consent.
- Language & Electronic Signature: This agreement is executed in English, which shall prevail in interpretation. Electronic signatures and email acceptance are legally valid under Decreto-Lei n.º 63/2020 and EU Regulation (EU) 910/2014 (eIDAS).
- Governing Law & Jurisdiction: Governed by the laws of Portugal, subject to mandatory statutory consumer jurisdiction rules (such as the consumer's domicile court where legally required).
- Statutory Consumer Notices:
- Livro de Reclamações Eletrónico: Official electronic complaints book accessible at www.livroreclamacoes.pt.
- Consumer Dispute Arbitration: Alternative dispute resolution entity: CNIACC - Centro Nacional de Informação e Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo (www.cniacc.pt).
Client & Provider Acceptance
By signing below, the Client confirms that they:
- Have received, read, and agree to these Client Service Terms and Privacy Notice guidelines.
- Appoint Sachii Lisbon to care for the Covered Property.
- Authorise the Provider to access the Covered Property as described.
- Agree to pay the €250 monthly retainer and any approved ad-hoc expenses/rates.
- Warrant that they have full legal authority and rights to grant access to the Covered Property.
- Acknowledge the 14-day distance/off-premises withdrawal rights under Decreto-Lei n.º 24/2014 and request services to commence immediately.