1. In these terms and conditions the following words shall (except where the context otherwise admits) bear the following:-

“PETSITTERS ALLIANCE”

means Petsitters Alliance Limited and/or any other persons firms or companies operating duly authorised Franchises of the business of Petsitters Alliance Limited namely the business of operating the Booking Exchange, Extra Bookings, Seal of Approval, Members Insurances, and all related and extra activities that may be added from time to time.

“MEMBER”

means any Member of Petsitters Alliance or any person or persons intending to or who have applied for membership of Petsitters Alliance upon the terms and conditions contained herein.

“ACTIVITIES”

means any of the activities organised by Petsitters Alliance for Members.

The activities and commercial objects of Petsitters Alliance are as stated in the Petsitters Alliance Website and as appear in the Memorandum and Articles of Association of Petsitters Alliance Limited.

2. Members must love animals, and never put pecuniary interest above the welfare of animals.

3. Members must have experience of owning and/or caring for animals, and be able to provide verifiable references to this effect.

4. All applications for membership of Petsitters Alliance shall be made in writing using a Petsitters Alliance Application Form and signed by the proposed Member. Where a member has joined via the internet he/she is deemed to have signed the application form. On completion of an Application Form each new Member will be issued with a Membership Certificate by Petsitters Alliance. Members receiving a Membership Certificate shall be bound during the continuance of Membership by these Terms and Conditions and by all and any other terms stated in the Petsitters Alliance Website and by any other Bye-laws or Regulations for the time being published by Petsitters Alliance.

5. Membership is renewable on payment of the annual fee.

6. Petsitters Alliance reserves the right at all times and in its absolute discretion to determine the number of members in the Group.

7. Petsitters Alliance Limited is independent and cannot be held liable to or responsible for any party or their pets or property.

8. Petsitters Alliance reserves the right at all times to cancel Membership, expel Members, or to prevent for any reason any Member from participating in any Activity or from renewing Membership. No person may join or be a member of Petsitters Alliance if they or any member of their family are or have ever been banned from keeping animals.

9. Members shall conduct themselves when participating in all activities in a sensible, safe and responsible manner towards all clients, their pets, their property, other members, and towards the General Public, and towards all those persons firms or companies providing Members with instruction or guidance in connection with the participation by Members in Activities. Any complaints made to Petsitters Alliance in respect of the behaviour of Members will be dealt with pursuant to the terms of paragraph 8 of this document.

10. Petsitters Alliance reserves the right to visit any member and if necessary inspect their premises to confirm that these Terms and Conditions are being adhered to. Breaches of these Terms and Conditions will be dealt with pursuant to the terms of paragraph 8 of this document.

11. In the event of membership cancellation, member expulsion, or exclusion, for any reason, the former member must return their Membership Certificate forthwith. Failure to comply may result in prosecution.

12. In the event of membership cancellation, member expulsion, or exclusion, for any reason, membership fees are not refundable and will not be refunded.

13. Petsitters Alliance reserves the right to, and will monitor and record pet owner’s satisfaction with, and comments on their pet’s stay with the Member.

14. Members who offer to board dogs:
(i) must not board more than 6 (six) dogs at any one time;
(ii) who take dogs from more than one owner at a time must notify this to the owners of all dogs they board together;
(iii) should not leave dogs unattended except for short periods except in an emergency, or as agreed with the owner;
(iv) should have a clean secure garden where dogs can relieve themselves;
(v) should provide food and exercise as specified by the owner, and in accord with the dog’s normal routine;
(vi) must not exercise dogs off the lead without obtaining written permission and disclaimer from the owner. The permission may be a letter, or included in the Terms and Conditions agreed to by the owner, and must include the clause or a clause to the effect of "If an owner requires a dog to be exercised off lead, the owner shall assume full responsibility in the event of any loss or damage, howsoever caused"
(vii) must never provide daycare or visits to dogs if they are to be left alone at night;
(viii) should meet the owner and dog well in advance before entering into any final commitment.

15. Members who walk dogs
(i) must not walk more than 6 (six) dogs at any one time;
(ii) must keep proper control at all times and respect all local by-laws;
(iii) must not exercise dogs off the lead without obtaining written permission and disclaimer from the owner. The permission may be a letter, or included in the Terms and Conditions agreed to by the owner, and must include the clause or a clause to the effect of "If an owner requires a dog to be exercised off lead, the owner shall assume full responsibility in the event of any loss or damage, howsoever caused"

16. All members
(i) Must provide for dogs in their care a collar with the Agency phone number, or the petsitter’s phone number, as a replacement for, or in addition to the owner’s name and telephone number, for security and as required by law.
(ii) must inform Petsitters Alliance of any medical or other problems with dogs in their care without delay;
(iii) may wish to hold a valid police check certificate (click for note) if they have access to client’s homes (this is no longer mandatory);
(iv) must, when accepting bookings from Petsitters Alliance, ensure that the Petsitters Alliance Registration Form Terms & Conditions, are understood and signed by the owner;
(v) are responsible for their own businesses;
(vi) must keep proper records of all work done;
(vii) must have knowledge of basic animal training and handling techniques, and of basic first aid, for all types of animal that they care for;
(viii) must respect Health and Safety Legislation, national law, and local by-laws.

17. No member
(i) is under any obligation or contract to accept any booking or pet offered by Petsitters Alliance or any actual or possible client;
(ii) may accept addition bookings from clients who come to them via Petsitters Alliance without notifying Petsitters Alliance, and adhering to all financial and other conditions and terms of the original booking from Petsitters Alliance;
(iii) may attract business unprofessionally, unfairly, or in any way that would damage the reputation of Petsitters Alliance;
(iv) may speak on behalf of Petsitters Alliance in any context without explicit written permission;
(v) may make misleading claims or statements;
(vi) may disclose private, personal, or financial information about clients.

18. The Petsitters Alliance Booking Exchange is open to all members except where explicitly notified.

19. Members receiving bookings from the Petsitters Alliance Booking Exchange will usually receive payment directly from the client, and in any event will be notified of the method of payment.

20. Members providing acceptable bookings to the Petsitters Alliance Booking Exchange will receive payment directly from Petsitters Alliance on a basis that will be displayed on the Petsitters Alliance Website, and may be varied from time to time.

21. Fees paid to members receiving or providing bookings from or to the Petsitters Alliance Booking Exchange will be in proportion to the percentages and/or sums displayed on the Petsitters Alliance Website, and may be varied from time to time.

22. The Petsitters Alliance Discussion Boards are open to all members except where explicitly notified.

23. Petsitters Alliance, and on its behalf, petsitters.co.uk and any other organisation Petsitters Alliance shall from time to time nominate, will prioritise Extra Bookings to members carrying the Petsitters Alliance Seal of Approval linked to the Petsitters Alliance Website.

24. Members are responsible for providing text, graphics or other material for the Petsitters Alliance Websites if invited. The member materials posted on the Petsitters Alliance and/or petsitters.co.uk websites do not necessarily reflect the views of Petsitters Alliance. By providing materials to Petsitters Alliance website, members represent that they have all necessary rights in and to such materials, and that such materials will not infringe on any personal or proprietary rights of any third parties, nor will such materials be defamatory, unlawful, threatening, obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable. Petsitters Alliance reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to review, edit or delete any material provided by users that Petsitters Alliance deems defamatory, unlawful, threatening, obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable. NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, PETSITTERS ALLIANCE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR ANY MATERIAL COMMUNICATED BY THIRD PARTIES THROUGH THIS WEBSITE.

25. By providing materials to the Petsitters Alliance website, members authorise Petsitters Alliance to use and/or authorise others to use any such materials in any manner or medium.

26. Petsitters Insurance is included in the annual membership fee for Petsitters Alliance.

27. Cover is provided under a group Policy in the name of Petsitters Alliance and its members. A summary is available on our website and here Petsitters Alliance (Insurance) Policy Summary. Members are provided with a full set of documents.

28. In the event of any claim or possible claim:
(i) members must give immediate notice to Petsitters Alliance Ltd., who will pass the claim to the underwriter; the claims correspondence and notification address is:
Petsitters Alliance Ltd
61 Lower Kings Road
Kingston upon Thames
Surrey KT2 5JA
Tel:
Email:

(ii) members must not make any admission of liability or any offer, promise, or payment in connection therewith without the written permission of the Underwriters. Any such admission or offer may prejudice your cover.
(iii) members must forward immediately to the Petsitters Alliance Ltd , unanswered, on receipt, any letter, writ, summons, letter or document in connection thereof.
(iv) Members must cooperate fully and promptly with Petsitters Alliance and the Underwriters.

29. Petsitters Insurance Policy Summary: the summary of insurances provided with membership of Petsitters Alliance, is for guidance only. It does not contain the full terms and conditions of the contract which, including endorsements and/or memoranda can be found in the Policy Documents that are provided to members by post or in PDF format. The summary does not form part of or constitute the contract of insurance. You are recommended to read the policy document carefully and familiarise yourself with all policy exclusions and conditions as they may affect the outcome of any claim. You should take advice from an intermediary if you do not understand any of the provisions or their effect or interpretation. If there is any inconsistency between this summary and the policy document, the policy document will prevail.

30. Privacy Policy:

(i) Petsitters Alliance recognizes the importance of protecting information we may collect from members. Our policy is to use the information we acquire through the registration process or through user postings at our sites for internal business purposes only, and we maintain appropriate security measures to keep this information private.

(ii) Personal information--such as your name or e-mail address--that you voluntarily disclose to the general public on or via Web Links, or on bulletin boards or in chat areas that are accessible to other members may be collected and disclosed by third parties. Petsitter Alliance is not responsible for any such collection or disclosure.

(iii) If you have any questions about Privacy Policy, contact us directly, marking your communication “Privacy Policy”. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, you may not use the members’ section bulletin boards or chat areas. Petsitters Alliance reserves the right to change this Privacy Policy at any time without notice.

31. Petsitters Alliance shall have power:

(i) To alter these Terms and Conditions and the contents of the Member’s Section of the Website without prior notice to existing Members notwithstanding that existing Members will be provided with notice of any such alterations in the Member’s Section of the Website within days of the date of the same.
(ii) (ii) To make Bye-laws or minor Regulations for regulating the conduct and affairs of Members. All such Bye-laws and/or minor Regulations will be published by Petsitters Alliance in the Member’s Section of the Website and the terms thereof shall be final and binding upon all Members.

32. These Terms and Conditions and any other Bye-laws or minor Regulations published by Petsitters Alliance and any other Terms and Conditions applicable to Members appearing in the Member’s Section of the Website shall be governed and construed in accordance with English Law.

© 2008 Petsitters Alliance - Last Revision 30th. July 2014