Client Service Agreement
THE HOME STEWARD LLC
16 Canterbury Lane · Summit, NJ 07901
hello@homestewardnj.com · homestewardnj.com
This Agreement governs all services provided by The Home Steward LLC.
Current pricing and service descriptions are published at homestewardnj.com and incorporated into this Agreement by reference.
NJ Home Improvement Contractor Registration #: 13VH14155300
Fully bonded and insured · General Liability $1,000,000 · Surety Bond $50,000
1. PARTIES AND DEFINITIONS
This Client Service Agreement ("Agreement") is entered into between The Home Steward LLC, a New Jersey limited liability company with its principal office at 16 Canterbury Lane, Summit, NJ 07901 ("The Home Steward" or "Company"), and the client who accepts this Agreement by signing up for services through the Company's website or other means ("Client").
For purposes of this Agreement, the following definitions apply:
"Property" means the Client's residential property at the address provided by the Client during signup.
"Services" means the home management, maintenance, handyman, home watch, and related services described on The Home Steward's website at homestewardnj.com and incorporated into this Agreement by reference.
"Technician" means the employee, subcontractor, or principal of The Home Steward who performs Services at the Property.
"Visit" means a scheduled attendance at the Property by a Technician to perform Services.
"Pre-Existing Condition" means any defect, damage, deterioration, malfunction, or substandard condition existing at the Property prior to a Visit, whether known or unknown to either party.
"Portal" means The Home Steward's online client portal through which Clients access their home records, visit reports, photos, invoices, and other account information.
"Vendor" means an independent third-party trade or service provider that performs work at the Property under a direct contractual relationship with the Client, and whose attendance The Home Steward schedules or attends on the Client's behalf.
2. SERVICES
2.1 Service Categories
The Home Steward provides home management, maintenance, and related services as described on the Company's website at homestewardnj.com. Service categories currently include handyman visits, subscription home management plans, home watch services for traveling homeowners, and project coordination for renovation and improvement work.
2.2 Pricing and Service Details
All pricing, service descriptions, visit durations, included features, and plan details are published at homestewardnj.com and are incorporated into this Agreement by reference. The Company reserves the right to update pricing and service offerings from time to time. Current clients will receive thirty (30) days advance written notice of any pricing changes affecting their active subscriptions. Price changes take effect at the start of the next subscription period following the notice period.
2.3 Subscription Plans
The Home Steward offers recurring subscription plans with scheduled visits, inspection, maintenance, and portal access.
Minimum terms are as follows:
Steward Essential (quarterly): two (2) Visits.
Steward Estate (monthly): three (3) months.
Annual plans (either subscription, prepaid): six (6) months.
Subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each subscription period. The Home Steward will provide the Client with no less than thirty (30) days advance written notice before any automatic renewal takes effect. No subscription will auto-renew without that notice having first been given.
3. PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS AND PROPERTY DOCUMENTATION
3.1 Pre-Visit Documentation
Prior to commencing Services at the Property for the first time, The Home Steward will conduct a documented walkthrough of the Property. The Technician will photograph all accessible areas, note all visible defects, damage, or items in non-working order, and upload the complete record to the Portal. The Client will be notified when the pre-visit documentation is available for review.
This walkthrough records the condition of the Property and is separate from the systems inspection carried out during subscription Visits.
3.2 Client Review and Sign-Off
The Client is responsible for reviewing the pre-visit documentation and notifying The Home Steward in writing within forty-eight (48) hours of any omissions, inaccuracies, or additional pre-existing conditions the Client wishes to be recorded. Failure to notify The Home Steward within this period constitutes the Client's acceptance that the pre-visit documentation accurately reflects the condition of the Property at commencement of Services.
3.3 Ongoing Visit Documentation
At each Visit, the Technician will photograph work performed, areas accessed, and any new findings or changes in the Property's condition. All photographs are timestamped and uploaded to the Portal the same day as the Visit. This documentation record constitutes the authoritative account of the Property's condition at the time of each Visit.
3.4 No Responsibility for Pre-Existing Conditions
THE HOME STEWARD IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE, FAILURE, MALFUNCTION, DETERIORATION, OR LOSS ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO ANY PRE-EXISTING CONDITION AT THE PROPERTY, WHETHER OR NOT SUCH CONDITION WAS IDENTIFIED IN THE PRE-VISIT DOCUMENTATION.
3.5 Causation Standard
The Home Steward's liability for any damage or loss at the Property is limited to direct, proximate causation by the Technician's specific actions during a Visit. The mere fact that an incident occurred after a Visit is not sufficient to establish causation. The Client bears the burden of demonstrating by clear and convincing evidence that the Technician's specific actions were the direct and proximate cause of the claimed damage, and that the damage was not attributable to any Pre-Existing Condition.
4. BILLING TRANSPARENCY CHARTER
The following five rules govern every financial interaction between The Home Steward and the Client:
Rule 1 — A Cancelled Visit Is Never Charged
If The Home Steward cancels or reschedules a Visit for any reason attributable to The Home Steward, the Client is not billed for that Visit.
Rule 2 — Materials Are Always Itemized
Standard consumables are included in subscription Visits. Any materials beyond the standard kit that The Home Steward purchases and supplies are listed on the invoice at cost plus fifteen percent (15%), with item name, quantity, and unit cost stated.
The Home Steward adds no margin of any kind to an invoice issued directly to the Client by a Vendor, and accepts no referral fee, commission, or other payment from any Vendor.
Rule 3 — Project Quotes Are Fixed
Once a written project quotation is approved by the Client, that is the final cost. Scope changes require a new written quotation and explicit Client approval before any additional work or expense is incurred.
Rule 4 — Overtime Is Pre-Authorized
If a Visit will run beyond its standard duration, the Technician confirms with the Client before continuing. No overtime is charged without prior verbal or written authorization from the Client.
Rule 5 — Every Invoice Is Reviewed Before Payment
All invoices are published to the Client's Portal before any charge is processed. The Client may dispute any line item within five (5) business days of the invoice being published.
5. CANCELLATION AND MINIMUM TERMS
5.1 No Termination Fees
The Home Steward charges no termination fee, administrative fee, or exit fee of any kind on the cancellation of any subscription. This Agreement contains no non-solicitation clause, and the Client is free to engage directly with any Technician or Vendor introduced through The Home Steward, during or after the term of this Agreement.
5.2 Cancellation — Steward Essential
Steward Essential subscriptions are subject to a minimum term of two (2) Visits. After the second Visit has been delivered, the Client may cancel at any time by providing fourteen (14) days written notice to The Home Steward. The notice period begins on the date written notice is received. The Client is not billed for any Visit scheduled after the effective cancellation date, and is not charged for any undelivered quarter. Any prepaid fees for undelivered Visits are refunded within fourteen (14) days.
5.3 Cancellation — Steward Estate
Steward Estate subscriptions are subject to a minimum term of three (3) months. After three months of service have been completed, the Client may cancel at any time by providing thirty (30) days written notice to The Home Steward. The notice period begins on the date written notice is received. Service ends thirty (30) days from that date. Any prepaid fees for undelivered Visits are refunded within fourteen (14) days.
5.4 Cancellation — Annual Plans
Annual subscription plans are subject to a minimum term of six (6) months. After six months of service have been completed, the Client may cancel at any time by providing thirty (30) days written notice to The Home Steward. Service ends thirty (30) days from the date written notice is received, and the Client owes nothing further.
Refunds on annual prepayments are calculated by rebilling all Visits delivered up to the effective cancellation date at the Company's standard published per-visit rate for the Client's plan, and refunding any amount the Client has paid in excess of that total. No termination or administrative fee is deducted. Refunds are processed within fourteen (14) days of the effective cancellation date.
5.5 Rescheduling and Individual Visit Cancellation
The Client may reschedule any Visit through the Portal with at least twenty-four (24) hours notice at no charge.
Where a Visit is cancelled by the Client with less than twenty-four (24) hours notice, the full Visit fee applies. Each Client receives one (1) grace cancellation per calendar year, applied automatically and without charge, on the first such occasion.
5.6 Cancellation Within Minimum Term
A Client wishing to cancel a subscription before the applicable minimum term has been completed remains liable for the fees due through the end of that minimum term. Refunds for prepaid amounts beyond the minimum term obligation are processed within fourteen (14) days.
5.7 The Home Steward's Right to Cancel
The Home Steward reserves the right to cancel or suspend Services at any time with fourteen (14) days' written notice for any reason, or immediately in the event of: the Client's material breach of this Agreement; unsafe or hostile conditions at the Property; or any circumstance that in The Home Steward's reasonable judgment poses a risk to the health or safety of its Technicians. In the event of cancellation by The Home Steward without cause, any prepaid fees for undelivered Services will be refunded in full within fourteen (14) days.
6. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
6.1 General Limitation
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE HOME STEWARD'S TOTAL CUMULATIVE LIABILITY TO THE CLIENT FOR ANY CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE SERVICES SHALL NOT EXCEED THE TOTAL FEES PAID BY THE CLIENT TO THE HOME STEWARD IN THE THREE (3) MONTHS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM.
6.2 Exclusion of Consequential Damages
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE HOME STEWARD SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES.
6.3 Insurance Coverage
The Home Steward maintains commercial general liability insurance with coverage of not less than One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) per occurrence and a surety bond of not less than Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000). A certificate of insurance and proof of bonding are available upon request. Claims that may be covered by The Home Steward's insurance policy are subject to the terms, conditions, deductibles, and exclusions of that policy.
6.4 No Warranty of Results
The Home Steward warrants that Services will be performed in a workmanlike manner consistent with industry standards. THE HOME STEWARD MAKES NO OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. THE HOME STEWARD DOES NOT WARRANT THAT SERVICES WILL PREVENT ALL PROPERTY DAMAGE, DETERIORATION, OR LOSS.
6.5 Third-Party Contractors
Vendor coordination provided as part of a Steward Maintenance subscription is governed by Section 8. Steward Projects are governed by Section 9. Responsibility for third-party contractor work is allocated in Sections 8.7 and 9.6 respectively, and those allocations apply in place of any general presumption.
7. CLIENT OBLIGATIONS
7.1 Access
The Client shall provide The Home Steward with reasonable access to the Property for the performance of Services.
7.2 Accurate Information
The Client shall provide accurate and complete information about the Property. The Client's failure to disclose known conditions that result in damage to the Property, injury to Technicians, or increased cost of Services shall be the Client's sole responsibility.
7.3 Safe Conditions
The Client shall ensure that the Property presents reasonably safe conditions for Technicians performing Services. The Home Steward reserves the right to decline to perform Services or to leave the Property if conditions are deemed unsafe.
7.4 Timely Payment
The Client shall pay all invoices in accordance with the payment terms published on the Company's website.
7.5 Access, Keys and Security
Where the Client provides keys, access devices, alarm codes, or entry codes to the Property, The Home Steward will hold them securely and restrict their use to Technicians performing Services under this Agreement.
The Home Steward will not issue, share, or disclose any key, access device, alarm code, or entry code to any Vendor, contractor, or other third party, and will not create temporary or time-limited access credentials for any third party.
The Home Steward will not permit any Vendor, contractor, or other third party to remain at the Property unattended. Where a Vendor requires access to the Property, a Technician will attend for the duration of that attendance and secure the Property afterwards, unless the Client elects to admit the Vendor personally.
The Client shall notify The Home Steward promptly of any change to alarm codes, entry codes, or locks at the Property.
8. VENDOR COORDINATION — STEWARD MAINTENANCE
8.1 Scope
This Section 8 applies only to vendor coordination provided as part of a Steward Maintenance subscription. It does not apply to Steward Projects or any other project coordination service, which are governed by Section 6.5.
Vendor coordination is included or charged as published at homestewardnj.com and as recorded in the Client's Vendor Authorization.
8.2 Direct Contractual Relationship
Each Vendor contracts directly with the Client and invoices the Client directly at the Vendor's own rates and on the Vendor's own terms. The Home Steward is not a party to that contract, does not act as principal or general contractor in respect of Vendor work, and is not part of the payment chain.
8.3 No Markup and No Referral Fees
The Home Steward adds no margin, handling charge, or other amount to any Vendor invoice, and accepts no referral fee, commission, rebate, or other payment from any Vendor in connection with the Client's business.
8.4 Vendor Insurance
The Home Steward will hold a current certificate of insurance for each Vendor it coordinates, and will not schedule or provide access for a Vendor whose certificate has lapsed. This applies equally to Vendors introduced by The Home Steward and to Vendors already engaged by the Client.
8.5 Scheduling Authority and Approval
The Client's Vendor Authorization records the Vendors The Home Steward may contact and schedule on the Client's behalf, and the level of involvement applicable to each.
The Home Steward may schedule a Vendor listed in the Vendor Authorization for that Vendor's usual service at its usual frequency without further approval. The Client's written approval is required before:
any single Vendor charge above the threshold stated in the Vendor Authorization;
engaging any Vendor not listed in the Vendor Authorization; and
any additional repair, replacement, or work a Vendor recommends while at the Property.
8.6 Follow-Up Visits
Where a Vendor is unable to complete work in a single attendance and must return to the Property on a separate date, a Technician will attend to provide access, in accordance with Section 7.5. That attendance is charged as a follow-up visit at the rates published at homestewardnj.com. The Client may instead elect to admit the Vendor personally, in which case no follow-up visit charge applies and The Home Steward will still schedule the attendance and record the outcome in the Portal.
8.7 Responsibility for Vendor Work
Responsibility for the quality, completion, and warranty of Vendor work rests with the Vendor. The Home Steward is not liable for the workmanship, errors, omissions, or negligence of any Vendor, provided that The Home Steward exercised reasonable care in selecting and coordinating that Vendor. The Home Steward will assist the Client in resolving any issue arising from Vendor work.
8.8 Vendor Relationships
Any Vendor introduced to the Client through The Home Steward may be engaged directly by the Client at any time, during or after the term of this Agreement. No restriction of any kind applies.
9. STEWARD PROJECTS
9.1 Two Arrangements
Steward Projects are carried out under one of two arrangements. The applicable arrangement is stated on the face of every written quotation and applies for the whole of that project. Where a quotation does not state otherwise, Section 9.3 applies.
9.2 Assessment, Quotation and Approval
The Home Steward will assess the proposed work at the Property. Assessment fees, where applicable, are published at homestewardnj.com.
A written quotation will follow, stating the scope, the timeline, the cost, the applicable arrangement under this Section 9, and The Home Steward's fee. No work commences until the Client has approved that quotation in writing.
Any change to the approved scope requires a new written quotation and the Client's written approval before the additional work is carried out or any additional expense is incurred.
9.3 Fixed Quote Projects
Under a fixed quote arrangement, The Home Steward engages subcontractors under its own contracts. Those subcontractors invoice The Home Steward, and the Client receives a single quoted price from The Home Steward.
9.4 Open Book Projects
Under an open book arrangement, the Client — or an interior designer, architect, or other professional engaged by the Client — contracts directly with each trade. Those contractors invoice the Client directly. The Home Steward acts as project manager and does not contract for the trade work.
In this role The Home Steward sources and recommends contractors, obtains and circulates their quotations, schedules the work, attends the Property, oversees progress, and reports to the Client.
All contractor quotations obtained by The Home Steward are disclosed in full to the Client, and to any designer or other professional the Client has authorised. The Home Steward's fee is stated separately and is not incorporated into any contractor's price.
9.5 Fee
The Home Steward's fee for a Steward Project is agreed with the Client at the time of quotation and is stated in the written quotation. It is not a published percentage. Steward Estate subscribers receive a reduced fee, as published at homestewardnj.com.
The Home Steward adds no margin to any contractor invoice issued directly to the Client, and accepts no referral fee, commission, or rebate from any contractor.
9.6 Responsibility
Fixed quote projects. The Home Steward is responsible for completion of the work to the approved scope, and for the workmanship of subcontractors it has engaged, subject to Sections 6.1, 6.2, and 6.4.
Open book projects. Each contractor is responsible for its own workmanship and for any warranty on its work, and contracts directly with the Client. The Home Steward is responsible for the project management service it provides — sourcing contractors with reasonable care, scheduling, attendance, oversight, and reporting — and is not liable for the workmanship, errors, omissions, or negligence of any contractor engaged directly by the Client. The Home Steward will assist the Client in resolving any issue arising from that work.
9.7 Contractor Relationships
Any contractor introduced to the Client through The Home Steward may be engaged directly by the Client at any time, during or after the term of this Agreement. No restriction of any kind applies.
9.8 Written Home Improvement Contracts
Where required by New Jersey law, a separate written home improvement contract containing the disclosures prescribed by law will be provided to the Client and signed before work commences. That contract governs the work described in it, and this Agreement continues to apply to all other matters.
10. GENERAL PROVISIONS
10.1 Entire Agreement
This Agreement, together with the pricing and service descriptions published at homestewardnj.com and the Client's Vendor Authorization where applicable, constitutes the entire agreement between the parties and supersedes all prior discussions and agreements.
10.2 Amendments
This Agreement may be amended only by a written instrument signed by both parties. The Home Steward may update pricing and service descriptions with thirty (30) days' written notice to subscribers. Price increases for existing subscribers take effect at the start of the next subscription period following the notice period.
10.3 Severability
If any provision of this Agreement is held invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force and effect.
10.4 Governing Law and Venue
This Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of New Jersey. The parties consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Union County, New Jersey.
10.5 Notices
All notices under this Agreement shall be in writing and delivered by email or overnight courier. Notices to The Home Steward shall be sent to hello@homestewardnj.com or 16 Canterbury Lane, Summit, NJ 07901.
10.6 Independent Contractor
The Home Steward and its Technicians are independent contractors and not employees, agents, or partners of the Client.
ACCEPTANCE
By signing up for services through The Home Steward's website or other means, the Client accepts and agrees to be bound by the terms of this Agreement.
— END OF CLIENT SERVICE AGREEMENT —
The Home Steward LLC · 16 Canterbury Lane, Summit, NJ 07901
hello@homestewardnj.com · homestewardnj.com
NJ Home Improvement Contractor Registration #: 13VH14155300 · Fully Bonded and Insured