Terms and conditions of registration

It is important that you read these terms fully before making an application to join or renew your registration to our organisation, as these terms form the legal basis of our relationship. Any reference to 'you' relates to the person or business making the application or renewal. Any reference to 'us' or 'our' relates to The British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installation Limited -- a Company registered in England & Wales, who's registration number is 06533488, registered at Building 13, Thames Enterprise Centre, Princess Margaret Road, East Tilbury, Essex RM18 8RH. You can contact us by clicking here.

1. Your registration

You can apply for and renew registration via our website, or by calling our head office team.

By making an application or by renewing registration, you are making an offer to subscribe to our annual service which, if accepted by us, will result in a legally binding agreement between you and us.

This agreement and your subsequent registration commences from the moment you make any payment to us.

You commit to the full payment of our annual registration subscription fee at the point we receive your first payment. Details of these fees are published on our website.

If you do not agree to annual subscription, you should not make an application or renew your registration.

It is important that you understand that an application does not constitute registration. Registration is granted only after you provide documentation in relation to our criteria, which is confirmed by the issuing of a unique registration number, usually pre-fixed with the letter 'N'.

You are not registered until you receive this number.

2. If someone else pays for your registration (Associate Registration)

In some circumstances your registration may be paid for by someone else, for instance a retailer you may work with. In this case, your status with us will be as an Associate and your registration therefore is only valid when representing that retailer.

You are not permitted to use registration for any other purpose outside of that relationship as effectively the registration is owned (and managed) by the retailer who is funding it.

You are permitted to display the Associate logo in accordance with our usage policy, however access to other benefits may be limited, to include the exclusion of your contact information on our find-a-business online directory. Additionally, we will not promote your services to any other third party and you will not receive an ID card, certificate or vehicle sticker.

If you would like registration in your own right, which can run in parallel with any other registration which is paid for by someone else, then you can make an independent application and we can use previously provided information to assist the process.

3. If you pay for registration: How we process payments

In May 2023 we changed the way in which we charge for registration by moving to a monthly subscription model. Whilst this is a monthly paid for service, it is important that you understand that registration is annually based and therefore you will not be permitted to cancel this subscription during its term, without charge.

When you make an application, or if you renew your registration from May 2023, you will be prompted to submit payment details for a monthly subscription service. This subscription model and all payments are processed by Stripe. Stripe is a payment processor that is independent and regulated by The Financial Conduct Authority.

We do not store your payment details.  However, these details are stored and processed by Stripe for future monthly subscription payments.

4. Our registration renewal process

In the 30 days leading to the expiry of your annual registration, we will send you automated email reminders and a postal reminder making you aware of the renewal date.

Existing registered businesses or applications received before 10/5/23:

If you applied or registered before 10/5/23, we will treat your renewal (when it arrives) as an 'historic' account and will subsequently direct you to our new subscription online checkout to renew. Whether you previously paid for registration in full, or if you pay by Direct Debit, you will need to renew via the subscription page. If you previously paid by Direct Debit, we will cancel this and write to you confirming this.

It is important that you renew your registration, using the subscription renewal link we provide, by your renewal date to avoid registration cancellation. If you do not subscribe by the renewal date, your registration will cancel and you may need to reapply should you wish your account to be reactivated.

Businesses who apply or renew on or after 10/5/23:

Your registration will be automatically renewed and you do not need to do anything. The subscription model will continue into the next registration year.

If your registration is automatically renewed and you subsequently decide that you do not wish to renew, you may cancel your subscription in accordance with our refund and cancellation policies.

If your registration is paid for by someone else, they will make the decision as to whether they will renew your registration and we will communicate with them directly on the renewal process.

5. Your entitlement to a refund

For new applications, you have 14 days, from the date you make payment, to receive a full refund for money paid. All requests must be made in writing.

You are not entitled to a refund outside of this 14-day period and you will become liable for future monthly payments outstanding against your annual registration.

For renewed subscriptions, you have 7 days, from your renewal date, to receive a full refund for money paid, less an administration fee of £24, which covers the cost of renewal pack production and postage. You must submit your request in writing to us.

6. If you wish to cancel registration

You may cancel your registration subscription at any time, with refunds processed in accordance with our refund policy.

Cancellation requests must be made in writing to member@bikbbi.org.uk. We do not accept verbally instructed cancellations.

By subscribing to our service, you are agreeing to make monthly payments for the entire term of your registration. This means that even if you do cancel registration early, you are legally liable to pay any outstanding balance, within 14 days of the cancellation. We will contact you to arrange payment.

We accept no responsibility for any loss or damage resulting from registration cancellation by either party.

7. If we cancel your registration

We may cancel your registration if it is proven that you have breached our Terms & Conditions of registration. In the event we cancel your registration, you will not be entitled to a refund and you will be liable for any outstanding balance for annual subscription.

If your registration is cancelled by us, we will inform you in writing and within 14 days from our decision. You have 14 days from the date of our written conformation to appeal this decision.

We accept no responsibility for any loss or damage resulting from registration cancellation by either party.

8. We can suspend your registration

You agree that registration is granted, not only on the basis that you meet our entry criteria at the point of application,  but that you maintain valid documentation for our key criteria throughout your registration. We refer to this criteria as Compliance requirements.

These criteria include, but is not limited to, the provision of documents relating to:

* Identity (on application)
* HMRC status (on application)
* Public liability insurance (on application & annually thereafter)
* Employers liability insurance if registering more than one installer (on application & annually thereafter)
* Electrical registration for kitchen & bathroom installers (on application & annually thereafter)
* Gas Safe registration  for kitchen installers (on application & annually thereafter)* Asbestos awareness (on application & annually thereafter)
* Criminal record (on application & bi-annually thereafter)

We will make every effort to remind you in the countdown to document expiry dates, however it is your responsibility to ensure we receive these documents, in full, as per our requirements and in a timely manner.

We process compliance documentation as fast as we can, usually within 3 working days of receipt, unless in exceptional circumstances.

In the event compliance documentation expires, your registration will be suspended (placed on hold) with immediate effect and will not be reactivated until the replacement document is received, processed and validated by us.

As it is your responsibility to provide evidence of compliance, we will not compensate you for any periods of suspension in relation to expired documentation and should you wish to cancel registration, you can do so in accordance with our Registration Cancellation policy.

We accept no responsibility for any loss or damage resulting from registration suspension.

9. How we handle your information

We recognise the importance of data protection and as such we are registered with The Information Commissioners Office (iCO), registration number Z1906069.

All information is processed, stored and disposed of in accordance with the provisions set by The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), details of which can be found within our Privacy Policy.

We may share your information with carefully selected strategic and retail partners. For instance, if you work with one of our Retail Installation Standards Partners, whether your registration fee is paid for them or not, you agree that your data, including Compliance information and documents, is shared with these partners, subject to their adherence to GDPR Regulation and our joint data sharing agreement.

We work with a third party insurance provider in the provision of the BiKBBI Insurance Scheme. Your policy information is shared with our partner for the purpose of supporting registered members to both remain compliant and fully indemnified. Our partner will make contact with our registered businesses in the run up to insurance expiry to advise on available cover and post renewal of the policy, if provided by a third party insurer, to check the policy for suitability.

If you wish to withdraw permission for any third party access, please inform us. You may do so at any point, but understand that this may affect your relationship with them and / or reduce the benefit of registration to our organisation.

Your business information, including contact details if you pay for registration yourself, will be displayed on our website, within our online directory. You can choose what information is displayed in this directory and withdraw your permission for contact information to be displayed.

Included within your Registration is two communication features, namely a compulsory and a marketing email service. You may opt out of marketing emails, by unsubscribing to the email using the link which will be found at the foot of all emails we send. You can resubscribe at any time. You may not unsubscribe from our compulsory email service, as these are used in connection with our compliance requirement, or reserved for important (non-marketing) communications.

10. What we expect from you

Registration to an institute comes with great responsibility as those registered are often regarded as professionals within their respective industry.

We expect you to operate in a professional manner in all dealings with us, your customers, suppliers, associates and the wider community. You agree to abide by our

Standards & Guidelines and Code of Conduct at all times and not to bring our organisation into any form of disrepute.

You must only use installers who have been registered with us. Failure to do so will result in a breach of these terms.

In addition to statutory obligation (the law), as a registered business you are expected to meet and maintain high standards in relation to workmanship, commercial transactions and conduct. Your responsibility extends to those you employ, in whatever capacity, who represent you / your business.

We expect you to interact with us, to take responsibility for absorbing information we provide in relation to your registration with us and to be open to two-way dialogue in relation to activities that are designed to improve your service to consumers and our industry.

You must ensure your commercial knowledge is updated on a regular basis and commit to continual professional development of your skills.

It is your responsibility to ensure your information is regularly updated with us. This includes contact, business and compliance information.

11. What you can expect from us

We have a responsibility to support the collective best interests of our registered businesses, representing you at the highest level.

We will support you to remain compliant in accordance with you legal and ethical responsibilities and will provide you with full insight into your compliance status, as well as provide you with regular reminders and prompts to update your information with us.

We will provide you with access to benefits with selected third-party service providers. Should you choose to engage any third-party provider, you enter an agreement directly with them and understand that we do not accept any liability for any loss or damage caused as a result of that relationship.

We will not share your details with any third-parties, unless in relation to our legal obligations.

We will regularly communicate news, technical updates and important information relating to your business, the delivery of services or information that is deemed relevant to our obligations as an industry institute.

We will invite you to attend events, online or in person, that is deemed relevant to your business.

We grant you permission use our Registered logo, which can be accessed via the login, and in accordance with our logo usage policy.

We will actively promote the services of our registered businesses in accordance with our registration criteria. We do so on our website and via various initiatives to raise the profile of our registered businesses.

12. What happens when your registration expires?

If you choose not to renew, you must remove all reference to your previous registration with us from your business. This will include any reference to registration, written or otherwise, and our logo in any format.

You must also inform your customers, especially those who may have engaged you on the understanding that you are a registered business of ours.

Selected information will be listed on our website indefinitely relating to your expired status, but this will not include any contact or sensitive information.

We can reactivate registration if you instruct us within 30 days of your expiry. This is a simple process. If you choose to renew registration outside of this time period, you may need to make a new application for registration, which may impact on processing times.

Any renewal post expiry will revert back to the original expiry date and your new annual renewal date calculated from that date.

We accept no responsibility for any loss or damage resulting from registration expiry.

13. We may change our terms in the future

We reserve the right to change our terms and conditions at any point.

If we make any changes, we will make you aware, by email, with no less than 14 days notice. You will be bound by any changes to our terms, although you do have the right to cancel registration in accordance with our Cancellation policy.

Current Terms & Conditions can be found on our website.

14. Governing law & jurisdiction

Our terms and conditions are governed by English law. You hereby irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts notwithstanding the jurisdiction where you are based.

If any court or competent authority decides that any of the provisions of these Terms are invalid, unlawful or unenforceable to any extent, the term will, to that extent only, be severed from the remaining terms, which will continue to be valid to the fullest extent permitted by law.

15. Third parties

A person who is not party to these Terms shall not have any rights under or in connection with them under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.

16. When were these terms last updated?

20/04/2023