Terms & Conditions

Consumer Terms of Use

Terms of Use relate to our online service. Our registered businesses are bound by separate terms and conditions of registration.

Please read these terms of use carefully before using this service. If you do not agree to these terms of use, you must not use our service. Use of the service is your acceptance of these terms.

How you may use material on our platform

We own the licenses of all intellectual property rights in our platform. You are not permitted to use this platform, or any content within, for any other reason other than for its intended use.

Who we are and how to contact us

This website is owned / licensed and operated by The British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installation Limited (“We” / “Us” / “Our”). We are registered in England and Wales under company number 6533488 and have our registered office at Thames Enterprise Centre, Princess Margaret Road, Essex RM18 8RH. We are a limited by guarantee company, meaning that we are a Not-for-Profit registered business. We are a VAT registered business in the United Kingdom, registration number 941 5901 25.

Visit our Contact Us page if you need to get in touch.

What’s in these terms?

These terms clarify the conditions for using our service. It forms a legally binding agreement between us and you.

By using our service, you accept these terms

By using our service, you confirm that you accept these terms of use and that you agree to comply with them. If you do not agree to these terms, you must not use the website.

What is the service?

We provide a service that allows consumers to search for registered members of The British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installation.

Who is the service intended for?

The service is intended for consumers. A consumer is defined as a person or persons wishing to engage our registered businesses commercially in respect of kitchen, bedroom or bathroom installation in their own home or a home managed by them.

Who cannot use this service?

This service is not intended for businesses, or representatives of businesses, wishing to engage our registered business for any other purpose leading to any form of commercial gain. Use of this platform by businesses or representatives of businesses is strictly forbidden and any breach of this clause may be subject to legal challenge and reporting to The Information Commissioners Office (iCO).

How do you use this service effectively?

This service is best for those who want to make all the arrangements with our registered businesses yourself. We simply list registered businesses and the rest, including pricing, contracts, payment and disputes are matters between you and our registered businesses.

The other option for you is the Protected initiative. Visit the Protect My Install website for more information. Note that Protect My Install is a third party application that is not legally connected to us. Use of this service is at your own risk and we will not be held responsible for any loss or damage as a result of any person or business using that service. Please check their Terms & Conditions of Use before engaging them for service.

What does registration to BiKBBI mean?

We accept applications for registration from those businesses that meet our entry criteria. Those who meet the criteria must also maintain their compliance in accordance with our terms of registration. This criteria includes, but is not limited to the provision of the following:

– Public liability insurance
– Employers liability insurance (for those who employ)
– Criminal background, in accordance with The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1979)
– Credentials that relate to gas and electrical registration
– Certification of Asbestos Awareness

We also check members identification and registration with HMRC on application.

Registrants therefore have these provisions in place and only those who have valid documents are listed on our website. It is important that between the time a registrant is found on our website and when work commences, their documentation may expire and therefore we may suspend the registrant.

It’s is therefore your responsibility to validate current information with our registrant before work commences. This can be achieved by requesting copies of documentation yourself, or by revisiting our VALIDATE online tool.

What doesn't registration mean - Important Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties to you of any kind, express or implied, as to the operation of the website or the information, content or materials included on the platform. We do not endorse, recommend or imply suitability of those registrants listed within our service, other than to confirm that at the time of publication, registrants met and maintained credentials in accordance with our registration criteria.

As such, we do not indemnify any third-party for any losses or damage caused as a result of any commercial (or otherwise) arrangement between registered businesses, installation standards partners (retailers) or corporate sponsors.

How we may use your personal information

We will only use your personal information as set out in our Privacy Policy.

Purchasing an installation from a third-party

In certain circumstances you may have purchased your installation service from a third-party, perhaps a retailer. Your contract of service in this case will be with that third-party and therefore they have a Statutory obligation to deliver the service in accordance with The Consumer Rights Act. If you have / are experiencing issues with an installation purchased from a third party, you should refer to your contract, follow the complaints procedure or seek independent legal advice.

In some instances, the third-party may be registered with The Furniture Ombudsman (TFO) – an independent organisation that supports Alternative Dispute Resolution. If the company is registered with TFO, you must refer to their Consumer Complaints procedure.

Feedback

We welcome feedback about the performance of our registrants service. If you would like to provide feedback as to the performance of our registrants, positive or otherwise, please email our team at member@bikbbi.org.uk – Please include as much information as you can to assist the process of finding out more.

Please note that any action we take, which we may deem necessary in the circumstances, will not be published, nor are we obliged to share any outcomes with the originator of the feedback.

Complaints

Complaints relating to services provided by our registrants must be addressed with the business directly. We have produced a library of tools to help consumers manage problems or complaints with registrants – details of which can be found at: https://bikbbi.org.uk/library#consumers

You can also submit an online Complaint to us by clicking here.

We would welcome feedback about any element of service you have received from a registrant and direct you to our feedback section above on how to do this.

No advice

The website gives access to our registrants. Any business engagement with our registrants is subject to an agreement between you and them. You are free to take your own legal advice on the suitability of that agreement.

No reliance

We are not responsible for any loss, damage or cost resulting from any decisions that are made in reliance of this website or your choice to use a registrants, including legal, compliance and/or risk management decisions. You agree that you use the services at your own risk in these respects.

Your obligations

Our website connects you to registrants of our organisation.

These businesses meet and maintain compliance requirement in accordance with registration criteria.

It is your responsibility to ensure that compliance collateral is validated with the member directly that it is your responsibility to check the credentials of those individuals who carry out specific tasks in your home – for instance, gas, electrical, structural and waste removal.

You will use the Platform in good faith and in compliance with these terms of use.

Price and Payment

It is your responsibility to negotiate price and payment directly with our registrant.

We recommend that you obtain multiple quotes for work as a comparison and ensure that payment terms are clear, fair and reasonable. We also recommend, in accordance with Consumer Rights regulation, that you do not pay for the services, in full, in advance unless provision is set aside to offer protection in the event of a catestropic financial event.

It is reasonable for our registrant to request a deposit to secure their time, it’s also reasonable that staged payments are made at key milestones during the installation. We recommend that you retain a balance for payment on completion, that is fair and in the spirit of the relationship.

Our responsibility for loss or damage

We are responsible to you for foreseeable loss and damage caused by us.

If we fail to comply with these terms, we are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breaking these terms or our failing to use reasonable care and skill, but we are not responsible for any loss or damage that is not foreseeable. Loss or damage is foreseeable if either it is obvious that it will happen or if, at the time the these terms were accepted, both we and you knew it might happen.

We do not exclude or limit in any way our liability to you where it would be unlawful to do so. This includes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence or the negligence of our employees, agents or subcontractors; for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; for breach of your legal rights in relation to the products; and for defective products under the Consumer Protection Act 1987.

We are not liable for business losses. We only give access to the platform to you for domestic and private use.

Other important terms

If a court finds part of these terms illegal, the rest will continue in force. Each of the paragraphs of these terms operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of them are unlawful, the remaining paragraphs will remain in full force and effect.

Even if we delay in enforcing these terms, we can still enforce it later. If we do not insist immediately that you do anything you are required to do under these terms, or if we delay in taking steps against you in respect of your breaching these terms, that will not mean that you do not have to do those things and it will not prevent us taking steps against you at a later date.

Our right to make changes

We may change our platform:

(a) to reflect changes in relevant laws and regulatory requirements; and
(b) to implement minor technical adjustments and improvements, for example to address a security threat.

These changes will not affect your use of the product.

Which laws apply to these terms and where you may bring legal proceedings

These terms are governed by English law and you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the products in the English courts. If you live in Scotland you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the products in either the Scottish or the English courts. If you live in Northern Ireland you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the products in either the Northern Irish or the English courts.

These terms were last updated: 11/09/2023

ENDS