Terms of service

The Good Sweep is Rick Player's chimney sweeping business, based in Great Barton near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

• Business name: The Good Sweep
• Company number: 16455286
• Registered address: 1 Lodge Close, Great Barton, Bury St Edmunds, IP31 2SL
• Email: hello@thegoodsweep.co.uk
• Phone: 01284 365 010

These terms apply to any sweeping, inspection or related work we carry out for you, however you booked it: by phone, by email, by WhatsApp or through the form on this website. When you book an appointment with us, you are agreeing to them.

Nothing here affects your statutory rights. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 we have to carry out the work with reasonable care and skill, and that stands whatever these terms say.

The prices on our pricing and FAQs page are the typical starting prices for each kind of flue. What a job costs depends on the appliance, the access and how long it has been since the last sweep, so we confirm the price with you before we start work.

• Blockages, such as bird nests, hardened tar or heavy soot, are charged separately from the sweep.
• A CCTV inspection may add a charge on top of the standard sweep price.
• Any cost we have to pay to reach your property, such as parking, congestion or emission charges and tolls, is added to your invoice.
• Short notice and same day visits classed as an emergency carry a call out fee on top of the sweeping charge.

Whoever makes the booking is responsible for payment, whether or not they own the property or are there on the day.

So that we can work safely and leave your room as we found it, please have all of this ready before we arrive.

• The fire, stove or appliance unused for at least 24 hours, so it is completely cool.
• The appliance clear of ash, fuel and anything else that burns.
• About 2 metres of clear working space in front of the fireplace or stove, with furniture moved and nothing on top of or beside the work area.
• Ornaments, logs and fragile items moved away from the hearth.
• Access to a power socket.

If we arrive and cannot work safely, or the appliance cannot be swept because of its condition, we treat the visit as a missed appointment. See below.

A standard visit is a full sweep, clean and test of the appliance or set up where that is possible, carried out to HETAS and Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps standards. We protect the area with dust sheets, seal the opening and use a vacuum to keep soot out of the room.

• We sweep solid fuel and oil appliances. We do not touch gas fires: gas work has to be checked by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
• We do not install, alter or certify stoves, appliances or fireplace openings.
• If we notice a problem while we are working, we will point it out once we have finished. We strongly recommend that any remedial work is carried out by a competent, qualified installer before you use the appliance again.
• Where a bird nest is still in use we will not remove it. The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 protects an active nest, and we will come back once it is no longer in use.
• Soot and waste from the work is left with you to dispose of. You are responsible for making sure it is disposed of safely and in line with the rules that apply where you live.

We issue an insurance recognised Certificate of Sweeping once the work is done and payment has been received. It shows the date, the address and the appliance.

Many insurers ask for proof that the chimney has been swept by a competent professional within the last twelve months, so it is worth keeping the certificate with your home documents.

If you need to cancel or move an appointment, please tell us as soon as you can and we will find another date.

The full sweeping fee is charged where an appointment is cancelled with less than 24 hours notice, where we cannot get access on the day, or where the appliance cannot be swept because of its condition.

If you booked at a distance or away from our premises, which covers a booking made by phone, by email or through this website, you normally have 14 days to change your mind under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. If you asked us to carry out the work inside those 14 days and we did, you pay for what has been done. Where that right applies, it comes before the notice period above.

• Payment is due on the day of the sweep or service.
• We take cash, card and cheque.
• Where we issue an invoice, payment terms are strictly 7 days.
• A late payment may incur a £50 administration fee, plus interest charged at 8%.

The certificate is issued once payment has been received.

The chimney, the flue and the appliance are yours, and there are a few things we need you to keep on top of.

• All fires, burners and flues have to be serviceable and in good working order at the time of the sweep.
• The correct cowl or terminal has to be fitted at the top of any flue we sweep, and properly secured.
• The installation has to meet current industry standards and any local council or planning requirements.
• Disposing of the soot and waste we leave with you.

We are not responsible for any damage that may occur as part of, or be associated with, the sweeping process. This includes, but is not limited to, damage to stacks, chimney pots, liners, property or persons.

Nothing in these terms limits our responsibility for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for anything else the law does not allow us to limit or exclude.

If you are unhappy with the work, or with anything else we have done, please tell us first. Email hello@thegoodsweep.co.uk or ring 01284 365 010, and we will do what we can to put it right.

We use the details you give us to reply to you, book the work and keep the records the law requires. Our privacy policy sets out what we collect, who we share it with, how long we keep it and your rights over it.

We will update this page when the way we work changes. The version on this page when you book is the one that applies to your booking.

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales deal with any dispute arising under them.

Last updated: 20 September 2026.