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Terms of Service

Last updated: [DATE]

These are the terms for using FindChimneySweepers.com. We've written them in plain English. If anything is unclear, email hello@findchimneysweepers.com before you use the site.

1. Acceptance of terms

By using FindChimneySweepers.com, you agree to these Terms of Service. If you don't agree, don't use the site. Claiming a listing or purchasing a subscription is an explicit acceptance of both these terms and our privacy policy.

2. What this site is

FindChimneySweepers.com is a consumer-protection directory for the US chimney sweep industry. We connect homeowners with chimney sweep operators, and we provide educational content and tools to help homeowners make informed hiring decisions.

To be clear about what we are not:

  • We are not a chimney sweep company. We do not perform chimney cleaning, inspection, repair, or any other chimney-related work. We never visit your home.
  • We are not a referral service. We do not guarantee that any operator listed on the site will perform quality work, will respond to your inquiry, will honour their quoted prices, or will be available when you need them.
  • We are not a licensing body. Our "verified" badge is a directory signal based on our own manual review — it is not a government license, an industry certification, or a warranty of service quality.
  • We are not affiliated with CSIA, NCSG, NFI, or any industry association. When we display CSIA certification badges, we are displaying publicly available data from the CSIA's official directory. We are not partnered with or endorsed by any association.

3. Consumer terms

These terms apply to homeowners and other consumers using the directory.

Directory information

  • Directory listings are provided for informational purposes only. We make reasonable efforts to verify operator data, but we cannot guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of every listing. Business details change, phone numbers get disconnected, and operators go out of business.
  • Before hiring any operator, you should independently verify their credentials, insurance, licensing, and pricing. Your decision to hire is entirely your own.

Badges and ratings

  • Verified and Featured badges indicate that the operator passed our verification process at the time the badge was issued. They are not a warranty of service quality, an endorsement, or a guarantee of outcome.
  • CSIA badges are displayed based on official CSIA certification data, accurate as of our last data sync. Certifications can be suspended or revoked between our syncs, so verify current status on search.csia.org before relying on the badge for a hiring decision.
  • Google ratings and reviews are sourced from Google Business Profiles and subject to Google's review policies. We have no control over Google's review platform and do not verify individual reviews.

Consumer tools

The tools on this site (scam quote checker, cost estimator, inspection level decider, etc.) provide guidance based on industry data and documented scam patterns. They are:

  • Not professional advice. Always get an in-person assessment from a qualified chimney professional before making decisions about the safety or condition of your chimney.
  • Not a substitute for a licensed inspector. Our inspection-level decider suggests what level might be appropriate; it does not perform an inspection.
  • Based on aggregate data. Cost estimates reflect general market ranges and may not match your specific chimney's condition, height, access, or local pricing.

Form submissions

By submitting a callback request, quote request, or any other form on FindChimneySweepers, you consent to your contact details being shared with the selected operator(s) for the purpose of fulfilling your request. See our privacy policy for full details on how form data is handled.

Responsibility for hiring decisions

FindChimneySweepers is not a party to any agreement, contract, or work performed between you and a chimney sweep operator. All contracts, payments, warranties, disputes, and legal obligations run directly between you and the operator. We are not liable for the quality, pricing, safety, or outcome of any work performed by any operator listed on this site.

4. Operator terms

These terms apply to chimney sweep businesses listed on or claiming listings on the directory.

Being listed

Your business may be listed on FindChimneySweepers based on publicly available Google Business Profile data. You don't need to have agreed to be listed — if you operate a public chimney sweep business, you may appear in the directory. You may request removal at any time by emailing hello@findchimneysweepers.com.

Claiming your listing

By claiming your listing, you confirm that:

  • You are authorised to represent the business
  • The information you provide during the claim process is accurate and current
  • You will update us if any claim-process information changes materially (e.g. loss of insurance, change of service area, change of ownership)

Verification

Our "verified" badge means your business passed our manual review at the time of approval. It is not a license, a professional endorsement, or a guarantee of service quality. You may not represent the badge as government certification, industry accreditation, or anything other than what it is: a directory signal indicating you passed our review.

Subscription and billing

  • Payment. Verified and Featured subscriptions are paid via Stripe Payment Links. Subscriptions are monthly or annual.
  • Cancellation. You can cancel at any time through your Stripe billing portal or by emailing us. Your verified badge remains active until the end of your current billing period, after which it is removed. No refunds are issued for partial billing periods, including the unused portion of an annual subscription.
  • Annual prepay discount. Annual subscriptions include a 15% discount baked into the Stripe Payment Link. If you cancel an annual subscription mid-term, the badge remains active through the paid period; no prorated refund is issued.
  • Launch pricing ($9/month). The $9/month launch rate for the first 100 operators is locked for as long as your subscription remains active and in good standing. If your subscription lapses, is cancelled, or is revoked, the launch rate is forfeited and re-subscription is at standard pricing ($19/month verified, $59/month featured).
  • Re-verification. Every 90 days, we send an automated email asking you to confirm your listing details are current. If you do not respond within 14 days, your verified badge is temporarily suspended until you confirm. Re-verification exists to keep the badge meaningful, and suspensions do not entitle you to a refund.

Prohibited conduct

Verified and Featured operators may not:

  • Misrepresent their credentials (CSIA, NFI, insurance, licensing, years in business)
  • Misrepresent their services or pricing on their listing
  • Engage in the documented scam patterns described in our educational content, including but not limited to: bait-and-switch pricing, fabricated "deep clean" upsells, fake Level 2 findings, billing for work not performed, and multi-alias operations

Verified operators found to be engaging in these patterns will have their verified badge revoked without refund. We reserve the right to remove listings entirely in cases of fraud or consumer harm.

Lead routing

  • Verified tier receives up to 3 consumer leads per month at no additional cost. Additional leads beyond 3 are billed separately or available via upgrade to Featured.
  • Featured tier receives unlimited consumer leads from their listing with no cap.
  • Leads do not accumulate or roll over from one month to the next.
  • We do not guarantee lead volume, lead quality, or lead conversion. Volume depends on your market, your listing quality, and seasonal search demand. We will not compensate for months with zero or low leads.

5. Intellectual property

All content on FindChimneySweepers.com — including editorial articles, tool logic, design elements, branding, and the directory structure itself — is owned by FindChimneySweepers or our licensors, except where noted.

Operators retain rights to their own business data, photos submitted through the claim process, and trademarks. By submitting a claim, you grant us a non-exclusive licence to display that data on your listing for as long as your subscription is active.

You may not scrape, copy, or redistribute the directory or its contents without written permission. You may, of course, link to any page on the site.

6. Limitation of liability

FindChimneySweepers.com is provided "as is" and "as available". We make no warranties, express or implied, about the accuracy, completeness, or fitness of the site for any particular purpose.

To the maximum extent permitted by law:

  • We are not liable for the quality, safety, timeliness, or outcome of any chimney work performed by any operator listed on the site
  • We are not liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages arising from your use of the site
  • Our maximum aggregate liability for any claim arising from or related to the site is limited to the fees paid to us by the claiming party in the 12 months preceding the claim, or $100 USD, whichever is greater

These limitations apply whether the claim is based on contract, tort, statute, or any other legal theory, and whether or not we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

7. Indemnification

You (whether consumer or operator) agree to indemnify and hold harmless FindChimneySweepers, its operators, employees, and contractors, against any claims, damages, losses, costs, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from:

  • Your use of the site
  • Your breach of these terms
  • Your violation of any third-party rights
  • For operators: any consumer claims arising from work you perform, services you advertise, or representations you make on your listing

8. Disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of [JURISDICTION], without regard to conflict-of-laws principles.

Informal resolution first. Before filing any formal claim, you agree to contact us at hello@findchimneysweepers.com and attempt to resolve the dispute informally. We agree to do the same. We will give each other at least 30 days to reach an informal resolution.

If informal resolution fails, disputes will be resolved through [arbitration / small claims — to be finalised] in [JURISDICTION]. You waive any right to a jury trial or to participate in a class action to the extent permitted by law.

9. Modifications

We may update these terms from time to time. We will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. For material changes, we will post a notice on the site. Your continued use of the site after changes are posted means you accept the updated terms. If you don't accept the updated terms, stop using the site.

10. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the site — including an operator listing or subscription — at any time, with or without notice, if we reasonably believe you have violated these terms. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (liability, indemnification, intellectual property, disputes) will survive.

11. Contact

Questions about these terms:

Email: hello@findchimneysweepers.com

We aim to respond within 5 business days.