Terms of service

Agreement to these terms

These Terms of Service govern your use of thecityhomerepair.com and describe the general basis on which The City Home Repair provides handyman services. By browsing this site or submitting an estimate request, you agree to them.

For any particular job, the written quote we send you controls. If a term in your quote conflicts with something on this page, the quote wins for that job. These terms fill in everything the quote doesn't say.

Our Privacy Policy is part of these terms.

Who we are and what we do

The City Home Repair is a handyman service based at 2522 35th Avenue, Oakland, CA 94601, working across San Francisco and the Bay Area since 2023. We handle small-to-medium home repair and maintenance: drywall and patching, painting touch-ups, TV mounting, furniture assembly, shelf and mirror hanging, flooring repair, light fixtures and ceiling fans, minor plumbing and electrical, doors and windows, trim and caulking, gutter cleaning, pressure washing, fence and deck repair, and general upkeep.

We are a handyman service, not a general contractor, an architect, an engineer, or a licensed electrician, plumber, or roofer. See section 10 for what that means in practice.

Service area

We work in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, Albany, Richmond, and much of the surrounding East Bay and Peninsula. Some outlying areas carry a travel charge, which we'll always tell you about in the quote before you agree to anything. If you're outside our range, we'll say so up front rather than waste your time.

Estimates and quotes

• Estimates are free and carry no obligation. Requesting one doesn't commit you to anything, and we don't charge for the conversation.
• We aim to respond within 2 hours during working hours (Mon–Fri 7a–7p, Sat 10a–4p). Requests that arrive overnight or on a Sunday get answered when we open. That's our target, not a guarantee — occasionally we're up a ladder and can't get to the phone. If you haven't heard back, call us.
• We reply by phone or text. Our forms don't ask for an email address, so the number you give us is how we reach you. Make sure it's one you actually answer.
• Remote quotes rely on what you tell us. A quote based on your description and photos assumes those are accurate and complete. If the job on site turns out to be materially different, the quote may change — see section 06.
• A quote is valid for 30 days unless it says otherwise. Material prices move, and we'd rather re-quote than surprise you.
• Nothing is binding until you approve it. A contract forms when you accept the written quote — by email, text, or in writing — and we confirm a date. Submitting the form on this site is a request, not a booking.
• We can decline work. If a job is outside our skill set, outside the law for an unlicensed handyman, or unsafe, we'll turn it down and tell you why — usually with a referral to someone who can do it.

Prices shown on this site

Our cost guide and service pages include typical Bay Area price ranges. Those figures exist to set expectations — they are informational ranges, not offers, and not quotes. What your job actually costs depends on the specific work, materials, wall and surface type, access and height, and how many tasks you batch into one visit.

We do our best to keep those ranges current, but we don't warrant that every price, description, or detail on this site is accurate, complete, or up to date. The only number that binds either of us is the one in your written quote.

Scope changes and hidden conditions

The quoted price covers the work described in the quote. Two things can change it:

Work you add. If you'd like something else done while we're there, great — that's usually the best value. We'll price the addition and confirm it with you before starting on it.

What we find once we open things up. Bay Area housing stock hides surprises: rot behind a fence post, a stud that isn't where it should be, plaster instead of drywall, a previous repair done badly, water damage behind a patch, wiring that doesn't match the switch plate. When we hit something like that, we stop and talk to you before spending your money. You'll get the options, what each costs, and a decision to make. We never do extra work first and hand you the bill after.

If the additional work is beyond what we can legally or safely take on, we'll tell you and point you to a licensed specialist.

Scheduling, access, and cancellations

• Arrival windows. We give an arrival window rather than a precise minute, because traffic and previous jobs are unpredictable. We'll text if we're running late.
• Access. Someone 18 or older needs to let us in and be reachable during the visit, unless we've agreed on another arrangement in advance. We need clear access to the work area, a working power outlet, and parking within reasonable distance — in San Francisco especially, please tell us the parking situation ahead of time.
• If we can't get in. If nobody's there and we can't reach you, we may charge a trip fee to cover the visit. We'll always try to reach you first.
• Rescheduling and cancellation. Let us know at least 24 hours ahead and there's no charge. Cancellations inside 24 hours, or on the day, may incur a fee for the reserved time and any materials already bought for your job — custom-ordered or cut materials are charged in full.
• When we have to reschedule. Weather, illness, a job that runs long, or a supply problem occasionally forces us to move a visit. We'll tell you as soon as we know and get you the next available slot. We're not liable for costs arising from a rescheduled appointment.
• Exterior work — gutters, fences, decks, pressure washing — depends on weather and may be moved for rain or unsafe conditions.

Payment

• Payment is due on completion unless your quote says otherwise.
• Deposits. Larger jobs, or jobs needing significant materials bought up front, may require a deposit. It'll be stated in the quote before you agree.
• How to pay. We'll tell you the accepted methods when we book. This website doesn't process payments, so never send card details through the estimate form.
• Multi-day jobs may be invoiced in stages, as set out in the quote.
• Late payment. Invoices unpaid after 30 days may accrue reasonable late charges, and we may recover the costs of collection where the law allows.
• Disagreements about the bill. Tell us within 7 days of the invoice and we'll work it out. Most billing disputes come from a misunderstanding about scope, and a phone call fixes them.

Materials and parts

Materials we supply are charged as set out in your quote. They carry only the manufacturer's warranty — we pass that through to you, but we're not the manufacturer and can't extend it.

Materials you supply are welcome, and often sensible for fixtures and furniture you've already picked out. But if you provide them, you're responsible for them being correct, complete, and suitable for the job. If a part turns out to be the wrong size, missing hardware, faulty, or unsuitable for your walls, we can't warranty the outcome, and a return trip may be chargeable. Where we can see a problem coming, we'll tell you before we start.

Where a mount, anchor, or fixture has a weight or load rating, we install to that rating. Exceeding it later — a heavier TV on the same mount, more weight on the same shelf — voids our workmanship guarantee for that item.

Licensing and the limits of our work

California allows unlicensed handyman work under the Contractors State License Board's minor work exemption: jobs where the total cost of labor and materials combined is under $1,000, that don't require a building permit, and that aren't part of a larger project split up to stay under the limit. We work within that exemption. Our California handyman license guide explains the rule in full.

In practice that means we don't take on:

• Work requiring a building, electrical, or plumbing permit.
• Structural work, or anything affecting the structural integrity of your home.
• New electrical circuits, panel work, or service upgrades.
• Gas line work, water heater replacement, or main line plumbing.
• Roofing, foundations, or work requiring engineered drawings.
• Asbestos, lead, or mold abatement — see section 11.
• Any single job where labor plus materials would exceed the exemption limit.

If your job needs a licensed contractor, we'll say so plainly and, where we can, point you to someone good. We won't quietly take on work we shouldn't be doing. You can verify any contractor's license, including anyone we refer, at cslb.ca.gov.

Nothing on this website is legal, engineering, or building-code advice. The guides we publish are general explanations, and codes and thresholds change. For your specific situation, check with your local building department.

Older homes, lead, asbestos, and mold

A lot of Bay Area housing predates 1978, which means lead paint is a real possibility, and older textured ceilings and floor tiles can contain asbestos.

We follow lead-safe work practices where they're required, and we keep dust contained. But we do not perform abatement of any kind. If we encounter suspected lead paint, asbestos-containing material, mold, hazardous waste, pests, or a rodent problem in the work area, we'll stop, tell you what we've found, and recommend a certified specialist. Work resumes once the area is cleared. Delay or added cost caused by discovering a hazardous material isn't something we can be held responsible for.

If you already know or suspect there's lead, asbestos, or mold in the area we'll be working, please tell us before we start. It changes how we approach the job and it keeps everyone safe.

Our workmanship guarantee

We stand behind our work. If something we did isn't right, tell us and we'll come back and make it right at no additional labor cost. That's the whole guarantee, and we mean it — call or email as soon as you notice a problem so we can look at it while the cause is still clear.

The guarantee covers our workmanship. It doesn't cover:

• Normal wear and tear, or settling and seasonal movement in the building.
• Pre-existing conditions and defects we didn't create, including problems we flagged to you at the time.
• Materials or fixtures you supplied — those carry their own manufacturer's warranty.
• Manufacturer defects in materials we supplied, which are covered by the manufacturer's warranty rather than ours.
• Damage from misuse, overloading, accident, pets, other trades working on the same area, or later alterations by you or anyone else.
• Damage from water intrusion, storms, earthquakes, or other events outside our control.
• Cosmetic paint and finish matching on aged surfaces — new paint rarely matches sun-faded paint exactly, and we'll tell you when that's likely.

Nothing here limits any rights you have under California consumer protection law.

Your responsibilities

• Tell us about the property. Known hazards, temperamental plumbing, a breaker that trips, previous repairs, anything relevant. Surprises cost time and money; disclosure prevents both.
• Have the authority to authorize the work. If you rent, get your landlord's or the property manager's permission first. If the property is in an HOA, check the rules for exterior work before we start. You're responsible for having permission.
• Clear the work area where you can, and move or protect fragile, valuable, or sentimental items nearby. We're careful and we use drop cloths, but the safest place for grandma's vase is another room.
• Secure pets during the visit — for their safety and ours. Open doors, power tools, and loose hardware are a bad combination with a curious dog.
• Keep children away from the work area while tools and materials are out.
• Provide reasonable working conditions — access, power, water where the job needs it, and a safe place to work.
• Treat our crew respectfully. We reserve the right to stop work and leave if a site is unsafe or a person is abusive, and to charge for time spent.

Insurance and liability

The City Home Repair carries general liability insurance. If we damage something while working, tell us right away and we'll make it right — that's what the insurance is for. Proof of coverage is available on request.

To the fullest extent permitted by California law:

• Our total liability for any claim arising out of a job is limited to the amount you paid us for that job, except where the law doesn't allow such a limit.
• We're not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential losses — lost income, lost rental days, alternative accommodation, or similar — arising from our work or from a delayed or rescheduled visit.
• We're not responsible for pre-existing defects, or for damage that results from a pre-existing condition we couldn't reasonably have known about.
• We're not liable for delays or failures caused by events outside our reasonable control: severe weather, supply shortages, illness, road closures, utility outages, or acts of government.

Nothing in these terms excludes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for anything else that can't lawfully be excluded.

This website is provided as-is. We don't warrant that it will be uninterrupted or error-free, and we're not liable for any loss arising from your use of it or from reliance on the general information it contains.

Photos of completed work

We photograph completed work for our portfolio and our records, and we may use those photos on this site, on our Google Business Profile, or in social posts. We don't publish your name, your address, or anything that identifies your home. If you'd rather we didn't photograph your job, just tell us — before, during, or after — and we won't, or we'll take it down. See our Privacy Policy for more.

Using this website

You may use this site to learn about our services and request an estimate. You may not:

• Submit false, misleading, or automated form submissions, or otherwise abuse our forms.
• Attempt to interfere with, overload, probe, or gain unauthorized access to the site or its systems.
• Scrape or harvest the site's content or contact details for marketing, resale, or republication.
• Use the site for any unlawful purpose, or in any way that could damage or disable it.

Our estimate form applies a per-IP rate limit to block spam. We may block access from any source that abuses it.

Content and intellectual property

The text, photographs, guides, layout, and design of this website belong to The City Home Repair and are protected by copyright. You're welcome to read it, print a page for your own use, and link to us. You may not republish, copy, or resell our content — including our cost guides and service pages — without written permission.

The City Home Repair name and logo are ours. Third-party names and trademarks that appear on the site belong to their respective owners and are used only to describe compatibility or context.

If you send us feedback, a suggestion, or a review, we may use it — including in marketing — without owing you anything for it.

Governing law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. Any dispute will be brought in the state or federal courts located in Alameda County, California, and both of us consent to that jurisdiction.

Before anyone involves a court, though: call us. Nearly every problem we've had was solved with a phone call and a return visit. We'd rather fix your wall than argue about it. If a dispute can't be resolved informally, both parties may agree to mediation before proceeding further.

Small claims court remains available to either of us for claims within its limits.

If any part of these terms is found unenforceable, the rest stays in effect. Our not enforcing a term on one occasion doesn't waive it for the future.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. The version posted here when you accept a quote is the version that applies to that job — later changes don't apply retroactively to work already booked. The "last updated" date at the top tells you when this page last changed.

How to reach us

Questions about these terms, or about a job? Talk to us directly.

See also our Privacy Policy.