The following constitute the terms and conditions of APDO membership:

By becoming a member of APDO, you agree to be bound by these terms and conditions, and you also accept that a breach of these terms and conditions could result in cancellation of your membership.

  1. Membership is valid for the stated term. It is the personal responsibility of the individual member to ensure that their membership is renewed at the end of the term. APDO cannot accept responsibility for a lapse in listing due to non-renewal. If you resign, or your membership lapses, you agree to stop using the APDO logo on any promotional or other material. You also agree to remove all references to you being an APDO member on your website, business cards and all other material under your control.
  2. The APDO joining fee is payable on your initial membership application for individual members. Business membership is managed through a specific application process.
  3. Should you wish to cancel your membership before your membership expiry date, no automatic refund of membership fees will be due. In exceptional circumstances, the Board may consider a refund, but this is entirely at its discretion.
  4. You can use your current APDO membership to redeem all discounts and member offers available to you and can use your listing to prove to your clients your membership of APDO. You may not claim membership of APDO or use APDO member discounts and benefits after your membership has expired.
  5. If your membership has lapsed, and you wish to re-join, you will need to pay the current administration fee as well as your renewal payment (i.e., it will be as though you are joining as a new member).

 

Before working with paying clients, you must also agree to comply with the following conditions:

  1. To be over the age of 18 (and to provide proof by submission of appropriate documentation if so requested)
  2. To have full and current public liability and professional indemnity insurance N.B. International Members must have the equivalent, if available, in their own country to protect them and their clients in the event of claim. Business members also need to have employer’s liability insurance as applicable.
  3. To be registered as a taxpayer with HMRC – either as self-employed or as limited company and to provide proof by submitting a scan or screenshot of your HMRC account showing your details and your unique taxpayer reference (UTR) or part UTR. N.B. International Members must be registered with the relevant national body for tax liability.
  4. You are not allowed to use the APDO logo on your website or promotional material until these verification criteria have been met. 

 

  1. You may not use “APDO”, “APDO Association of Professional Declutterers & Organisers”, “Association of Professional Declutterers & Organisers”, or any other variation, in your company name, as part of your trademark or in any of your social media handles.

Additional requirements

When you join APDO you agree:

  1. To be bound by the APDO Code of Ethics
  2. To operate your business in a professional, moral, and ethical manner and not to bring APDO into disrepute in any way
  3. To operate your business in accordance with all relevant national and local government bodies as applicable to your business and your dealings with APDO
  4. That APDO and/or its office bearers and representatives bear no legal responsibility whatsoever in relation to any of your business dealings
  5. To be bound by any decision made by the APDO Board in relation to any circumstances relating to the above, and to acknowledge that the Board has the right to terminate your Membership of the Association for failure to abide by any such decision. Please note, any decision to terminate your membership is final. 

N.B.    You can remain a provisional member until you are ready to comply with these conditions, but if you engage in any paid or unpaid decluttering or organising work, even as a provisional member, APDO requires you to hold valid professional indemnity and public liability insurance.

Additional requirements

You agree to review carefully your own personal need for the following, and to implement it as you think necessary:

  1. Registration with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are processing personal data as part of your business model.
  2. Registration as a Waste Carrier, Broker & Dealer with the Environment Agency may be necessary if you are likely to be removing items from your client’s premises (whether for disposal, donation, or sale). According to the Environment Agency, and relevant legislation, these provisions will apply to almost any item you might be involved in removing from your client’s premises, even though they may not be obviously or traditionally categorised as typical ‘waste’. Please make sure you check the relevant provisions carefully.
  3. A DBS check (previously CRB) if you are likely to work with clients in a vulnerable category.
  4. Read and agree our Code of Ethics and pass a short test on the contents