Terms of use

These terms explain what Witho is, what it is not, and the basis on which families and helpers use the platform. By enquiring, applying, or accepting an introduction you agree to them.

What Witho is

Witho Services Ltd (company number 17244044, registered in England and Wales, registered office 7c Fairfax House, Cottingley Business Park, Cottingley, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD16 1PE) trades as Witho and is an introduction agency for home support. We introduce families to vetted, self-employed helpers who provide practical day-to-day support: companionship, shopping and errands, lifts to appointments, home help, meal preparation, admin and technology help, garden and household jobs, and overnight sitting. The arrangement is made directly between the client and the helper, and is directed by the client. Witho is not a party to that arrangement.

What Witho is not

Witho is not a care provider. Helpers introduced through Witho do not provide personal care of any kind — no washing, bathing, dressing or toileting; no administering medication (helpers may remind and prompt only); no lifting, hoisting or assisting transfers; and no nursing or clinical tasks. Those are CQC-regulated activities and they sit deliberately outside what Witho does. Witho is not registered with the Care Quality Commission and does not need to be. We also do not employ helpers, write care plans, direct or supervise how a helper works, arrange rotas on your behalf, or manage cover for absence. If personal or clinical care is what is needed, a CQC-registered provider is the right choice and we will tell you so plainly.

Helpers are self-employed

Helpers are independent, self-employed individuals. They are not employees, workers, or agents of Witho. They choose which introductions to accept, agree their own working arrangements with you, and are responsible for their own tax, National Insurance, training, and professional insurance. Witho does not assess or certify clinical competence and does not mandate training.

Pricing

Each helper sets their own hourly rate, subject to a minimum of £20 an hour, and receives the whole of it. Witho does not set, negotiate or cap what a helper charges. Witho adds a service fee of 10% to the client's total, which funds the platform and the insurance covering every booked visit. Helpers pay Witho nothing. Card processing costs are shown clearly before you pay.

Vetting

Before introducing a helper we verify identity, mobile number, right to work, address, references, and DBS status, and we interview every helper. Vetting reduces risk; it cannot eliminate it, and it is not an assessment of skill or competence, and we do not train helpers. You remain responsible for deciding whether a particular helper is right for your family, and we strongly encourage an introductory meeting before any care begins.

Payments

Where payment is taken through Witho, it is collected in advance of the care and released to the helper after the session has taken place, subject to a short window in which either party may raise a dispute. Witho takes no commission and no fee from these payments; card processing costs are shown before you pay.

Payments for care arranged through Witho must be made through Witho and not directly to the helper. This is not about protecting a fee — we take none. It is because insurance cover, payment records, and the protections described in these terms apply only to care booked and paid for through the platform. Legitimate expenses agreed between you and your helper, such as shopping money or mileage, are outside this and are settled directly.

Your right to cancel

Because you book through our website, this is a distance contract and you have a statutory right to cancel under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

You have 14 days from the day after you book to cancel, for any reason, and get your money back. You do not need to explain why. Tell us at hello@witho.co.uk, by post to the registered office below, or by ringing 0345 351 0207. You may use the form at the end of these terms, but you do not have to.

Visits usually happen sooner than 14 days after booking, which is why we ask you to confirm at the point of booking that you want the visit to go ahead anyway. That confirmation is required by the regulations before a service can begin inside the cancellation period.

If you cancel after a visit has already taken place, you can still cancel the rest of the arrangement, but you pay for what has actually been provided. A visit that has been fully performed cannot be cancelled. Any visits still to come are refunded in full.

We refund within 14 days of you telling us, to the card you paid with.

Cancellations and problems

Visits are arranged between the client and the helper, and so are changes to them. Either side may change or cancel a visit by giving at least 48 hours’ notice, and a client who cancels within that period is refunded in full.

Where a client cancels with less than 48 hours’ notice, the helper may charge for the visit. They are self-employed and will usually have turned down other work for that time. It is the helper’s decision rather than an automatic charge, and many will waive it where someone is ill or there is an emergency. Where the helper is the one who cannot attend, the client is never charged.

If something goes wrong, tell us at hello@witho.co.uk or report it at witho.co.uk/booking/report and we will hold the payment while we look into it.

Liability

Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or anything else that cannot lawfully be limited. Subject to that, Witho’s service is the making of introductions, and our liability is limited to losses arising directly from our failure to carry out vetting and introductions with reasonable care and skill. We are not liable for the acts or omissions of helpers or families in arrangements made between them.

Model cancellation form

You may use this wording if you wish, but you are not required to. Send it to Witho Services Ltd, 7c Fairfax House, Cottingley Business Park, Cottingley, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD16 1PE, or to hello@witho.co.uk.

To Witho Services Ltd: I hereby give notice that I cancel my contract for the supply of the following service — [booking reference and date]. Ordered on [date]. Name of consumer. Address of consumer. Signature (only if this form is notified on paper). Date.

General

The arrangement between you and your helper is set out separately in the service agreement, which is agreed when a booking is confirmed. Witho is not a party to it.

We may update these terms; the date above shows the current version. These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction.