Terms of Service

Puffin is a professional home care and service provider. For our hourly care services — childcare, postpartum support, companion care, and event nannies — we directly employ, fully vet, and insure our team of dedicated caregivers to deliver reliable support straight to your home. Unlike matching platforms, Puffin is the sole employer of these caregivers: we handle 100% of the employment responsibilities, including payroll processing, tax deductions, BC Employment Standards compliance, and WorkSafeBC coverage — so your family enjoys seamless care without any of the administrative or legal burdens of becoming an employer.

Our Nanny Placement service is different by design: operating under our BC employment agency licence, we search, screen, and present nanny candidates, and the ongoing employment relationship (including wages, which must meet or exceed BC minimum wage) is formed directly between your family and the nanny you choose. Our placement fee is separate from and additional to the nanny's compensation. Sections 3, 4, and the placement items in section 9 apply to that service.

We operate under an intermunicipal business licence across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley to bring professional, worry-free services to your doorstep.

• You must be at least 19 and the parent/guardian or authorized representative of the household receiving care.
• You agree to provide accurate, current information in your profile, inquiries, and bookings — including care details that affect safety (allergies, medical needs, home conditions such as pets).
• First-time in-home bookings require photo ID verification, reviewed by a Puffin administrator before dispatch (see the Privacy Policy for how the ID is handled). We may decline or cancel service if identity cannot be verified.
• You are responsible for activity under your account and for keeping your sign-in credentials secure.

The one-time placement fee covers our matching service:

• Candidate search across our registry (extended search and skills/personality matching for long-term placements);
• Background check (CRRP vulnerable-sector screening) and reference verification of presented candidates;
• Presentation of typically 2–3 matched candidates and coordination of introductions;
• Support through your selection and start.

Fees are $500 (short-term, up to 3 months) and $1,000 (long-term, 3+ months), collected as a deposit and a balance under section 8. The optional payroll & hours-tracking add-on is billed at $99/month and may be cancelled for the following month at any time. The placement fee never includes the nanny's wages.

• The placement fee is payable in two parts: a $200 deposit when you start, and the balance when we place your nanny. The deposit forms part of the fee and is not additional to it.
• If we are unable to present you any suitable candidates within 30 days of your paid inquiry, the deposit is refunded in full.
• Once candidates have been presented, the deposit is non-refundable — the search, screening, and matching work it pays for has been performed. This applies whether or not you go on to hire one of them.
• The balance falls due only on placement. If no placement is made, no balance is payable.
• If a placement ends within the first 30 days after the nanny's start date (for reasons other than a change in your own requirements), we will conduct one complimentary re-match at no additional placement fee.
• Re-matches after that window, or a second re-match, are treated as a new placement at the then-current fee.

Hourly services (childcare, postpartum support, companion care, event nannies) open for booking on August 1, 2026. When you book:

• Your card is authorized (held), not charged, for the booked total at the time of booking. The price is computed and verified on our servers from your booking details.
• The hold is captured after the care session is completed. If actual circumstances change the amount owed, we will tell you before charging anything beyond the authorized amount.
• Your card is saved on file with Square so that cancellation penalties (section 6) or agreed post-service adjustments can be processed without re-entering it.
• Bookings are subject to caregiver availability; if we cannot staff your booking, the hold is released in full.

• 24 hours or more before the scheduled start: cancel free of charge — the card hold is released in full.
• Less than 24 hours before the scheduled start (including no-shows and turning the caregiver away at the door): up to 100% of the booked total may be charged as a late-cancellation fee. This protects caregivers who have reserved the time and often declined other work.
• If the caregiver cancels or Puffin cannot staff the booking, you owe nothing and any hold is released.
• Penalty charges are reviewed and triggered manually by a Puffin administrator — they are never automatic — and you will receive an emailed record of any charge.

All payments are processed by Square in Canadian dollars. Puffin never sees or stores your full card number. Nanny placement is invoiced through Square in two stages after your inquiry is confirmed: the $200 deposit first, and the balance when your nanny is placed. Hourly bookings use the hold-then-capture flow in section 5. Payroll add-on subscriptions are billed monthly. Prices may change for future bookings; a price is locked once your booking is confirmed and authorized.

• Nanny placement is a one-time fee of $500 for placements under three months, or $1,000 for three months or longer.
• A $200 deposit is invoiced when your inquiry is confirmed and begins the candidate search. The remaining balance is invoiced when we place your nanny.
• The deposit counts toward the fee. A short-term placement is $200 then $300; a long-term placement is $200 then $800.
• Refunds of the deposit are governed by section 4. In short: refunded in full if we do not present suitable candidates within 30 days, and non-refundable once candidates have been presented.
• Fees may change for future inquiries; the fee is fixed once your deposit is invoiced.

• Provide a safe, lawful working environment for caregivers in your home, and disclose conditions that affect their safety.
• Do not solicit a caregiver introduced by Puffin to work privately in a way that circumvents the placement fee within 12 months of introduction; if you wish to hire a presented candidate for a different arrangement, contact us and we'll make it work through the placement.
• Treat caregivers respectfully; we may refuse or discontinue service where a caregiver's safety or dignity is at risk.
• For nanny placements, meet your legal obligations as an employer (wage, payroll remittances, WorkSafeBC coverage where applicable) — our payroll add-on can assist but does not transfer those obligations to us.

We stand behind our vetting and coordination, but to the maximum extent permitted by law: Puffin's total liability for any claim connected to the services is limited to the amounts you paid to Puffin for the service giving rise to the claim in the 12 months before the event; and we are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential losses. A nanny placed with your family under our placement service becomes your employee, and Puffin is not responsible for their acts or omissions after placement. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited under BC law, including for our own negligence where such limitation is prohibited.

These terms are governed by the laws of British Columbia and the federal laws of Canada applicable there. Talk to us first — most issues are resolved with a call to (604) 283-2829 or an email to admin@puffinservices.com. Unresolved disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of British Columbia (including, where eligible, the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal or Small Claims Court).

We may update these terms from time to time. Each version carries an identifier (the current version is 2026-07-v2), and when you accept the terms at account creation we record which version you accepted and when. For material changes we will update the date above and notify account holders; continued use after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.