About Hospo

hospo.work ltd (“Hospo”, “we”, “us”, “our”) is a company registered in England and Wales under company number 17067411. Our registered office is at 108A Roundwood Road, London, NW10 9UN. You can contact us at support@hospo.ltd.

Hospo runs a hospitality staffing marketplace. We connect vetted, self-employed hospitality professionals (“Freelancers”) with hospitality venues (“Venues”) that need cover, either on the same day or booked in advance. We provide the Services through our website and WhatsApp.

These Terms are a legally binding agreement between you and Hospo. They apply to every user of the Services: Freelancers, Venues, and Venue Managers acting for a Venue.

Definitions

Eligibility and Accounts

• 3.1  You must be at least 18 years old to use the Services.
• 3.2  Freelancers must have the legal right to work in the United Kingdom. We will ask for evidence of it, and we may suspend or close your Account if satisfactory evidence is not provided.
• 3.3  Venues must be incorporated businesses or sole traders operating lawfully in the United Kingdom.
• 3.4  The Services are for businesses only. Venues use them in the course of their business, and Freelancers use them as self-employed people in business on their own account. You are not using the Services as a consumer.
• 3.5  You must give us accurate, complete, and up-to-date information and tell us promptly if it changes.
• 3.6  You must keep the links we send you and the phone number registered to your Account secure, and must not let anyone else use them. If you think someone else has used them, tell us at once at support@hospo.ltd.
• 3.7  We may refuse a registration, or suspend or close any Account, at our discretion, particularly where we suspect fraud, misrepresentation, or a breach of these Terms.

Our Services

• 4.1  Hospo provides a marketplace that connects Freelancers with Venues. We do not employ Freelancers, and we do not employ them on behalf of Venues.
• 4.2  Venues can post Shifts for the same day or up to 7 days ahead. For a same-day Shift, our target is to have a Freelancer accept within 30 minutes of the Shift being posted. This is a target, not a guarantee.
• 4.3  Every Shift depends on a suitable Freelancer being available. We do not guarantee that every Shift will be filled.
• 4.4  Each Freelancer is responsible for their own performance during a Shift. We vet Freelancers before they can accept Shifts, but we do not guarantee the performance, skills, or conduct of any individual Freelancer.
• 4.5  We may change, add to, or withdraw any part of the Services. We will give reasonable notice of material changes where we can.
• 4.6  By using the Services, you agree to receive Shift offers, booking messages, and other operational messages from us by WhatsApp. Your mobile network’s usual charges may apply. You can ask us to stop at any time, but we may then be unable to provide the Services to you.

Terms Specific to Freelancers

5.1 · Self-Employment Status

• (a)  You are self-employed. You are not an employee, worker, or agent of Hospo or of any Venue.
• (b)  You are responsible for your own tax affairs, including income tax and National Insurance contributions. Neither Hospo nor any Venue will deduct tax or National Insurance from payments made to you.
• (c)  You are responsible for any pension contributions you wish to make. Automatic enrolment does not apply.
• (d)  You are not entitled to employment benefits such as holiday pay, sick pay, or redundancy pay in connection with Shifts.
• (e)  Nothing in these Terms creates a relationship of employment, partnership, or agency between you and Hospo or between you and any Venue.
• (f)  Right of substitution. You are not required to provide your services personally. You may send a suitably qualified, vetted substitute to work a Shift for you, provided the substitute meets the Shift’s requirements and Hospo has approved them in advance. We will not unreasonably withhold approval. You remain responsible for the substitute’s standard of work and for paying them.

5.2 · Freelancer Obligations

• 5.2.1  All information you give us, including your skills and experience, must be accurate and truthful. Giving false information is a serious breach of these Terms.
• 5.2.2  You must keep the right to work in the UK for as long as you use the Services, and tell us immediately if it changes.
• 5.2.3  Many Shifts involve serving alcohol on licensed premises. You confirm that you hold any licence or qualification the law requires for the work described in a Shift. You will indemnify Hospo and the Venue against any loss, fine, or penalty caused by your not holding one.
• 5.2.4  You are responsible for having adequate insurance, including public liability insurance, for your work during a Shift.
• 5.2.5  You must attend every Shift you are booked on, on time, dressed appropriately, and ready to do the work described. If you cannot attend, you must tell us as early as possible so that we can find a replacement.
• 5.2.6  Not turning up to a Shift without telling us will result in immediate and permanent removal from the Services, unless you can show that it was not reasonably possible to tell us. Late cancellations or poor performance may also lead to suspension or removal.
• 5.2.7  You must work to the professional and lawful standard expected of an independent contractor in hospitality, in line with the Venue’s reasonable operational requirements as agreed at the start of the Shift.
• 5.2.8  You must not work a Shift while under the influence of alcohol or any controlled substance.
• 5.2.9  You must follow all health and safety law and the Venue’s health and safety instructions.

5.3 · Shift Offers

• 5.3.1  We send Shift offers by WhatsApp to Freelancers whose roles, days, and areas match the Shift. Each offer shows the area, the role, the time, and your pay for the Shift. We tell you the Venue once you are booked.
• 5.3.2  We decide the order in which Freelancers receive offers, using how Freelancers have responded to earlier offers, ratings, drop-outs, and no-shows, as explained in our Privacy Policy.
• 5.3.3  Accepting an offer does not by itself book you on the Shift. You are booked once the Venue Manager confirms you, and we will tell you when that happens.

5.4 · Freelancer Pay

• 5.4.1  Your pay for every Shift is at least the London Living Wage for the hours worked. The exact amount for each Shift is shown in the Shift offer you accepted.
• 5.4.2  We pay you by bank transfer within 7 days of the end of the Shift.
• 5.4.3  If a problem with a Shift is raised within 24 hours of its end (clause 6.5), payment is held while we look into it, and we will pay you any amount due within 7 days of resolving it.
• 5.4.4  We pay you whether or not the Venue has paid Hospo. The risk of a Venue not paying is Hospo’s, not yours.
• 5.4.5  If a Venue cancels or postpones a Confirmed Shift you are booked on and we charge it a cancellation fee under clause 6.4, we will pay you the same percentage of your pay for that Shift.

Terms Specific to Venues

6.1 · Posting Shifts and Prices

• 6.1.1  You post Shifts using the link we give you, or by contacting us. Each Shift must state the role, date, start time, and length, and you must tell us about any specific requirements.
• 6.1.2  We charge a single all-in Shift Cost for each Shift, covering the Freelancer’s pay and Hospo’s fee. Our prices vary with the role, the time, and how much notice you give. The Shift Cost is shown before you post the Shift and again when you confirm the booking.
• 6.1.3  We may change our prices at any time. A change does not affect a Shift that has already been posted, unless we tell you and you agree.
• 6.1.4  There are no subscription fees, retainers, or minimum commitments. You pay only for Shifts you confirm, and any cancellation fee under clause 6.4.
• 6.1.5  Before your first Shift is posted, you must give us a way to pay: a card saved with Stripe (clause 7.2), or credit terms we have agreed with you (clause 7.3).

6.2 · Confirming a Booking

• 6.2.1  When a Freelancer accepts your Shift, we ask you to confirm the booking. The Shift is Confirmed when you do, or when we confirm it for you at your request.
• 6.2.2  Until you confirm, you are not committed. You can cancel the Shift free of charge, or keep looking for staff elsewhere while we find a Freelancer.
• 6.2.3  By confirming a booking, you agree to pay the Shift Cost and accept the cancellation terms in clause 6.4.

6.3 · Venue Obligations

• 6.3.1  Your Shift details must be accurate, including the role, location, start and end times, dress code, and any specific requirements.
• 6.3.2  You must give the Freelancer everything they need to attend, including the exact address, a contact name, and the dress code.
• 6.3.3  Your workplace must comply with health and safety law, and you must give the Freelancer an adequate induction before they start work.
• 6.3.4  You confirm that you hold all the licences, permits, and insurance needed to run your venue and engage workers.
• 6.3.5  You must treat every Freelancer with dignity and respect and comply with anti-discrimination law, including the Equality Act 2010.

6.4 · Cancellation and Postponement

• 6.4.1  You can cancel a Shift free of charge at any time before it is Confirmed.
• 6.4.2  Once a Shift is Confirmed, we may charge a cancellation fee depending on how much notice you give, counted back from the Shift’s scheduled start time to when you tell us:
  • 48 hours or more: no charge;
  • 24 hours or more, but less than 48 hours: up to 50% of the Shift Cost;
  • less than 24 hours: up to the full Shift Cost.
• 6.4.3  These charges apply from the moment a Shift is Confirmed, including same-day Shifts.
• 6.4.4  Moving a Confirmed Shift to a different date counts as cancelling it, and the same charges apply. The new date is posted as a new Shift.
• 6.4.5  The booked Freelancer receives the same percentage of their pay as the percentage of the Shift Cost we charge you (clause 5.4.5).
• 6.4.6  If you pay by card, we take the fee from the amount held on your card (clause 7.2). If you are a Credit Venue, we add it to your next invoice.
• 6.4.7  To cancel or postpone a Confirmed Shift, message us on WhatsApp or email support@hospo.ltd.
• 6.4.8  No charge applies where a Shift is cancelled because the Freelancer is late, does not attend, or withdraws.

6.5 · Non-Attendance and Problems with a Shift

• 6.5.1  If a Freelancer does not attend a Confirmed Shift, we will make reasonable efforts to find a replacement. If we cannot, you will not be charged for that Shift, and if you have already paid, we will refund you in full.
• 6.5.2  If there is a problem with a Shift, such as a Freelancer not attending or a dispute about the hours worked, you must tell us within 24 hours of the end of the Shift. We hold payment while we look into it.
• 6.5.3  We do not give refunds where a Freelancer attends but you are unhappy with their performance. We may, at our discretion, offer a credit against a future Shift.

Payments

7.1 · General

• 7.1.1  All prices are in pounds sterling (GBP).
• 7.1.2  Hospo is not registered for VAT, so no VAT is charged. If we register, we will tell you before VAT is added to any price.
• 7.1.3  If you dispute a charge, email support@hospo.ltd. We aim to resolve disputes within 5 working days.

7.2 · Paying by Card

• 7.2.1  Card payments are processed by Stripe. By paying by card, you agree to Stripe’s terms, available at stripe.com/gb/legal.
• 7.2.2  Saving your card. Before your first Shift is posted, you save your card on Stripe’s secure page. Nothing is charged at that point. Your card details are held by Stripe, not by us: we keep only a secure reference that lets us ask Stripe to charge the card, and we never see or hold your full card number, expiry date, or security code.
• 7.2.3  Confirming. For each Shift, once a Freelancer accepts, we send you a link showing your saved card and the Shift Cost, and you confirm the booking with one tap. You can choose a different card instead, which then replaces your saved card.
• 7.2.4  When we take payment. Nothing is taken when you confirm. Before the Shift starts, or when you confirm if that is later, we place a hold for the Shift Cost on your card. We take the payment once 24 hours have passed after the end of the Shift without a problem being raised (clause 6.5). If you cancel a Confirmed Shift, we take any cancellation fee from the hold and release the rest.
• 7.2.5  If the hold or the payment fails, for example because your card is declined, we will ask you to pay another way. You remain responsible for paying the Shift Cost.
• 7.2.6  Your authority. By saving or paying with a card, you confirm that you are the cardholder or are otherwise authorised to use it, and that you are authorised to commit the Venue to paying for Shifts with it.
• 7.2.7  Your agreement to future charges. By saving a card, you authorise Hospo to charge it for each Shift you confirm, and for any cancellation fee under clause 6.4, without you entering the card details again. There is no fixed schedule and no recurring or subscription charge.
• 7.2.8  Removing your card. You can ask us to remove your saved card at any time, at no cost, by emailing support@hospo.ltd. You will then need to save a card again before your next Shift is posted. Removing a card does not affect any Shift already Confirmed.
• 7.2.9  If your saved card expires or is cancelled, one-tap confirming may stop working until you save a new card. Where your card network supports it, your card’s expiry date may be updated automatically.

7.3 · Paying by Invoice (Credit Venues)

• 7.3.1  We may agree that a Venue can pay by invoice after its Shifts instead of by card. Whether to offer credit, and on what terms, is at our discretion.
• 7.3.2  A Credit Venue confirms each booking in the same way, without a card. We invoice completed Shifts in arrears, normally gathering a Venue’s Shifts into one invoice once each Shift’s 24-hour period for raising a problem has passed.
• 7.3.3  Each invoice is due within the number of days stated on it, which is 7 days from the invoice date unless we have agreed otherwise in writing.
• 7.3.4  If an invoice is not paid by its due date, we may charge interest and fixed compensation under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, and recover our reasonable costs of collecting the debt.
• 7.3.5  We may withdraw or pause credit at any time, including while an invoice is overdue, and ask you to pay by card instead. Shifts already Confirmed are still invoiced under the Terms that applied when they were posted (clause 21.2).

Platform Use and Communications

• 8.1  You must not use the Services to send spam, offensive content, or unsolicited messages to other users.
• 8.2  You must not go around Hospo to avoid our fee. If a Venue engages a Freelancer it was introduced to through Hospo outside the Services within 12 months of the introduction, we may invoice the Venue for the fee that would have been payable. If a Freelancer accepts work outside the Services from a Venue they were introduced to through Hospo within 12 months of the introduction, we may close the Freelancer’s Account and recover any losses we suffer.
• 8.3  We are not responsible for the availability, reliability, or terms of the third-party platforms we use to provide the Services, such as WhatsApp.
• 8.4  We may monitor messages sent through the Services for safety, compliance, and quality purposes.

Freelancer Vetting

• 9.1  We take reasonable steps to check each Freelancer’s identity, right to work, and experience before they can accept Shifts.
• 9.2  We do not carry out criminal record (DBS) checks as standard. If you need DBS-checked staff, tell us before you post the Shift.
• 9.3  Our vetting is not a guarantee of any Freelancer’s suitability, competence, or conduct. Venues are responsible for their own checks and for supervising Freelancers during Shifts.

Intellectual Property

• 10.1  All intellectual property in the Services, our website, branding, software, databases, and content is owned by or licensed to Hospo. You may use it only as strictly necessary to use the Services.
• 10.2  You must not copy, reproduce, distribute, modify, or create derivative works of any of it without our prior written consent.
• 10.3  By giving us any content or information, you grant Hospo a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to use, display, and share it to operate and promote the Services.

Data Protection and Privacy

• 11.1  Hospo is the controller of the Personal Data it processes to provide the Services, under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.
• 11.2  Our Privacy Policy explains what Personal Data we collect, what we share with Venues and Freelancers, who processes it for us, how long we keep it, and your rights, including the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Confidentiality

• 12.1  Each party will keep confidential any information disclosed by the other that is reasonably identifiable as confidential.
• 12.2  This does not apply to information that is publicly available, already known to the receiving party, required to be disclosed by law, or independently developed.
• 12.3  This clause continues for 2 years after these Terms end.

Health and Safety

• 13.1  Venues are responsible for their premises complying with health and safety law, including carrying out risk assessments and giving Freelancers an adequate induction before their Shift begins.
• 13.2  Freelancers must take reasonable care of their own health and safety and report any safety concerns to the Venue without delay.
• 13.3  Any accident or incident during a Shift must be reported to us at support@hospo.ltd within 24 hours.

Limitation of Liability

• 14.1  Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for anything else that cannot be excluded or limited by law.
• 14.2  Subject to clause 14.1, our total liability to you will not exceed the total fees you paid to Hospo in the 12 months before the event giving rise to the claim. This does not limit any amount we owe you under clause 5.4 or clause 6.4.
• 14.3  We are not liable for any indirect, consequential, or special loss; loss of profit, revenue, or goodwill; loss or corruption of data; or losses arising from your reliance on third-party services.
• 14.4  We are not responsible for the acts, omissions, performance, or conduct of any Freelancer during a Shift. Our role is to make the introduction, manage the booking, and handle payment.

Indemnity

• 15.1  You will indemnify Hospo, its directors, employees, and agents against any claims, losses, damages, and costs arising from: (a) your use of the Services; (b) your breach of these Terms; (c) any act or omission during a Shift; or (d) your breach of any law.

Suspension and Termination

• 16.1  We may suspend or close your Account immediately if: (a) you materially breach these Terms; (b) we reasonably suspect fraud; (c) you become subject to insolvency proceedings; or (d) continued access would cause harm to Hospo, other users, or anyone else.
• 16.2  You can close your Account at any time by emailing support@hospo.ltd. Closure takes effect within 5 working days.
• 16.3  Any payment already owed remains payable after an Account closes. The clauses on payment, liability, confidentiality, intellectual property, and governing law continue after these Terms end.

Force Majeure

• 17.1  Neither party is liable for any failure or delay in performing its obligations caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control.
• 17.2  The affected party must tell the other as soon as reasonably practicable and take all reasonable steps to reduce the impact.
• 17.3  If the circumstances continue for more than 30 days, either party may end these Terms by written notice.

Non-Discrimination

• 18.1  Neither Venues nor Freelancers may discriminate against anyone on grounds protected by the Equality Act 2010.
• 18.2  Venues must not ask for a Freelancer to be replaced because of any protected characteristic. We will refuse any such request, and it may lead to the Venue’s Account being suspended.

Ratings and Reviews

• 19.1  After a Shift, we may ask Venues and Freelancers for ratings and feedback. We use ratings to maintain quality, and a Freelancer’s ratings may affect the order in which they receive Shift offers and their access to future Shifts.
• 19.2  Feedback must be honest, fair, and factual. We may remove ratings that are abusive, discriminatory, or factually wrong.

Complaints and Disputes

• 20.1  If you have a complaint, email support@hospo.ltd. We aim to acknowledge it within 2 working days and give a full response within 5 working days.
• 20.2  If a dispute arises between a Freelancer and a Venue, either may ask Hospo to mediate informally. A mediated outcome is not legally binding unless both agree to it in writing.

Changes to These Terms

• 21.1  We may update these Terms. Each version carries a version number and date, shown at the top of this page, and applies from that date.
• 21.2  The version in force when a Shift is posted applies to that Shift.
• 21.3  We will tell registered users about material changes by WhatsApp or email. If you do not agree to updated Terms, you must stop using the Services.
• 21.4  Earlier versions of these Terms are available on request from support@hospo.ltd.

General Provisions

22.1 Entire Agreement. These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any other policies they refer to, are the entire agreement between you and Hospo about the Services.

22.2 Severability. If any provision is found invalid or unenforceable, the rest of these Terms continue in full force.

22.3 Waiver. If we do not exercise a right under these Terms, we have not waived it.

22.4 No Assignment. You may not transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent.

22.5 Third Party Rights. These Terms give no rights to anyone else under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.

22.6 Governing Law and Jurisdiction. These Terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and both parties submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

22.7 Freelancer Declaration. Where these Terms conflict with the Freelancer Declaration a Freelancer has signed, these Terms prevail, except on matters relating to the Freelancer’s self-employed status, where the Freelancer Declaration prevails.

Get in Touch

If you have any questions about these Terms and Conditions, please contact us: