Maintenance Terms and Conditions

Last updated: 4th of November, 2026

These terms apply to app maintenance packages and are read together with our General Terms and Conditions. Where the two disagree, these terms apply to the package.

Payment & Pricing
1. Maintenance package invoices are payable in advance and due within 7 days of receipt.
2. All prices are exclusive of GST.
3. Code Squirrel may hold work or suspend services where payments are overdue, as set out in the General Terms: after a written reminder, once an invoice is more than 14 days overdue.
4. We may change package prices or these terms with 30 days’ written notice by email. If you do not accept a change, you may end the package before it takes effect without penalty.
Out-of-Scope Work
1. Services outside the inclusions of the agreed maintenance package will be charged on a time and materials basis.
Cancellation
1. A 60-day notice period applies to cancellation of any maintenance package, taking effect from the date notice is given and inclusive of any full billing periods within which the notice period falls. For example, a cancellation notice given on 10 January would include February and March’s service in full.
2. The package ends at the end of the last billing period covered by the notice, and every billing period up to and including that one is payable in full.
3. Code Squirrel may end a package immediately by written notice in the circumstances set out in the General Terms: an undisputed invoice still unpaid 14 days after a written reminder, a breach of the Acceptable Use clause, a material breach not fixed within 14 days of being asked in writing, or insolvency. Fees for the current billing period remain payable.
4. When a package ends for any reason, we remove our access to your systems, hand over work in progress in its current state once it has been paid for, and you remain free to take your code and data elsewhere. Hours still unused when the package ends, including rolled-over hours, expire and are not refunded or credited.
Hour Allocations
1. Included hours are reserved for the delivery of the package’s standard inclusions (e.g. framework updates, production deployments). These are not generally available for other use and are listed as an indication of the expected time required to perform those inclusions.
2. Available hours may be used for feature development, bug fixes, and support requests.
3. Time is recorded in 30-minute increments.
4. Hours are deducted from the current month’s allocation before any carried-forward hours are applied.
5. Unused available hours roll over into the following billing month and may accrue across a maximum of two consecutive months, after which they expire. For example, if your package includes 100 hours and 50 are used in January, 150 hours will be available in February. Any of January’s hours still unused at the end of February will expire.
6. Hours are available from the start of each billing month and expire as set out above, regardless of when that month’s invoice is paid.
7. Included hours are during business hours only unless otherwise specified. Some packages may include after-hours coverage for production updates — refer to the individual package inclusions for details. Public holidays are not covered under any package; work performed on public holidays is charged at the applicable ad-hoc public holiday rate.
Application Coverage
1. A maintenance package covers a single application only, including its frontend and backend. For example, a mobile app and its API backend would constitute one application and can be covered under one package.
2. A package cannot be split across multiple applications. For example, if you have two separate application integrations and a website, only one would be covered by a single package.
3. Where an application requires multiple developer skill sets (e.g. a frontend and a backend developer), allocated hours may be split accordingly. Each developer’s time counts toward the total — for example, 10 hours of frontend work and 10 hours of backend work equals 20 hours against your quota.
4. Packages are sized to the application recorded at onboarding. If the application grows substantially (for example new modules, user roles or integrations), we may propose a different package or a revised arrangement under the Fair Use clause.
5. Code Squirrel may decline to onboard an application, or to carry out a request, that is unlawful, that breaches the terms of a platform the application relies on, or that we are not comfortable supporting, as set out in the General Terms.
Response Times
1. Initial response time refers to acknowledgement of an issue, not its resolution. Resolution time may be significantly longer depending on the complexity of the problem and resource availability at the time.
Penetration Testing
1. Code Squirrel recommends that penetration testing be conducted by an independent, qualified third party.
2. Where a client requires penetration testing, Code Squirrel can assist in facilitating access and coordinating with the chosen provider, though this coordination time may draw from available hours.
3. Remediation of any issues identified through testing is not considered general maintenance and will draw from available development hours or be charged at ad-hoc development rates.
Client Responsibilities
1. The client must provide timely access to systems, credentials, and environments necessary for work to be carried out. Delays caused by the client (e.g. slow feedback, withheld access) do not count against response or delivery times.
2. The client is responsible for ensuring a designated point of contact is available to approve work and provide direction.
3. The client remains responsible for their own legal and compliance obligations, including under the Privacy Act, and for the terms of the platforms and services the application relies on.
Backups & Data
1. Code Squirrel will take reasonable care when performing maintenance, but the client is responsible for maintaining their own backups. Code Squirrel is not liable for data loss resulting from maintenance activities.
Third-Party Services
1. Code Squirrel is not responsible for outages, degraded performance, or issues caused by third-party platforms, APIs, hosting providers, or plugins outside of our control.
2. Time spent investigating or working around third-party issues may draw from available hours or be charged at ad-hoc rates.
Limitation of Liability
1. Code Squirrel’s total liability in connection with any maintenance package is limited to the fees paid in the relevant billing period.
2. Code Squirrel expressly excludes liability for any indirect, consequential, incidental, or special losses or damages, including but not limited to loss of revenue, loss of profits, loss of data, or loss of business opportunity, whether arising in contract, tort, or otherwise.
3. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be excluded under applicable Australian Consumer Law.
Fair Use
1. Available hours are intended for reasonable, ongoing maintenance activity. Code Squirrel reserves the right to flag where usage patterns, or the size of the application, suggest a larger package or a project-scale engagement would be more appropriate, and to propose a revised arrangement accordingly. If no arrangement is agreed within 30 days of that notice, Code Squirrel may end the package with the notice period in the Cancellation clause.
Change of Scope / New Projects
1. Maintenance packages are not intended to cover new features of significant scope or new builds. Where a request constitutes a new project in Code Squirrel’s assessment, it will be scoped and quoted separately.
Commencement & Onboarding
1. The maintenance package commences on the agreed start date. An onboarding period may be required for Code Squirrel to familiarise itself with the application — this time may draw from available hours.
Package Changes
1. The client may upgrade or downgrade their maintenance package with 30 days notice. Downgrades take effect at the start of the next billing period.
Force Majeure
1. Code Squirrel is not liable for delays or failures caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, infrastructure outages, or other events outside our control.