A little love for your outdoor space. Tell us about your garden and the jobs you have in mind, and we’ll help you request a private introduction to a gardener.
Garden maintenance works best with a clear list of priorities. Your outdoor space may need a routine tidy, weeding or attention to familiar beds and lawns. Describe the size and condition of the garden and the work you want discussed so the proposed tasks, time and equipment are clear.
What you can discuss
Routine garden tidying and agreed weeding
Lawn or planting-bed maintenance where suitable equipment is available
Practical outdoor upkeep discussed with the provider
What to include in your request
Your garden’s size, condition and the tasks that matter most
The tools, equipment and materials available, plus access to the work area
Your preferred schedule and how garden waste should be handled
Agree the right scope
Tree felling, high-access work, specialist landscaping, hazardous chemicals and removal of large loads are not assumed to be included in ordinary garden maintenance. Discuss specialist work and any waste-removal charges separately before proceeding.
Your private introduction, step by step
Describe your needs. Choose the service, proposed schedule and area. Share only practical information needed for your request.
Discuss a suitable match. Our team reviews the requirements and arranges private introductions where a suitable option is available. Profiles are not listed publicly.
Agree before proceeding. Discuss availability, duties, relevant experience, the quote and the provider’s terms. A request is not a confirmed booking or a guarantee of completed screening.
Choose Regular in your request and describe the proposed schedule and recurring jobs. Each visit needs agreement and availability, and seasonal changes can be discussed with the provider.
Will the gardener bring equipment?
Describe which tools and equipment are available and ask about anything else the work requires. Equipment, materials and transport arrangements should be agreed rather than assumed.
Is garden waste removal included?
Discuss waste handling before the visit. Bagging, use of your own disposal arrangements and taking waste away are different tasks and may have different requirements or charges.
We currently arrange household-help introductions in Johannesburg, Pretoria and surrounding areas. Tell us your suburb so provider travel, availability and the quote can be discussed before anything is confirmed.
Doting Darlings is a division of Avaiden Group (Pty) Ltd, South Africa. Please read our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy before sending a request.
Your information, handled with care
Privacy Policy
Effective 26 October 2026 · Version 1.1
We collect only the personal information reasonably needed to respond to service enquiries, arrange and manage bookings, private introductions and relevant applications, keep necessary invoice and received-payment records, protect accounts and meet our legal duties. We do not sell, rent or trade personal information.
1. Who is responsible for your information?
Doting Darlings is a division of Avaiden Group (Pty) Ltd, a private company registered in South Africa, registration number 2025/296316/07. Avaiden Group is the responsible party for the personal information it processes to operate Doting Darlings under the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).
Business and legal-service address: 141 Cedar Avenue West, Sandton, 2191, South Africa. Privacy / Information Officer contact: Motsholane Sebola, The Doting Darlings Team. Email: theteam@dotingdarlings.co.za General service enquiries: info@dotingdarlings.co.za · 064 520 9188
This policy covers our website and connected account, booking and application services. A household or independent provider may have separate responsibilities for information they collect directly for their own service or employment arrangements.
2. What we collect, and where it comes from
We normally collect information directly from you when you create an account, submit a request or application, choose preferences, upload an authorised document or contact us. We collect only the categories relevant to what you choose to do:
Accounts: your name, email address, account identifier, verification status and account timestamps. Firebase Authentication / Google Identity Platform handles email and password credentials. Google sign-in may provide your basic name, email address and profile photo; it does not give us access to Gmail, Google Drive or contacts.
Bookings and private introductions: service, area, visit address, dates, times, duration, recurring schedule, practical instructions, request and response history, assigned provider, quotes and status. Full-time requests also include contact details, live-in or live-out preference, working days, proposed salary budget and relevant household needs.
Service enquiries and follow-ups: the contact name and email address or phone number you provide, requested help and area, enquiry source, necessary contact history, enquiry stage, next follow-up date and relevant internal notes. Authorised staff may record enquiries received by phone, email or WhatsApp in the private lead pipeline.
Provider applications: relevant skills, experience, service area, availability, work arrangement and a short biography. Where necessary for a specific role, you may choose to supply identity or work-permission documents, relevant qualifications and authorised references through the private document process. File names, type, size, consent records and review notes are also recorded. Authorised staff may record relevant interview or contact notes, follow-up dates and a manual suitability stage. A suitability decision is separate from document review and does not certify identity or background checks.
Invoices and received payments: the customer name and contact email, agreed fee descriptions, quantities and amounts in rand, due date, relevant enquiry or request reference, invoice number and status, and necessary manual payment records such as amount received, date and transaction reference. We record which authorised team account made a change. These records support the agreed service, accounting and resolution of payment queries; they do not connect us to your bank account.
Messages and preferences: booking-related conversations, support enquiries, reminder choices and, if you provide it, a WhatsApp contact number and opt-in record.
Technical and security records: access and activity records needed to run and protect the service. Our infrastructure providers may process IP addresses, browser/device information, request details and security logs.
When you use Google sign-in, Google supplies the account information you authorise. A relevant household or provider may supply necessary information in a shared booking conversation; authorised staff may add necessary enquiry, matching, support, application-review or accounting records. Internal notes must be practical and relevant to the service, rather than a place to collect unrelated sensitive information. Please have a lawful basis and any necessary permission before sharing another person's details, including a referee's contact information.
Fields marked required are needed for the requested account or service. You may decline optional information, Google sign-in, documents or WhatsApp reminders. If necessary contact, scheduling or location information is missing, we may be unable to arrange the request. You can browse public service information without creating an account.
3. Why we use information
We use relevant information to authenticate accounts; respond to and follow up service enquiries; arrange private matches, requests and bookings; communicate practical instructions and changes; assess relevant provider applications; manage support and complaints; prevent misuse; record agreed fees and received payments; keep necessary service and accounting records; resolve payment queries; and meet applicable legal obligations. We do not collect information simply because it might be useful later.
Depending on the activity, processing is necessary to take steps at your request or perform an agreement, comply with a legal obligation, pursue legitimate interests in a safe and reliable service, or act on specific consent where required. We do not treat acceptance of the Terms as blanket consent to unrelated processing. Optional document collection and review, and WhatsApp preferences, have their own choices. You can withdraw consent through the contact above; this does not undo lawful processing already carried out or prevent processing required on another lawful basis.
We use contact details for relevant service and account communications. We do not use enquiry, booking or invoice information to build advertising profiles or sell marketing lists. Contacting us, being added to the service-enquiry pipeline or receiving an invoice does not itself give consent to advertising or electronic direct marketing. Any future electronic direct marketing would require a lawful basis and a way to refuse or stop it; it is not a condition of booking.
4. Children, care information and screening documents
Accounts are intended for adults aged 18 or older. Please describe practical childcare or care needs without submitting a child's full identity, detailed medical records or other unnecessary sensitive information. Where a service genuinely requires children's or special personal information, we must first establish an appropriate lawful basis and obtain consent from the competent person where required. Do not upload passwords, card details, bank login credentials, PINs, one-time codes, fingerprint records or biometric templates. General notes and payment-reference fields should contain only practical service information or the necessary transaction reference; do not add bank statements, identity documents or unnecessary sensitive payment evidence.
Document collection consent is requested before an upload, and review consent is separate. Uploaded files are stored privately and may be accessed by authorised staff for the stated process; selecting a file is not a promise that it is verified. Only supply a document that is necessary for the role and that you are authorised to share.
Police-clearance uploads and criminal-record review are currently paused. Do not submit criminal-history information in another document category or by email as a substitute. Any future criminal-record screening for clients requires its lawful process and any applicable prior authorisation to be confirmed first. Existing restricted records, if any, are handled through the privacy contact. Ordinary file review is not automated identity verification or a criminal-background check.
5. Who receives information
We do not sell, rent or trade personal information. Necessary sharing is limited to the purpose of the service:
Relevant booking details, visit addresses and practical instructions are available to the assigned Darling, the household and authorised team members. Linked participants can access their booking conversations and relevant history. Actual Darling application profiles and screening documents are not a public directory; screening files are not available for general browsing by families.
Private enquiry follow-ups, internal suitability notes and the invoice ledger are restricted to authorised team members for the work they perform. They are not a public directory or available to unrelated households or providers.
Google Cloud provides website/API hosting, database and private document storage; Firebase Authentication / Google Identity Platform provides account services. Cloudflare routes and protects website traffic. Google Fonts supplies website fonts and receives the technical information needed for those requests. These providers process relevant information to deliver their services, rather than as purchasers of our customer data.
We may disclose information when required by law, a lawful order or a regulator, or where lawfully necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal rights or address a genuine security or safety issue.
Service-provider access must be limited to the work they perform and subject to appropriate confidentiality, security and processing arrangements. We do not authorise providers to use your booking information for their unrelated marketing.
If you choose our WhatsApp support link, you open a separate service operated by WhatsApp/Meta; information you send there is also subject to that provider's terms and privacy practices. Automated WhatsApp notification delivery, online payment collection and external screening providers are not connected to the current platform. The team can separately keep manual invoices and necessary records of payments already received through an agreed method. Recording an invoice or receipt does not charge you, connect to your bank or independently verify a transfer. We do not request card numbers, bank login credentials, PINs or one-time codes through the current forms or document process. We will explain relevant data handling before introducing online payment collection.
6. Storage, international processing and security
Our core production website, API, database and private document storage use Google Cloud's Johannesburg region. Authentication, network delivery and other provider operations may involve processing outside South Africa. This policy does not promise that all information remains in South Africa. International transfers must meet POPIA section 72, including an applicable adequate-protection, binding-agreement, consent or other permitted basis. Contact the privacy team for information about the providers and safeguards relevant to your request.
We use reasonable technical and organisational safeguards appropriate to the information, including encrypted connections, authenticated accounts, access controls and private document storage. We restrict administrative access and take reasonable steps to protect information handled by operators. No online service can guarantee absolute security. If a security compromise requires notification, we will notify the Information Regulator and affected people as required by POPIA.
Web sign-in uses per-tab browser storage; request drafts may be kept in memory while you complete the form. Native account sessions, where used, rely on device secure storage for refresh credentials. Google sign-in and third-party services may use their own necessary cookies or storage. Our app does not include advertising tracking pixels. Sign out on shared devices, keep your credentials private and tell us if you suspect account misuse.
7. How long we keep information
We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, an active arrangement, applicable record-keeping duties, a justified dispute or lawful retention requirement. We must delete, destroy or de-identify information that no longer has a lawful retention basis. Retention depends on the type of record and the circumstances; there is no promise of an indefinite archive.
Account closure and deletion requests currently go through the privacy team. There is no automatic self-service account deletion. We may need to retain particular service, invoice, received-payment or security records lawfully and will explain relevant limits. Recovery copies and backups can remain for a limited recovery cycle, with access restricted; deleting an active file does not instantly erase every backup. A privacy request does not itself cancel a booking or end a separate service or employment agreement.
8. Your rights and how to complain
Subject to POPIA and applicable procedures, you may ask whether we hold your personal information, request access, request correction or deletion of information that is inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive, out of date, incomplete, misleading or unlawfully obtained, object to applicable processing on reasonable grounds, withdraw consent, and complain about interference with your rights. You may also object to direct marketing at any time.
Email theteam@dotingdarlings.co.za for Motsholane Sebola / the privacy team. Describe your request and the account concerned without sending unnecessary identity documents. We may need proportionate identity or authority checks before releasing or changing private records. Confirmation of whether we hold personal information is free; access requests and any permitted fees follow the applicable statutory process. We will explain a lawful refusal or retention restriction and the available complaint route.
We publish the current policy and effective date here. We will bring material changes to your attention where appropriate and obtain fresh consent where the law requires it. A policy update does not authorise unrelated use of information already collected. Read our Terms of Service for the booking and introduction arrangements.
These terms explain the Doting Darlings introduction and booking-facilitation service. Please read them before using an account or making a request. The agreed details of an individual booking or placement must also be confirmed before work or payment is due.
1. Who operates Doting Darlings?
Doting Darlings is a division of Avaiden Group (Pty) Ltd, a private company duly registered in South Africa, registration number 2025/296316/07, place of registration South Africa.
Office bearers: Motsholane Sebola and Sewela Sebola.
References to “Doting Darlings”, “we” or “us” mean Avaiden Group (Pty) Ltd acting through this division. “Darling” means a provider introduced through the service; “household”, “family” or “you” means the person requesting help, as the context requires. These terms do not claim membership of an accreditation body or a professional registration.
2. Our introduction-only role
We introduce independent providers and help households and providers communicate about possible bookings and longer-term arrangements. The household and Darling agree the actual work directly. We provide the introduction and platform services with reasonable care; we do not promise that an application, match or service request guarantees availability, employment, a placement or any particular result.
The description “independent provider” reflects our introduction model. It does not override the true legal relationship, create a waiver of labour rights or decide employment status. For a full-time or other arrangement that is employment in substance, the actual employer and worker must comply with applicable South African labour law. The parties must identify the employer, remuneration, hours, duties, leave and relevant statutory responsibilities in a separate written arrangement before work starts. No clause here removes a legal obligation that actually applies to Doting Darlings, a household or a provider.
We do not provide emergency response or clinical medical services through a household-help request. Only agree work appropriate to the provider's actual skills and lawful qualifications. Manual document review is not verification of identity, document authenticity or a criminal-background check. Police-clearance collection and criminal-record review are paused pending the appropriate lawful process.
3. Accounts and fair use
You must be at least 18 and authorised to arrange the requested service or share the information you provide. Use accurate, relevant details, keep your credentials secure and tell us promptly about suspected misuse. A family representative must have authority to act for the household. A provider must accurately describe their experience, availability and any permission or qualification needed for the work.
Do not impersonate another person, upload unlawful or unauthorised material, misuse someone else's information, harass or discriminate unlawfully, interfere with platform security or use the service for unlawful activity. We may proportionately restrict access to protect people or the service, investigate misuse or comply with law. Where appropriate we will give reasons and a way to raise a concern. Restriction does not erase existing statutory rights or lawfully due refunds.
4. Requests, confirmation and prices
The website currently accepts service requests, provider applications and private matching enquiries. Sending a request or application does not itself confirm a paid booking or full-time placement, reserve a particular worker, or create an employment agreement. Account statuses show request and provider-response progress; an accepted visit does not create an undisclosed charge or determine employment status.
Before you commit to a paid service or introduction fee, the relevant agreement must identify the contracting parties, work scope, dates and duration, location, total price including applicable taxes and charges, payment method and timing, cancellation/refund terms and any expressly offered guarantee. A proposed salary budget is not an agreed wage or agency fee. An agency introduction or placement fee must be identified separately from the provider's remuneration and accepted in advance.
You can review and correct request details before sending and contact us to correct an error afterwards. You may withdraw before agreeing the final arrangement. Availability and any proposed substitute must be confirmed; a provider cannot be silently substituted on terms you have not accepted.
The current request journey does not collect payment online or request card or banking details. Pay only through a verified method identified in the agreed quotation or invoice. We do not promise escrow, insurance, a replacement guarantee or a refund scheme unless a specific written offer states its scope; any such offer must preserve your statutory rights. The team may prepare a manual invoice for fees that have been disclosed and agreed for the relevant introduction or service. Creating or issuing an invoice does not itself establish that you accepted a new fee, authorise an automatic charge or debit, or replace the agreed terms and your statutory rights. An internal record of a received payment reflects a manual entry by the team; it is not independent bank verification or an online payment-processing service. This platform does not currently calculate VAT or represent its invoices as VAT tax invoices. Any applicable tax treatment and legally required invoice details must be confirmed for the individual arrangement. Keep a copy of the quote, invoice, these terms and the individual agreement. Saved requests and conversations are available in your account while retained; the team can help with access to the relevant record.
5. Scheduling and recurring requests
A recurring request is for the finite number of visits and dates you select and review. It is not an open-ended subscription, automatic renewal or authorisation for recurring debits. Each visit remains subject to the agreed scope, price and provider availability. Check changes and confirmations in your account; operational notices are not promotional consent.
If a separate fixed-term consumer agreement is later offered, its duration, renewal and cancellation conditions must be disclosed before acceptance. Applicable Consumer Protection Act rights, including cancellation on 20 business days' recorded notice subject to a reasonable charge and the required expiry notices, remain available where section 14 applies. A reminder or in-app status does not replace the separate agreement.
6. Changes, cancellation and refunds
You may withdraw an unconfirmed request without a platform cancellation charge. For an agreed future booking, notify the relevant parties and our team as soon as possible. The account can cancel eligible visits or remaining visits in a series before they start. If a control is unavailable or work has begun, contact the team and provider; a technical control does not remove a cancellation or other right given by law.
No undisclosed cancellation fee is created by these terms. Any charge for cancelling an advance booking must have been disclosed, agreed and lawful, and must be reasonable in the circumstances. Relevant factors include the nature of the service, notice given and reasonable prospects of filling the slot. Where the Consumer Protection Act applies, no cancellation fee may be charged when death or hospitalisation of the intended service recipient prevents you keeping the booking.
Where the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act cooling-off right applies to a services agreement concluded electronically, you may cancel without reason or penalty within seven days after conclusion, and payments must be refunded within 30 days of cancellation. Statutory exceptions can apply, including where the service began with your consent before that period ended. We do not treat every household service as automatically excluded or infer that consent merely from creating an account.
If a paid service cannot be supplied, or a valid refund is due, the responsible contracting party must address it under the agreed arrangement and applicable law. Contact the team for help coordinating the record and complaint. We do not apply a blanket “no refunds” rule. If an individual quote conflicts with a non-excludable consumer right, that right prevails.
7. Responsibilities during an arrangement
Households must give accurate practical instructions, provide a reasonably safe and lawful work environment and disclose relevant hazards through an appropriate process. Providers must act honestly, use appropriate care and skill, respect agreed scope and confidentiality, and report an inability to attend or perform safely promptly. Both parties should agree necessary materials, equipment, access and travel arrangements before the visit. Changes to hours, duties or costs require agreement.
Share only information necessary for the arrangement, with a lawful basis and any required authority. Do not disclose passwords, payment details, unnecessary identity information or detailed medical records through a general instruction field. Keep other users' private information confidential and use it only for the agreed purpose. Report a safety concern or dispute promptly; immediate danger requires the appropriate emergency service, not an in-app message.
8. Service standards, responsibility and your rights
We remain responsible for our own introduction and platform services and obligations imposed on us by law. Independent providers remain responsible for their own agreed work, subject to the actual relationship and applicable law. We will take reasonable steps to address problems with our service and explain known delays or interruptions.
Where the Consumer Protection Act applies, its rights to timely, quality services and appropriate remedies remain intact, including requiring defective service to be corrected or a reasonable refund of the price paid where applicable. Nothing here excludes or limits liability for fraud, gross negligence, wilful misconduct or any liability or consumer, employment or privacy right that the law does not allow to be excluded or limited. These terms do not impose a general indemnity or require you to accept unknown risks.
9. Personal information and electronic records
Our Privacy Policy explains the necessary information used for accounts, requests, private matches, support, relevant applications, necessary enquiry follow-ups and invoice/received-payment records, limited sharing, safeguards and your rights. We do not sell, rent or trade personal information. Optional document collection/review and WhatsApp choices are separate from these terms; general use is not consent to unrelated sensitive processing or marketing.
We may communicate relevant account or booking information electronically using the contact method you select. Automated WhatsApp delivery and online payments are not connected yet. Save or print these terms and the individual arrangement for your records. Third-party sign-in or messaging services have their own terms for the services they provide.
10. Questions, complaints and applicable law
Contact info@dotingdarlings.co.za or 064 520 9188 with the request reference, a description of the issue and the outcome you seek. We will consider the concern fairly and coordinate with the relevant party where appropriate. Privacy concerns can go directly to Motsholane Sebola at theteam@dotingdarlings.co.za.
You retain access to the National Consumer Commission, applicable consumer authorities or ombuds, the Information Regulator, labour forums and courts with jurisdiction. Contacting us first is not a waiver or a mandatory bar to another lawful remedy. These terms are governed by South African law and do not require private arbitration or waive access to a competent court.
11. Changes and individual agreements
We may update these terms prospectively and publish the effective date and version. Material changes will be brought to your attention where appropriate. A later website update does not retrospectively change an agreed booking or employment arrangement, or remove accrued rights. Any material change to an individual agreement requires the agreement or process the law requires. If a clause is unenforceable, the remaining lawful provisions continue to apply to the extent permitted by law.
