Walker Independent Contractor Agreement
Last updated: 26 May 2026 · Governing law: England & Wales
1. Parties and nature of agreement
This Walker Independent Contractor Agreement ("Agreement") is between Osteorise Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (company no. 15200521), trading as Barkevo ("Barkevo", "Platform"), and you, the individual registering as a walker or pet sitter on barkevo.com ("Walker"). This Agreement, together with the Barkevo Terms of Service, governs your relationship with Barkevo. By completing your walker profile and accepting bookings, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to this Agreement.
2. Independent contractor status
You are an independent self-employed contractor, not an employee, worker, or agent of Barkevo. Nothing in this Agreement creates or is intended to create an employment relationship, agency, partnership, or joint venture between you and Barkevo. As an independent contractor: • You have the right to provide similar services to other platforms and clients outside of Barkevo, provided you do not breach any obligation to an Owner during a booked session. • You set your own hourly rate and working hours. • You are responsible for your own tax affairs, including income tax (self-assessment) and National Insurance contributions, and for registering as self-employed with HMRC if required. • Barkevo does not deduct income tax or National Insurance from your earnings. • You are not entitled to any employment rights, including holiday pay, sick pay, pension contributions, or the National Minimum Wage as an employee.
3. Right of substitution
You have a genuine right to send a suitably qualified substitute to perform a booking in your place, subject to: • Providing the Owner with advance notice and obtaining their agreement. • The substitute meeting all the same qualification and DBS requirements as you. • You remaining responsible for the quality and safety of the service delivered by your substitute. This right of substitution is genuine and not merely nominal. It is a key indicator of your self-employed status.
4. Platform fee and payments
Barkevo retains a 15% platform fee from each completed booking as payment for access to the platform, payment processing, insurance support, customer acquisition, and dispute resolution infrastructure. The remaining 85% is transferred to your connected Stripe account, typically within two business days of a booking being marked as completed. You are responsible for declaring all income received through Barkevo to HMRC.
5. Obligations as a Walker
You agree to: • Provide services with reasonable care and skill, in accordance with the booking details agreed with the Owner. • Hold and maintain valid public liability insurance covering pet services for a minimum of £1,000,000 indemnity, or notify Owners clearly that you do not hold such insurance. • Comply with all applicable laws, including the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and any local authority licensing requirements for commercial dog walkers (required in some London boroughs for groups of more than three dogs). • Keep any information shared by Owners (including home access codes, alarm codes, or pet medical information) strictly confidential and use it only for the purpose of delivering the service. • Not engage in any conduct that is abusive, discriminatory, or harmful towards Owners, their pets, or members of the public. • Not use personal contact information obtained through the platform to solicit repeat bookings outside of Barkevo.
6. DBS and identity verification
By submitting your DBS certificate number and associated personal data (surname as it appears on the certificate, date of birth) to Barkevo, you: • Confirm that the information you provide is accurate and up to date. • Consent to Barkevo verifying your certificate status against the DBS Update Service on initial submission and periodically thereafter (approximately every 30 days) for as long as you have an active walker profile. • Acknowledge that Barkevo may remove your DBS Verified badge and suspend your ability to accept new bookings if your Update Service subscription lapses, or if new information is added to your record. • Understand that Barkevo will process your DBS-related personal data in accordance with its Privacy Policy and in compliance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. DBS data is retained only for as long as necessary and is not shared with third parties except where required by law. Barkevo does not guarantee the completeness of any DBS verification and accepts no liability arising from the use or interpretation of DBS check results.
7. Intellectual property and photos
By uploading photos to your walker profile or as walk update photos, you grant Barkevo a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to use, display, and reproduce those photos for the purposes of operating and promoting the platform (including in marketing materials). You retain ownership of your photos.
8. Suspension and termination
Barkevo may suspend or remove your walker profile at any time if: • You breach this Agreement or the Terms of Service. • You receive a high volume of complaints or disputes. • Your DBS Verified badge lapses and is not renewed within a reasonable period. • We reasonably believe your continued presence on the platform poses a risk to Owners, pets, or Barkevo. You may close your walker profile at any time by contacting hello@barkevo.com. Termination does not affect any outstanding payment obligations or bookings already confirmed.
9. Limitation of liability
To the extent permitted by English law, Barkevo's total liability to you in connection with this Agreement shall not exceed the platform fees paid by Owners in respect of your bookings in the three months preceding the event giving rise to the claim. Barkevo is not liable for lost bookings, loss of income, or reputational damage arising from temporary platform unavailability or account suspension.
10. Governing law
This Agreement is governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
11. Changes
Barkevo may update this Agreement from time to time. Material changes will be notified by email. Continued use of the platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Agreement.
12. Contact
For any questions about this Agreement, contact hello@barkevo.com.