Legal

Terms of Service

Last updated: 21 August 2026

1. Who these terms apply to

These terms govern services provided by HF Virtual, a sole proprietorship operated by Honey Fortin in Calgary, Alberta, Canada ("HF Virtual", "I", "me") to a client ("you").

A signed services agreement takes precedence over these terms where the two differ. These terms apply to the website and to engagements where no separate agreement says otherwise.

2. Services

HF Virtual provides executive assistance and operations support, which may include calendar management, travel coordination, inbox triage, content operations, systems and file organisation, CRM management, research, and reporting. The specific scope is agreed before work begins and recorded in your proposal or agreement.

I am an independent contractor, not an employee. I control how and when the work is performed within the agreed response times, and I am responsible for my own equipment, software, taxes, and insurance.

3. Engagement models

Monthly retainer

A fixed monthly fee for a set number of included hours. Hours are reserved capacity for that month and do not carry forward.

Pay-as-you-go hourly

Hours purchased in advance and drawn down as work is performed. Unused prepaid hours remain yours and do not expire while the engagement is active.

The Test Drive

A five-hour trial block on one focus area, with no ongoing commitment. If you continue into a retainer or hourly arrangement within 60 days, the Test Drive fee is credited against your first invoice.

4. Fees and billing

• All fees are quoted and payable in US dollars.
• Invoices are issued every two weeks, in advance, before the work period begins.
• Work begins once the first invoice has cleared.
• Payment is due on receipt unless otherwise agreed in writing.
• You are responsible for any bank, transfer, or currency conversion charges on your side.
• Rates may be reviewed with 30 days' written notice. Any change applies from the next billing period.

Late payment

If an invoice is unpaid five business days after the due date, I will contact you. If it remains unpaid ten business days after the due date, work pauses until payment is received. Pausing is not a termination, and your slot is held for 30 days.

5. Hours, overage, and scope

How time is recorded

Every task and the time it took is recorded in a shared work log you can open at any time. Time is recorded in 15-minute increments. The log is the record of record for any billing question.

Overage

• A buffer of up to 10% over your included hours is absorbed at no charge. Months vary, and small overruns are part of the arrangement.
• Hours beyond that buffer are billed at your tier's effective hourly rate, added to the next invoice.
• You will be told before you get there. At 80% of your included hours I will flag it, project where the month is heading, and let you choose how to proceed.
• If included hours are exceeded in two consecutive months, we will review whether a different tier fits better.

Scope changes

If you ask for work outside the agreed scope, I will tell you before starting it and confirm whether it fits within your hours or needs a separate arrangement. I will not silently absorb scope changes, and I will not surprise you with a bill for them.

6. Working arrangements

• Working hours and response times are agreed at onboarding and recorded in writing.
• Async-first. Most work does not require us to be online at the same time.
• Holidays and time off are communicated at least two weeks in advance where possible, with a handover of anything time-sensitive.
• Illness or emergency. If I am unexpectedly unavailable, you will be told as soon as practical, along with what is in flight and what needs your attention.

7. Access and confidentiality

• A non-disclosure agreement is signed before work begins.
• No plaintext passwords. Access is granted through delegated permissions or an encrypted password manager you own.
• You receive a written access inventory listing every system I can reach and how to revoke it.
• Your access can be revoked at any time without notice and without explanation.
• I will not disclose your confidential information, and this obligation continues after the engagement ends.

How personal information is handled is set out in the Privacy Policy.

8. Ownership of work

Work product created specifically for you — documents, templates, SOPs, spreadsheets, and organised files — belongs to you once the corresponding invoice is paid.

General methods, checklists, and templates that HF Virtual brings to the engagement remain mine, and you receive a perpetual licence to keep using any copy provided to you.

9. Your responsibilities

• Provide the access, information, and approvals needed to do the work
• Respond to items awaiting your decision within a reasonable time
• Ensure you have the right to grant access to any system or data you share
• Tell me promptly if something isn't working, so it can be fixed early

Where a delay is caused by information or approval I am waiting on, timelines shift accordingly.

10. Pausing, switching, and ending

• Pause — with two weeks' written notice, for up to 90 days. Your slot is held.
• Switch — between monthly and hourly at any billing boundary, with written notice.
• End — either of us may end the engagement with two weeks' written notice. Work continues and is billed through the notice period.
• Immediate termination — either of us may end the engagement immediately in the event of a serious breach, including non-payment or a request to do something unlawful.

On ending

• A final invoice covers work performed to the last working day.
• Unused prepaid hourly hours are refunded or credited, at your choice.
• Retainer fees for a period already begun are not refunded.
• You receive a handover document covering what is in flight, what is scheduled, and what to watch.
• All SOPs and documentation created for you are handed over.
• I will walk you through revoking my access, and confirm in writing once it is removed.

11. What I will not do

I will decline, without it affecting the rest of the engagement:

• Anything unlawful, or anything that breaches a third party's rights
• Impersonating you in a legal, financial, or contractual capacity
• Handling payment card details, banking credentials, or government identification
• Authorising payments or transfers on your behalf
• Anything requiring a licence or professional qualification I do not hold — legal, accounting, tax, or financial advice

12. Liability

Services are provided with reasonable skill and care. To the extent permitted by law, my total liability arising from an engagement is limited to the fees paid by you in the three months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

Neither party is liable for indirect or consequential losses, including lost profits or lost business opportunities.

Nothing in these terms limits liability for fraud, or for anything that cannot lawfully be limited.

13. Non-solicitation

Nothing here prevents me from working with other clients, including in your industry. Client confidentiality is maintained in every case, and I will tell you if I believe a genuine conflict of interest exists.

14. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Alberta and the federal laws of Canada. Any dispute will be subject to the courts of Alberta, unless a signed agreement says otherwise.

Before any formal proceeding, both parties agree to attempt to resolve the matter in a direct conversation.

15. Changes

These terms may be updated. Material changes will be posted here with a new date, and active clients will be told directly. Changes do not apply retroactively to work already performed.

16. Contact

Honey Fortin
HF Virtual
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
honey@hfvirtual.com