These terms govern your use of this website and your engagement with dew Smart Homes (“dew,” “we,” “us”), a trade name of Shaka Electric (California licensed C-10 electrical contractor). By using this site or contacting us, you accept these terms.
If we end up doing an install for you, a separate signed install agreement will govern that project — these terms cover the lead-up (the website, the consultation, the quote phase). Where the install agreement and these terms conflict, the install agreement controls.
California Contractors State License Board notice
California law requires that all electrical and home-improvement contractors be licensed by the Contractors State License Board (CSLB). dew Smart Homes operates as a trade name of Shaka Electric under California C-10 Electrical Contractor License #1142349.
You can verify the status of this license at cslb.ca.gov or by calling (800) 321-CSLB (2752).
Contractors are required by law to be licensed and regulated by the CSLB, which has jurisdiction to investigate complaints against contractors. Any questions concerning a contractor may be referred to the CSLB at the address and number above.
What we offer
dew designs, installs, and supports smart-home systems for residential customers in Los Angeles and Orange County, California. All electrical work is performed under Shaka Electric's California C-10 license.
Our website describes our services, packages, and pricing examples. None of that constitutes a binding offer — actual scope and price are determined at the design consultation and quoted in a written proposal.
Quotes and pricing
- Indicative pricing on the website (e.g., “Dew Home starts at $20,000”) is a starting estimate, not a guaranteed price.
- Your actual quote is based on a site walk-through, scope, and the specific hardware you choose.
- Quotes are valid for 30 days unless we tell you otherwise in writing.
- Hardware prices may change between quote and install due to vendor changes — we'll communicate any meaningful change before ordering.
- Sales tax, permit fees, and any specialty trades (drywall, paint, low-voltage cabling beyond our license scope) will be itemized in your written quote.
Maximum down payment
California law (Business & Professions Code § 7159.5) caps the down payment a home-improvement contractor may collect at $1,000 or 10% of the total contract price, whichever is less. dew complies with this cap on every residential install. Payment schedules for the balance are tied to specific install milestones and are stated in your written install agreement.
Engagement and payment
- The free design consultation comes with no obligation.
- If you proceed with an install, you'll sign a separate written install agreement specifying scope, deliverables, schedule, and payment terms.
- Default payment structure (subject to your written install agreement): capped down payment per California law, followed by progress payments tied to defined milestones, with final payment due at install acceptance.
- Accepted payment methods: ACH, credit card, check.
- Invoices not paid within 30 days of the due date may accrue late charges at 1.5% per month (18% APR), or the maximum rate permitted by law, whichever is less.
3-day right to cancel (home solicitation)
If you sign an install agreement at your home or anywhere other than dew's normal place of business, California Civil Code §§ 1689.5–1689.13 gives you the right to cancel the contract until midnight of the third business day after signing. To cancel, deliver written notice of cancellation to the address in your install agreement before that deadline. We will refund any payment within 10 days of receiving your notice and pick up any materials we delivered to your home within 20 days.
Your written install agreement will include the formal notice of this right, signed copy retention requirements, and a tear-off Notice of Cancellation as required by law.
Mechanics' lien notice
Under California Civil Code §§ 8400–8848, anyone who helps improve your property — including contractors, subcontractors, laborers, and material suppliers — has the right to record what is called a mechanics' lien against your property if they are not paid. A mechanics' lien is a claim made against your property and is recorded with the County Recorder.
Even if you pay dew in full, if any subcontractor or supplier we use is not paid by us, they could record a lien against your property. To protect yourself, you may want to:
- Request a list of subcontractors and material suppliers from dew before final payment
- Require unconditional lien waivers signed by each subcontractor and supplier as they are paid
- Issue joint checks payable to dew and the subcontractor or supplier
The full statutory Notice to Owner is included in every install agreement we sign with you. This summary is informational; the install agreement controls.
Customer responsibilities
To complete your install on time and on budget, you agree to:
- Site access: provide reasonable access to your home during scheduled install windows, including any locked rooms, attics, crawl spaces, and exterior access points required by the scope
- Utilities: ensure working electrical service and a functioning internet connection (or the ability for us to bring temporary service) during install
- Decisions: make timely decisions on choices we surface (paint colors, keypad engraving, hardware finishes, scene preferences) so the schedule isn't blocked
- Pets and children: secure pets away from work areas; supervise children near tools and ladders
- Existing condition: disclose known issues with the property (knob-and-tube wiring, asbestos, mold, structural problems) that could affect our work
- Permits cooperation: sign any permit applications that require homeowner signature and grant inspectors access when scheduled
- Other trades: if other contractors are working on your home in parallel, coordinate timing so we're not all stepping on each other
Delays caused by missing access, undisclosed conditions, or delayed customer decisions may shift the schedule and trigger reasonable change-order costs documented in your install agreement.
Permits and inspections
Electrical work, low-voltage work, and structural modifications may require permits from your local building department. dew identifies which permits your install needs, files for them under Shaka Electric's C-10 license, schedules inspections, and walks any required inspectors through the work. Permit fees are pass-through costs itemized in your quote.
If a permit application is denied or an inspection fails for reasons outside dew's control (HOA restrictions, unforeseen code issues with the existing structure, jurisdiction-specific rules we've flagged in writing), we'll work with you on the path forward, but the resulting changes may require a change order and adjusted timeline.
Subcontractors
Some specialty trades on a dew install (drywall patching, paint touch-up, low-voltage runs outside our C-10 scope, structural framing) are performed by licensed subcontractors we coordinate. We remain accountable for the quality of their work and the integrity of the overall install. Where a subcontractor is used, we'll disclose it in the install agreement and require lien waivers as part of our standard process.
Cancellation
Before any work begins, you can cancel an engaged project with no further obligation; we refund any unused deposit within 10 days. Once hardware has been ordered or work has begun, cancellation terms are governed by your signed install agreement, which typically reimburses dew for materials already purchased plus a fair share of work-to-date.
The 3-day home-solicitation cancellation right (above) is separate and always applies to contracts signed at your home.
Warranties
Every dew install comes with 12 months of post-install support included — covering scene tuning, configuration questions, and remediation of any workmanship that fails under normal use during that period. We respond within one business day during the warranty window.
Third-party hardware (Lutron, UniFi, Aqara, Sonos, eero, etc.) is covered under each manufacturer's warranty, which usually runs 1–5 years from purchase depending on the product. We help you submit warranty claims for as long as you're a customer.
We do not warrant uptime of cloud services we don't operate (Apple Home, Google Home, Ring, Nest, etc.). Where those services go down, your local install continues to work as designed within the limits of what local control supports.
EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY STATED ABOVE OR IN YOUR INSTALL AGREEMENT, dew DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
Not a life-safety system
Smart home systems installed by dew — including cameras, motion sensors, smoke/CO detectors integrated into the system, leak detectors, voice assistants, and locks — are not life-safety or medical-alert systems. They are not a substitute for a UL-listed monitored fire/security alarm, a 911 call, or a personal emergency response system. We do not provide 24/7 central monitoring, and we cannot guarantee that a notification will be delivered or acted on in any specific time frame. For life-safety needs, contract with a licensed alarm company and/or use a dedicated medical alert device.
Customer-supplied equipment
If you ask dew to integrate equipment you already own or purchase yourself (an existing router, a smart lock you bought retail, an older camera system), we'll do our best to make it work, but the warranty on customer-supplied equipment is limited to our installation labor — we cannot warrant the equipment itself or guarantee it will integrate cleanly with the rest of the dew stack. We'll flag known compatibility risks in writing before install.
Photo and case study consent
After install, dew may want to photograph or film the finished work for our portfolio, website, or marketing. We will not publish images of your home without your written consent (a checkbox in your install agreement or a separate release). If you decline, that has zero effect on the quality of your install or your warranty.
Indemnification
By dew: we will indemnify and hold you harmless from third-party claims arising out of our negligence or willful misconduct in performing the install, up to the limits of our commercial general liability insurance.
By you: you will indemnify and hold dew harmless from third-party claims arising out of (a) your breach of these terms or the install agreement, (b) your modifications to the installed system after install, or (c) your direction to install in ways that violate code or HOA rules that we flagged in writing.
Force majeure
Neither party is responsible for delay or failure caused by events outside reasonable control — natural disasters, government action, regional power or internet outages, labor strikes outside our workforce, pandemics, supply-chain disruption preventing us from sourcing committed hardware after best-effort substitution. Where force majeure delays an install, we'll work in good faith on a revised schedule.
Independent contractor relationship
dew is engaged as an independent contractor, not an employee, partner, joint-venturer, or agent of yours. Nothing in these terms or the install agreement creates an employment, fiduciary, or agency relationship.
Limitation of liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY CALIFORNIA LAW, dew'S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THIS WEBSITE OR OUR PRE-INSTALL SERVICES IS LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT YOU HAVE PAID US FOR THOSE SERVICES IN THE PRIOR 12 MONTHS.
For install work, liability is governed by your signed install agreement, which carries separate terms that you'll review before signing.
IN NO EVENT WILL dew BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS, LOST DATA, OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS OR YOUR USE OF THIS WEBSITE, EVEN IF dew HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY. Nothing in this section limits liability that cannot be limited by law (e.g., gross negligence, willful misconduct, fraud, or personal injury caused by our negligence).
Intellectual property
The dew name, logo, written content on this site, photographs of our installs, and our install methodology are our intellectual property. Don't copy or republish without written permission. We respect yours equally — anything you share with us in the course of getting a quote (photos of your home, project descriptions, design preferences) remains yours.
SMS and call communications
When you text or call our business line, you consent to receive responses from dew. Standard message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to any SMS to opt out of further messages, or HELP for help. See our Privacy Policy for how we handle this data, including the explicit no-third-party-share commitment for SMS opt-in information.
Governing law and disputes
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles.
Any dispute arising under these terms or your engagement with us will be resolved in this order:
- Good-faith discussion — either party may initiate a 30-day informal resolution period by written notice describing the dispute
- Mediation — if direct discussion fails, the parties will participate in non-binding mediation in Los Angeles County, California, with a mediator agreed upon by both parties
- Court — if mediation fails, either party may bring the dispute in the state or federal courts located in Los Angeles County, California, and both parties consent to that jurisdiction and venue
Nothing in this section prevents either party from seeking emergency injunctive relief in court to prevent imminent harm.
Attorneys' fees
In any action to enforce these terms, the prevailing party is entitled to recover its reasonable attorneys' fees and costs from the other party, in addition to any other relief awarded.
Assignment, survival, severability, entire agreement
- Assignment: you may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under these terms without our written consent. dew may assign these terms to a successor entity (e.g., dew, Inc. once formed) on written notice to you.
- Survival: any provision that by its nature should survive termination of your engagement with dew — including limitation of liability, indemnification, intellectual property, and disputes — does survive.
- Severability: if any part of these terms is held unenforceable, the rest remains in effect, and the unenforceable part is modified to the minimum extent needed to make it enforceable.
- Entire agreement: these terms (together with the Privacy Policy and any signed install agreement) form the entire agreement between you and dew regarding the subject matter and supersede any prior or contemporaneous understandings.
- No waiver: failure by either party to enforce any provision is not a waiver of the right to enforce it later.
Changes to these terms
We may update these terms over time. The “effective” date at the top reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of the website or our services after a change constitutes acceptance. Material changes affecting active customers will be communicated by email at least 30 days before they take effect.
Contact
Questions about these terms? Reach us at grant@dew.homes.
dew Smart Homes · a trade name of Shaka Electric · CSLB C-10 #1142349 · Diamond Bar, California