Noble Harbour Solicitors
HIPs Instruction
Upon receipt of your instruction form we will contact you for payment. We will not commence any work in relation to your Home Information Pack until the payment has been received. Payment can be made by debit or credit card. We will then confirm to your Estate Agent that a Pack has been ordered.
The following explains the basis on which we will carry out all the work necessary in the above matter.
People responsible for your work
Melanie Davies will carry out most of the work in this matter. She is a Conveyancing Executive. She will work under the Supervision of Gareth Noble a Partner in the Firm. If you need to telephone, please ask to speak to Melanie Davies. We will try to avoid changing the people who handle your work, but if this cannot be avoided, we will inform you promptly who will be handling the matter.
Charges and Expenses
We have based our figures in respect of the compulsory elements of a HIP and it is possible to add further searches to the pack at an additional cost. If you wish to discuss this please let us know. Also you can, if you wish, complete a Home Use Form and Home Contents Form. These are not compulsory but if you wish to include them we will provide you with the forms.
Your overall charges are £299.00 inclusive of VAT. We will request that the figure is paid at the time of your confirmation of instructions to begin production of the HIP.
We will inform you if any unforeseen extra work becomes necessary - for example due to unexpected difficulties or if your requirements or the circumstances change significantly during the matter. We will also inform you in writing of the estimated cost of the extra work before incurring extra costs. We will attempt to agree an amended charge with you. If we cannot reach agreement, we will do no further work and charge you on the proportion of work to date.
If we are instructed on a sale (and any related purchase) we will send you terms and conditions and details of our fees and your likely expenses at that time. If you would like an indication now please ask and it will be provided.
HIP Delivery
As soon as the HIP is prepared we ill give a copy to you and any estate agent instructed by you. We will also provide copies to interested parties upon request but anticipate that such requests will normally be made to the Estate Agent. Wherever required we will endeavour to provide the HIP electronically.
Termination
As the essence of HIP production is speed (as well as accuracy) it will be very unlikely that you will be able to terminate your instructions to us once the searches and EPC have been commissioned. If you indicate that you do not wish to proceed at a very early stage, we will endeavour to cancel the instructions to save the search fees and EPC fee, but cannot guarantee the outcome. We will certainly make an adjustment to that element of the global fee which represents our costs in line with the time of termination if we can and you will pay our changes only on the basis of work carried out to date.
Raising queries or concerns with us
We are confident that we will give you a high quality service in all respects. However if you have any queries or concerns about our work for you, please take them up first with Melanie Davies.
All firms of Solicitors are obliged to attempt to resolve problems that clients may have with the service provided. It is therefore important that you immediately raise your concerns with us. We value you as clients and would not wish to think that you have any reason to be unhappy with Noble Harbour.
Money Laundering Precautions
- Like all firms of Solicitors, we are now required by law to apply procedures to guard against the risk of money laundering. It will help us avoid any problems with your legal work if you bear in mind the following points.
- Identification Checks:
We will not ask for this evidence on the instruction of the HIP alone, but if we are instructed on a sale and / or purchase later it may be necessary due to the larger sums involved. This is a purely routine requirement. At that time, we may need to obtain formal evidence of your identity. This may be necessary even though we have acted for you before, or even if you are known personally by a member of staff. We will tell you if such evidence is necessary. Normally the evidence we would ask for is your passport, pus two or more documents to establish your address, such as recent utility bills, council tax statements or bank accounts. - Cash:
We do not normally accept payment in cash but in view of the relatively low amount involved and for the need for speed in the case of HIP provision we will accept cash on these limited instructions.
Confidentiality
We have always sought to keep our Clients' affairs confidential. However the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 can oblige us to report information about financial offences to the Criminal Intelligence Service. In particular, if it seems that any assets involved in your matter were derived from a crime we may have to report it. This can include small amounts of money, and covers all offences, including for example tax evasion and benefit fraud. If we have to make a report we may not be able to tell you that we have done so. A report may result in an investigation by the police, the Inland Revenue or other authorities. The law contains exceptions. If you are concerned about how this may affect you, please ask us.
Conclusion
If you wish to instruct us please complete the details on the first page and sign and date below and return the form to us immediately. Then we can be confident that you understand the basis on which we will act for you. We will keep the document and provide you with a copy.
We hope that we have addressed your immediate concerns about the day to day handling of your work and our terms of business. However, if you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the office.
