Adam LedgerProperty Lawyers

Our Terms

Our Terms and Conditions of Business — to be read in conjunction with our Useful Information & FAQs documentation.

General

  1. 1.Our normal contactable hours when we are open to the public are from 10.00am to 12.30pm and from 2.00pm to 4.30pm Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays). We close between Christmas and New Year. Mondays and Fridays are the busiest days. In order for us to help you most efficiently please restrict non-essential telephone calls or emails to other times where possible.
  2. 2.We are only able to progress matters on your instructions. We will keep you informed, if necessary, by copying relevant correspondence and documents to you and writing explanatory letters. In return, we ask that you promptly provide instructions and information to us.
  3. 3.If two or more persons are instructing us jointly on the same matter then, unless you advise us in writing to the contrary, we shall be entitled to assume that any one of them has the authority to give instructions for all. Everyone jointly instructing us will be individually responsible for the payment of all our fees.
  4. 4.These Terms and Conditions are issued by the Directors of Adam Ledger Property Lawyers Limited.

Holding Client's Money

  1. 1.Unless agreed to the contrary we will not open any special deposit account for you the client.
  2. 2.Conveyancing transactions can only be completed when we hold cleared funds. If you are paying any part of the purchase price we will require funds to be paid by electronic transfer (Faster Payment, BACS, CHAPS).

Complaints

  1. 1.If you have a complaint regarding any aspect of our services please initially ask to speak to Adam Ledger or Sarah Horrocks or Nazma Khatun. If this does not provide satisfaction you can complain to the Council for Licensed Conveyancers of WeWork, 120 Moorgate, London EC2M 6UR. Alternatively, if your complaint is a service related complaint this can be escalated to The Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough SL1 0EH; Enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk; telephone 0300 555 0333. You have six years to make a complaint from the date of the problem occurring or three years after discovering the problem.
  2. 2.If you make a valid claim against us for loss arising out of work for which we are legally responsible and we are unable to meet our liability in full you may be entitled to claim from the Compensation Fund administered by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers.

Costs

  1. 1.In carrying out certain types of work, particularly property work, we may have to make substantial payments on your behalf to third parties. We are only permitted by our professional rules to make these payments from cleared funds. We only accept CHAPS, Faster Payment or BACS.
  2. 2.Certain services may be charged for separately. These include facsimile transmissions, preparation of detailed narratives, photocopying, international and long distance telephone calls, mobile phone calls, postage and courier charges, bank transfers and deposit account facilities, office copy entries, and land registry documents.
  3. 3.Whenever possible we will offer fee estimates. Factors beyond our control mean that these may have to be revised. If unanticipated additional work is undertaken this will be charged for separately.
  4. 4.In many cases it will be necessary for us to incur or pay fees and expenses on your behalf to progress matters. These include search fees, Land Registry fees, courier fees, travel expenses and stamp duty. We will normally require you to pay the amounts of such fees before we incur liability to pay them on your behalf.
  5. 5.If, for any reason, we cease to represent you or if a matter does not proceed to completion you will be responsible for our fees for all work done up to that date and any disbursements incurred on your behalf. Our minimum charge for taking instruction and processing opening an account and file is £100 plus VAT.
  6. 6.Fees and disbursements invoiced to you are due for payment immediately on delivery of our invoice. Interest will be charged from that date on any amounts not paid within 30 days, calculated on a daily basis at 4% above the base rate from time to time of Virgin Money UK.
  7. 7.Our fees shall be calculated at our standard hourly rate of £200 + VAT per hour or part thereof plus disbursements, or may be varied in accordance with a written fee estimate.
  8. 8.We charge a Lenders Panel Admin fee of £50 + VAT for mortgage assisted clients.

Leasehold Enquiries

  1. 1.When acting for you in connection with a purchase of a Leasehold Property the transaction may be more complicated than originally envisaged. Enquiries may be required of Freeholders and Management Companies and costs may be incurred which are unknown at the outset of the transaction. There may be additional or more complicated documentation required and a fee may have to be paid to the Freeholder or the Management Company or other Third Parties.

Proof of Identity & Money Laundering

  1. 1.We must by law obtain satisfactory evidence of your identity and address. We are unable to proceed with your transaction and will not be able to exchange contracts until this has been provided.
  2. 2.Due to the stringent nature of the Money Laundering Requirements from the 2017 Money Laundering Regulations as amended we will require a clear full up to date bank statement showing all deposit monies. This must clearly state the full name of the account holder.
  3. 3.If you are supplying monies from any other account other than your own (e.g. gifted deposit monies) we will require a certified copy of the bank statement for the account from which the monies are held together with a certified copy identification from the Donor. We charge a minimum of £100 + VAT for processing each gifted deposit or private unsecured loan.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

  1. 1.Stamp Duty Land Tax is a self-assessment tax. It is crucial when we ask you questions to enable us to fill in your Stamp Duty Land Tax return on your behalf that you supply full and frank information. In particular we require information of simultaneous or future linked transactions or additional Properties that you own.

Confidentiality

  1. 1.As lawyers, we are under a general professional and legal obligation to keep your affairs private. However, we are required, by current legislation, to make a report to the National Crime Agency (NCA) where we know or suspect that a transaction involves Money Laundering or Terrorist Financing. By instructing us to act on your behalf in accordance with these terms of engagement you give us irrevocable authority to make a disclosure to NCA if we consider it appropriate.