Terms and Conditions of Business
Regulation
My work as a notary is regulated by the Faculty Office. I am also regulated by the Legal Ombudsman.
My role and the role of a notary in England
Unless I have prepared the documents then my role is limited to ensuring that the documents are signed in accordance with the requirements of the country in which they will be used, This will include establishing your identify and also establish that you have an understanding of the documents and their effect and that you wish to be bound by them.
Legal Advice
Unless I have prepared the documents then no legal advice is given in connection with the documents supplied and you must reply upon other lawyers representing you. I am not qualified to advise on any law other than the law of England and Wales.
Foreign language
I do not speak any foreign languages and I cannot translate foreign language documents.
Charges
My professional charges are based upon hourly rate of £200 per hour; with a minimum fee of £75.00. I am not registered for VAT. Payment is due when the documents are signed.
I can usually give a fixed quotation once I have seen the documents.
Other payments
In addition to my charges, payments may have to be made to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, foreign consulates and postal and courier companies. These charges are in addition to my professional charges.
Copies
I am not required to keep copies of most of the documents that I deal with. Where copies are kept then they will be retained in my register.
Liability
I carry professional insurance with a limit of £1m and this is the maximum liability that I have with you in respect of any claims for work that I carry out for you.
Where I post documents, I am not responsible for their loss, or other direct or indirect losses that you may incur, as a result of them going missing or are delayed whilst in transit.
Data Protection
The Data Protection Privacy Notice attached to these terms of business shall apply to these terms and to the services that I supply. My regulator makes occasional inspections of notaries’ records and may inspect information that I hold without notice to you.
Complaints
- My notarial practice is regulated through the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury:
- If you are dissatisfied about the service you have received please do not hesitate to contact me.
- If we are unable to resolve the matter you may then complain to the Notaries Society of which I am a member, who have a Complaints Procedure which is approved by the Faculty Office. This procedure is free to use and is designed to provide a quick resolution to any dispute.
- In that case please write (but do not enclose any original documents) with full details of your complaint to:-
- Finally, even if you have your complaint considered under the Notaries Society Approved Complaints Procedure, you may at the end of that procedure, or after a period of 8 weeks from the date you first notified me that you were dissatisfied, make your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, if you are not happy with the result:
- If you decide to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman you must refer your matter to the Legal Ombudsman within one year from the act/omission or within one year from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.
The Faculty Office
1, The Sanctuary
Westminster
London, SW1P 3JT.
Telephone 020 7222 5381
Email faculty.office@1thesanctuary.com.
Website www.facultyoffice.org.uk.
The Secretary of the Notaries Society,
PO Box 1023, Ipswich, IP1 9XB
Email secretary@thenotariessociety.org.uk
If you have any difficulty in making a complaint in writing please do not hesitate to call the Notaries Society/the Faculty Office for assistance.
Legal Ombudsman
P.O. Box 6167,
Slough SL1 0EH
Telephone 0300 555 0333
Email enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Website www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Applicable Law
The laws of England and Wales apply to these terms of business and the services that I supply.
