Terms & Conditions

General Terms & Conditions of engagement:

These Terms & Conditions apply to bookings taken, and services carried out, by Adam Harvey trading as AAH Assessments, which from this point onwards will be referred to as “The Company”.
Prices quoted on our Price Lists apply to services carried out Monday to Friday, between 9am and 5pm. An additional charge may be made for services carried out after 5pm. The Company is closed on Bank Holidays and at weekends. Please note that heavily furnished or equipped properties may incur an additional charge. Prices are based on number of bedrooms and reception rooms within a specific property, together with the level of furnishing in some cases. Properties with additional rooms, large gardens, outbuildings, or unusual features may incur additional charges; a summary of what is included in our standard charges, together with what we class as a ‘reception’ room, is detailed on the reverse side of our Price Lists. Please note that in some cases additional charges are not possible to identify until a visit has been made to the relevant property.
If The Company is aware of any possible conflicts of interest, this will be declared to the Instructing Principal at time of booking, or as soon as such conflict becomes apparent.
Payment for services is requested via invoice from The Company to the Instructing Principal (the Agent, Landlord or Homeowner who booked the service). The Instructing Principal is liable for all such invoice amounts. If any invoiced amount remains unpaid after 60 days then all invoices then in existence, whether or not due for payment, become payable. Without prejudice to any other rights it may have, The Company is entitled to charge interest at 2% per day above the current Base Rate of Natwest Bank on overdue payment of any invoice amount, or any part thereof. As standard, business clients are offered payment terms of 30 days, and private clients are offered payment terms of 7 days.
It is The Company’s usual practice to wait no longer than 20 minutes at a property beyond the booked appointment time to gain access (or obtain relevant documents etc. to be used in the inspection). If access, or required documents, are not available within this time frame the appointment will be abandoned and a charge of up to 100% of the original booking value will be made to the Instructing Principal.
For services to be carried out a property must be in a condition whereby The Company can move throughout the interior, and exterior perimeter, of the relevant property with ease and in a safe manner and be able to view necessary surfaces and property contents. The safety of the proprietor, employees and representatives of The Company is also of the utmost importance at all times. Should The Company not feel safe at any time when carrying out their duties, be subjected to any kind of verbal or physical abuse, or not be able to view or access the property and its contents sufficiently, the relevant service(s) will be terminated immediately. In these cases a charge of up to 100% of the original booking value will be made to the Instructing Principal.
Please note that 24 hours notice must be received, and acknowledged, by The Company to cancel or change any booking. If sufficient notice is not received, and acknowledged, a cancellation charge of up to 50% of the relevant booking value will be made to the Instructing Principal. If The Company has already attended the property a charge of up to 100% of the original booking value will be made to the Instructing Principal. If a service is cancelled with more than 24 hours notice given to and acknowledged by The Company, no charge will be made.
Unless agreed otherwise at time of booking, The Company will dispatch (by email) Inventory Reports within 72 hours of end of property visit day, and Check-Out Reports and Interim Inspection Reports within 36 hours of end of property visit day. Floor plans and Energy Performance Certificates will be dispatched within 48 hours of end of property visit day, although most certificates are dispatched in around 24 hours. Hard copies of Reports are available for an additional charge, which is available on request.
If you are dissatisfied with any of our services, please notify us within 48 hours of receipt of the relevant report/certificate/plan, or in the case of rental properties before the property is re-occupied, whichever comes first. We will then endeavour to rectify the problem, free of charge, to your satisfaction.

Inventory, Check-Out or Interim Inspection work:

The Company is not an expert in fabrics, woods, materials, antiques etc., nor are our Assessors qualified Surveyors. Reports should therefore not be used as an accurate description, or statement of authenticity, of any item within or part of the property, nor should it be used as a structural survey report. Our services relate only to the furniture, furnishings, fittings, surfaces, and other equipment and contents in the property. Please also note that no guarantee is made as to the safety of any such items; it is merely a record that such items exist in the property at the specified date, and the superficial condition of the same.
The Company does not move furniture or equipment and does not assess locked rooms, items that are visibly packed for storage, boxes, or any other inaccessible places. It is also not normal practice to individually itemise or inventory books, audio or video media, plants or shrubs, consumable items, cleaning items or small miscellaneous items found in sheds, garages, cupboards or store areas. Lofts and cellars (which are not part of the property’ habitable rooms) will be checked but only to give a general and high level description of the items stored within them; for insurance reasons these areas will not usually be entered and will only be assessed from the hatch/door (where access to such a hatch/door is safe and straightforward). Meter/supply readings are taken as part of the standard Inventory and Check-Out process; if a meter/supply cannot be located or is deemed to be in a location which is inaccessible, the relevant readings will not be taken. The Company cannot be held responsible for any damage or issues with a property part not seen at time of an assessment due to lack of access or line of site, due to the need for functional testing, or due to cleaning issues such as soil or scale. It should also be noted that in the case of Check-Out Reports an item’s categorisation, or the comments/findings relating to an item, may be subject to change once additional information or further access is made available, or after specialist assessment is made. It is the responsibility of the Tenant and the Landlord, or the respective Agents, to agree between themselves the accuracy and relevancy of any report, taking into account any other matters which may not be known to AAH Assessments. We always recommend that a visit is made to a property by the Landlord, or Landlord’s Agent, before returning any deposit to a respective Tenant(s).
The Company does not check electrical, gas or fuel reliant appliances/items as to their working order, however we will where possible check that appliances power up and check that light bulbs are working (including those in appliances), but we make no guarantee as to the reliability or safety of these items. The Landlord or Agent is responsible for the gas safety of a property and must ensure a valid Gas Safety Certificate is in force at all times during a Tenancy Period. It is also the responsibility of the Landlord or Agent to ensure that the electrical installation, and any electrical items provided, are safe, and that a relevant and valid Electrical Safety Certificate is in force at all times during a Tenancy Period. Ensuring the property is free from Legionnaires’ disease, and carrying out appropriate risk assessments, is the responsibility of the Landlord or Agent. Where possible smoke/heat alarms and carbon monoxide alarms will be tested using their test button (only) during assessments however The Company makes no guarantee as to the reliability, safety or working order of these items, and no guarantee as to compliance with the relevant 2015 (or subsequent) regulations is given. The Company also takes no responsibility for damage or malfunction caused during the testing of such alarms. Please note it is the Landlord, Agent, or Tenant responsibility to regularly inspect and maintain any such alarms fitted in a property to ensure that they are in full working order at all times.
Where possible and safe to do so the function of windows and doors will be checked, but no guarantee as to their working order or level of security is given by The Company, and no liability is accepted for the security of the property when affected by any fault with such a window or door. Compliance with the 2014 (or subsequent) regulations relating to window blind pull cord safety is the sole responsibility of the Landlord or Agent; we will however where possible note any obvious breaches of the regulations at the relevant point of a report. The Fire & Safety Regulations regarding furnishings, gas and electrical items, and similar services, are ultimately the responsibility of the Landlord or Agent. Where there is a note on a Report stating “FFR label seen” this should not be interpreted to mean that the item complies with the “Furniture & Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) (Amendments) 1993” (or subsequent date). It is only a record that the item had a label as described or similar to that detailed in the “Guide” published by the Department of Trade & Industry January 1997 (or subsequent date) at the time of the property assessment. It is not a statement that the item can be considered to comply with the Regulations.
The original (ideally signed and dated) Inventory Report for a Tenancy should be kept by the Instructing Principal to be made available to The Company at time of Check-Out. If any changes (structural, décor, furnishing or equipment) are made to a property during a tenancy period, these should be recorded in writing and agreed by both the Instructing Principal and the relevant Tenant(s). These written changes should be kept with the relevant Inventory Report.

Provision of Energy Performance Certificates (EPC):

All Domestic Energy Assessments are carried out by, and only by, The Company, all assessors being fully trained and accredited by a government accreditation body.
The Company does not undertake any assessment that falls outside of the RDSAP (Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure) methodology. Examples of such properties that fall outside of the methodology are new-build properties, multi-residential properties such as nursing homes, and commercial premises.
Unless stated otherwise, the inspection will be visual only of the surface areas of the accessible parts of the property specified. Parts of the property and its energy systems which are covered or concealed are not inspected. Similarly, parts of the property and its energy systems that are inaccessible, for instance due to height, are not inspected as specific equipment would be required and this is not included in our standard pricing. The EPC will not purport to express an opinion or to advise upon the condition or energy ratings, of any un-inspected parts of a property and should not be taken as making any implied representation or statement about such parts.
The Company inspects as much of the surface area, both internally and externally, as is practicable and lifts loose loft floorboards, and opens trapdoors or hatches, only where accessible and where reasonable and safe to do so. The Company will not lift fitted carpets or large rugs, move heavy furniture, or remove fixtures or fittings to facilitate inspection. The roof and upper section of a property are inspected only from ground level or from a suitable vantage point. Close proximity of nearby buildings or tall trees may preclude inspection of such parts of a property. Loft areas, where a means of access exists, will only be assessed where access can be gained using a ladder with a maximum height of 3 Metres. Household effects, or other items stored therein, will not be moved. No comment can be made upon the practicality of using the chimneys.
No test of the service installations (i.e. gas, water, electricity, central heating systems) is made as part of the assessment.
The company gives its opinion giving all reasonable professional skill and care provided however that any liability of The Company arising in connection with these Conditions of Engagement or any matters arising therefrom shall not extend to economic loss or loss of profits suffered whether by the Client or any third party.
Any dispute or difference which may arise between The Company and the Client in connection with these Conditions of Engagement or in connection with any matters arising therefrom shall be referred to and determined by a single arbitrator (hereinafter called “The Arbitrator”) such arbitration to be held in the “country” of England.
The Arbitrator shall be appointed by agreement between the parties or in default of agreement by the ABBE (Award Body for the Built Environment).
The procedure to be followed shall be agreed by the parties or in default of agreement, shall be determined by The Arbitrator but in all cases the law and practice to be followed by determining the dispute or difference shall be the law and practice of the United Kingdom.
In the event that the parties of The Arbitrator shall determine that there shall be any right of appeal from the decision of The Arbitrator such appeal and any subsequent appeals shall be heard by the courts of the United Kingdom and in such event each party agrees to submit to the jurisdiction of any court of competent jurisdiction within the United Kingdom, and to comply with all requirements necessary to give such court jurisdiction. No court outside of the United Kingdom shall have any jurisdiction over any matter touched by this agreement.
In the event of default by either party in respect of any procedural order made by the Arbitrator, the Arbitrator shall have the power to proceed with the Arbitration in the absence of the party and to deliver his award.
Where applicable, the opinion in the report is as at the date of inspection. Unless otherwise expressly agreed, the assessment advice and certification assumes that the property is unaffected by any statutory notice and that neither the property nor its use or proposed use gives rise to a contravention of any statutory requirements, and at no time is The Company under duty to verify these assumptions.
Where energy saving costs are given, they are for guidance purposes only and should not be construed to be a quotation or estimate of any kind.
The Company will advise the client, in report form (EPC), as to the assessment of the energy efficiency of the given property and any enhancements that may be made to improve its energy rating and CO2 emissions. The Company will provide limited support to the Client when there is a need to discuss the findings and suggestions given within the EPC.