Terms of business
The terms that apply when you book with us. The key points are summarised first; the full terms follow.
- You pay the fixed price in full when you book. There's no VAT and no booking fee.
- Appointments are usually within a week of booking, so by booking you ask us to carry out the work within the 14-day cancellation period.
- You can cancel or rearrange free of charge up to 24 hours before your appointment.
- If you cancel with less than 24 hours' notice, or we can't get into the property, the fee isn't refunded.
- Check with your estate or letting agent before booking: if they arrange an EPC for the same property after you've booked with us, the fee isn't refunded.
1. About us
These terms are between you and Surveying Xperts Ltd, a company registered in England (company number 15738574). Our registered office is 29 Devizes Road, Swindon, SN1 4BG. You can contact us on 07540 802760 or at surveyingxperts@gmail.com.
Energy assessments are carried out by Raf Rocha, an accredited domestic energy assessor with Quidos (QUID209353) and Elmhurst Energy (EES/032215).
2. Our services
We carry out Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), measured floor plans and stock condition surveys.
Landlord gas safety checks are carried out by our partner engineer, who is on the Gas Safe Register (registration number 621853). We arrange the appointment and take payment; the engineer carries out the check and issues the gas safety record.
An EPC assesses energy efficiency only. It isn't a structural survey, a valuation or a check of the condition or safety of the building.
3. Prices and payment
Our prices are fixed and depend on the service, the number of bedrooms and the distance of the property from Swindon, as shown when you book. We're not VAT registered, so no VAT is added. Payment is taken in full by card when you book, through our payment provider, Stripe.
Please make sure the details you give us are accurate. If the property is larger than described, we'll tell you before the visit and you can either pay the difference or cancel with a full refund.
4. Access to the property
Please make sure we can get into the property at the agreed time, whether that's you, a tenant, an agent or a key safe. For an EPC we need to see every room, and where possible the loft, the boiler and heating controls, the hot water cylinder and the meters. Any documents showing insulation, glazing or heating upgrades help us give an accurate rating.
5. Cancelling or rearranging
You can cancel or rearrange your appointment free of charge if you give us at least 24 hours' notice before the appointment time. We'll refund cancellations in full to the card you paid with.
If you cancel with less than 24 hours' notice, the fee isn't refunded.
If nobody is at the property, or we can't get in at the agreed time and can't reach you, the appointment counts as a no-show and the fee isn't refunded.
6. If someone else carries out the EPC
Sometimes an estate or letting agent arranges an EPC for a property without telling the owner, after the owner has already booked with us. Once you've instructed us, we reserve the time and travel for your appointment. If another assessor then carries out an EPC on the same property, your fee isn't refunded, whether or not our assessment has taken place.
To avoid paying twice, please check with your agent that they haven't arranged an EPC before you book, and let them know once you have.
7. Your right to cancel
If you're booking as a consumer (for example for your own home, rather than as a landlord or agent in the course of business), the law gives you 14 days from booking to change your mind.
Our appointments are almost always within 7 days of booking. So when you book, you're asking us to carry out the service within that 14-day cancellation period. This is how it works:
- Cancel at least 24 hours before your appointment and you'll get a full refund.
- Cancel with less than 24 hours' notice, or if we can't get into the property, and we keep the fee to cover the appointment we reserved for you and our travel to it, which we normally can't rebook at such short notice.
- Once the assessment has been carried out, the service is complete and the right to cancel no longer applies.
Nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights.
8. Certificates and reports
Your EPC is lodged on the government's national EPC register and emailed to you, normally on the day of the assessment. It's valid for 10 years. The rating reflects the property as we found it on the day, and the recommendations are an indication of the improvements that may help, not a quote for works.
9. Our liability
We carry out our work with reasonable care and skill. If we're at fault, our liability is limited to the fee you paid for that service, except where the law doesn't allow us to limit it, for example for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud.
10. Complaints
If you're unhappy with our service, please contact us first and we'll try to put it right. If you're still not satisfied with an EPC, you can complain to the accreditation scheme the assessment was lodged with (Quidos or Elmhurst Energy).
11. General
These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. We may update them from time to time; the version on our website when you book is the one that applies to your booking.