Adept Architectural Designs Terms of Service

1.   Definitions

1.1. Adept Architectural Designs shall be hereinafter referred to as “we”, “our”, “AAD”.

1.2. The client shall be herein after referred to as “you”, “your”, “client”.

2.   Works

2.1. The works to be carried out will be as agreed during the initial consultations via post, telephone, email, conference call or in person.

2.2. The number and extent of drawings produced will be no more than what is necessary to achieve the works outlined during the initial consultations (unless agreed otherwise).

2.3. Our involvement with respect to obtaining Local Authority Planning Approval will be by means of initial submission, followed by reasonable amendments and liaison required to satisfy the Local Authority (related fees at clients expense).

2.4. We cannot guarantee planning approval from the Local Authority or at Appeal.

2.5. We do not accept responsibility for delays in the validation and decision of planning applications.

2.6. Email confirmation or any payment for our services will constitute proof of agreement to the terms listed in this document and our initial estimate.

2.7. AAD the right to use drawings and photos of your project for promotional use (all personal data will be removed in accordance with Data Protection laws and GDPR protocol).

2.8. Our working CAD files will not be issued as part of the “Works” (unless agreed otherwise fee cost maybe incurred)

2.9. Any drawings issued as part of the “Works” will be in digital PDF format unless otherwise agreed in the initial consultation or estimate.

2.10.            Responsibility for the building works and its subsequent accuracy shall be with the contractor/s employed by you.

3.   Copyright

3.1. AAD retains copyright of all works produced, such as CAD files, PDFs, Word documents, etc.

3.2. AAD retains copyright of all project photographs taken by AAD.

3.3. Written requests for copies of the data will be considered, however approval will attract a fee.

4.   Payment

4.1. Payment will be made via bank transfer (unless agreed otherwise prior to invoice) to the bank account shown on the invoice.

4.2. Unless agreed otherwise each projects fees and invoices are based on time taken (at the agreed rate) plus expenses and not fixed fee.

4.3. From the last working day of each month AAD will issue an invoice for any ongoing works.

4.4. When the monthly invoice shows that a fee is due, payment shall be made by you within 7 days in cleared funds by bank transfer. Any other form of payment shall be made in time so that cleared funds will be available 10 days from the invoice date.

4.5. Otherwise

4.6. Payment will be made via bank transfer (unless agreed otherwise prior to invoice) to the bank account shown on the invoice.

4.7. Funds Transfers are due in full upon presentation of invoice for each stage. Projects likely to up to £1500.00. For each stage over £1500.00 but up to £3000.00, £1500.00 will be required to initiate the stage, the remaining amount will be requested as it is used on a monthly basis. For stage fees over £3000.00 then 50% of funds are required to initiate the stage and the remaining amount will be requested as it is used on a monthly basis.

5.   Fee Proposals/Estimates

5.1. Unless agreed otherwise fees and invoices are based on time taken (at the agreed rate) plus expenses and not fixed fee.

5.2. Estimates are prepared carefully to reflect the work required but it is not possible to predict the time precisely and the project may take longer than thought and hence incur additional fees.

6.   Outgoings/ Disbursements

6.1. Additional expenses such as planning fees etc. shall be paid by the client or added as a disbursement to our invoice.

6.2. We will discuss these additional expenses with you before incurring them where possible.

6.3. Structural Engineers fees and any other Specialist Consultants work (such as Arboriculturist, Heritage, Landscape etc) will be instructed and paid directly by the Client.

7.   Additional works

7.1. Any works which fall outside of the scope originally agreed in the initial consultation and estimate will be charged at our standard hourly rate. We will discuss these additional charges with you before incurring them.

8.   Authority

8.1. Your agreement of this document authorises AAD to act as “Agent” on your behalf and also authorises us to appoint external consultants of our choice in relation to the estimated costs on your behalf. Their invoices to be paid directly by the Client in accord to their (Consultant) standard terms.

8.2. Other consultants may be required to carry out items not included within our scope of works as detailed on our Estimate. The requirement for other consultants will be discussed and agreed, as necessary. AAD may assist in appointing a suitable consultant but will not supervise their work and is not responsible for possible delays incurred by them.

9.   Insurance

9.1. Details of insurance are available on request.

Adept Architectural Designs Privacy Policy

Adept Architectural Designs collects and handles personal data in accordance with UK Data Protection laws and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

1)   Why do we collect personal information?

a)  It’s necessary for us to collect personal and non-personal information for the following reasons:

b)  To provide you with an initial quotation for our services.

c)  To provide our services and operate as an architectural practice.

d)  To provide our users with ongoing customer assistance.

e)  To contact third parties on your behalf, such as Engineers, Planning and Building Control Authorities etc.

2)   What personal information do we collect?

a)  When you contact us to enquire about our services, we will collect your name, address, and contact details. If you are a supplier, subcontractor or consultant, we will collect your name and company details (such as company addresses, contact details, etc.). This enables us to start or continue working with you on projects that we are involved with.

b)  We do not collect any sensitive information such as bank or payment details. All payments are collected via cheque or bank transfer, eradicating the need to collect sensitive information.

3)   How do we collect personal information?

a)  We collect personal information in the following ways:

b)  Direct interactions with you via post, telephone or email only where conversation relates to our services.

c)  Automated technologies or interactions such as our online enquiry form or social media portals.

d)  Information in the public domain such as estate agent details, OS maps or Local Authority planning documents.

4)   How is your personal information stored?

a)  Your information is stored electronically and is both encrypted and password protected.

b)  If required, physical copies of contract documents, letters and drawings are also stored at our office.

c)  We will ensure personal data is processed lawfully and fairly in a transparent way, which ensures its security, and no further than the legitimate purposes for which that data was collected. We will ensure that data collected is limited to what is necessary in relation to the processing purpose, is accurate and kept up to date and that it is kept in a form which permits identification of the data subject for no longer than is necessary. We will ensure that the information is held for no longer than is necessary and that it is not transferred outside the EU, to other countries or international organisations without an adequate level of protection.

d)  This website is hosted on the localexposure.co.uk platform. localexposure.co.uk provides us with the online platform that allows us to outline our services to you. Your data may be stored through localexposure.co.uk data storage, databases and the general localexposure.co.uk applications. They store your data on secure servers behind a firewall.

5)   Sharing your data

a)  We do not sell your personal data.

b)  We will only share your information if necessary to perform our services. This would include the submission of Planning or Building Regulations applications on your behalf, or the obtaining of external consultant quotations or product information on your behalf.

c)  Our accountant also has access to some of your personal information for the purpose of fulfilling our legal obligations.

d)  If you are a supplier, subcontractor or consultant, we will only share your details with our client if they are considering making a purchase through you or if they require a quotation for your services.

6)   Third-party websites

a)  This website may include links to third-party websites or embedded content from third-party websites, plug-ins and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are therefore not responsible for their privacy statements.

7)   How can you manage your data?

a)  In relation to your personal information, you have the right to:

b)  Request a copy of the personal data that we hold about you.

c)  Request that the personal data we hold about you be corrected or updated.

d)  Withdraw your consent to us storing your personal data (where we rely on that consent).

e)  Object to our use of your personal data (where we rely on the public interest or our legitimate interests to use it) provided we do not have any continuing lawful reason to continue to use and process the data.

f)    Request that we erase your personal data (or restrict the use of it) when we do not have any continuing lawful reason to continue to use it.

g)  Receive copies of the data you have provided to us in a structured data file (in a commonly used and machine readable format) to transfer to another provider.

8)   Changes to our privacy policy

a)  Any updates to this policy will be available to view on our website. This privacy policy was last updated on 01 November 2023.

If you have any questions about our privacy policy, please contact us using the following details:

Email address: paul@adeptarchitecture.co.uk

Telephone: 07825 070 078

Postal Address:

Adept Architectural Designs

26 Muncaster Road

Ashford

Middlesex

TW15 2HL