Terms and Conditions

Terms of Engagement

  1. Your instructions

    You have instructed us to carry out an initial report and investigation into whether you have overpaid Council Tax on your property. In the event that our report indicates that there is merit in making a claim against the relevant local council for a repayment of an element of the Council Tax paid by you, we will proceed to make this claim on your behalf.

  2. Our charges and expenses

    We will charge £250.00 plus VAT for carrying out the work outlined above. In the event that repayment of Council Tax is made, you will receive 100% of the refunded sum, or

    We will charge £50 plus VAT for carrying out the work outlined above. In the event that a repayment of Council Tax is made, our fee will also include 20% of any refund which is awarded. You will receive the remaining 80% of the refunded sum, or

    We will carry out the work outlined above on a "no win no fee" basis. In the event that a repayment of Council Tax is made, our fee will be 35% of the refund which is made. You will receive the remaining 65% of the refunded sum.

    Please note that any fees paid by you on the above basis are non-refundable in the event that no repayment of Council Tax is made.

  3. Payment

    Unless instructed on a "no win no fee" basis, our initial fee is payable on the date which we are instructed by you. This is payable either by cheque or credit/debit card. If you fail to pay our bill within 14 days we will send you a letter to remind you to pay the bill within the next 7 days. If you do not then pay the bill after receipt of this letter you will be sent a second and final demand for payment before commencement of legal proceedings to recover our bill.

    We reserve the right to charge interest on late payment of our bills. Interest will be charged on a daily basis at 1.5% over the base rate of National Westminster Bank plc at the due date of the bill.

    Where we obtain a refund of Council Tax on your behalf, we will deduct our fees from our refunded sum when it passes through our hands, before accounting to you for the balance.

  4. Client Monies

    Any money received by us on your behalf will be held in our client account with Nat West Bank plc or such other bank as we shall appoint from time to time.

    We will account for interest on sums of money due to you where these monies have been held in our client account for more than 3 working days before being paid out to you.

    Unless otherwise requested by you, any monies which we pay to you will be transferred into such account as you designate through the BACS system.

    Shelton Properties will not be liable if client money is lost as a result of a banking failure.

  5. Form of Authority

    Please also sign and return the enclosed Form or Authority to us. By signing the Form of Authority, you are giving Shelton Properties the authority to speak to the relevant local council directly on your behalf in relation to any overpayment of Council Tax. You are also authorising the relevant local authority to pay any monies due by way of refund to Shelton Properties.

  6. Limitation of Liability

    Our total liability in contract, tort (including negligence of breach of statutory duty), misrepresentation, restitution or otherwise arising in connection with the performance, or contemplated performance, of our obligations under these terms of engagement is limited to the price paid for the services outlined at paragraph 2 above.

    Shelton Properties expressly excludes any liability in the event that our investigation results in you being obliged to pay an increased sum of Council Tax.

  7. Termination

    You may terminate your instructions to us in writing at any time, but we will be entitled to keep all of your papers and documents while there is money owing to us for our charges and expenses.

    For the avoidance of doubt, in the event that you terminate your instructions to us, any Council Tax refund that is received by you (in respect of a property in which we were instructed) will still be subject to the percentage deduction outlined at paragraph 2 above.

    We reserve the right to cease acting for you in any circumstances where you breach the material provisions of these terms of engagement.

  8. General

    Any information which you give to Shelton Properties is private and will not be revealed to any third party (save for the relevant local council solely in relation to the matters outlined within these terms of engagement) without your authority.

    These terms of engagement are subject to English law and any disputes arising under them shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

    Although your continued instructions shall amount to an acceptance of these terms of engagement, it may not be possible for us to start work on your behalf until one copy of these terms of engagement has been countersigned by you and returned to us.


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