Legal

Terms of service

The basis on which Al-Safeer Accounting Services provides accountancy services, and what each side is responsible for.

These terms sit alongside the engagement letter issued to every client, which sets out the specific services agreed, the fee and anything particular to that business. Where the two differ, the engagement letter takes precedence.

Request the engagement letter
An engagement letter being reviewed with a client
The agreement

Scope, fees and responsibilities

Our services
We provide the services listed in your engagement letter and no others. Adding a service – taking on payroll, registering for VAT, representing you in an HMRC enquiry – is agreed in writing and priced before the work starts. Nothing on this website constitutes advice specific to your circumstances.
Fees and payment
Fees are fixed monthly and agreed in writing before work begins. Catching up historic bookkeeping and representation in an HMRC enquiry are quoted separately because their scale varies. Fees are reviewed annually against the work actually being done, and any change is discussed rather than applied.
Your responsibilities
Providing complete and accurate information in reasonable time, approving returns and accounts before we file them, paying HMRC and Companies House by the due date, and telling us promptly about anything that changes the picture. Legal responsibility for the contents of your returns remains yours, which is why nothing is submitted without your approval.
Our responsibilities
To exercise reasonable skill and care, keep to the deadlines that apply to the work in scope, maintain professional indemnity insurance, keep your affairs confidential except where the law requires disclosure, and tell you promptly if something has gone wrong.
The detail

The clauses worth reading properly

Nothing here should be a surprise when it matters – which is why it is set out before you engage us rather than after.

Anti-money-laundering

We are required by law to verify the identity of clients and beneficial owners before acting, to keep those records, and in certain circumstances to make reports without informing you that we have done so. We may be unable to act, or to continue acting, if satisfactory identification is not provided.

Confidentiality and data

Information about your affairs is treated as confidential and disclosed only as needed to deliver the services or as required by law or regulation. Personal data is handled as set out in our privacy policy.

Limitation of liability

Our liability is limited as set out in your engagement letter. We are not liable for loss arising from information that was incomplete, inaccurate or provided too late, nor for the decisions of HMRC, Companies House or any other third party. Nothing excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Ending the engagement

Either side may end the engagement in writing, with fees payable for work performed up to that date. On request we provide a complete set of your records and respond promptly to professional clearance from your new accountant. We do not hold records back.

Complaints

If something is wrong, tell us and we will look into it properly. As an AAT licensed practice we are subject to AAT’s complaints procedure, and you may take an unresolved complaint to AAT.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.

Next step

Want the engagement letter first?

Happy to send it before you commit to anything. It sets out the scope, the fee and the responsibilities on both sides in full.

Book a free consultation
  • Fixed fee agreed in writing
  • No hourly charge for questions
  • Records handed over in full if you leave