Terms & Conditions Of Business

Sarim Shami & Co

Standard Terms and Conditions of Business

The following terms of business apply to all engagements accepted by Sarim Shami & Co Limited trading as Sarim Shami & Co. All work is carried out under these terms except where changes are expressly agreed in writing.

1 Applicable law

Our engagement letter, the schedules of services and our standard terms and conditions of business are governed by, and should be construed in accordance with English law. Each party agrees that the courts of England will have exclusive jurisdiction in relation to any claim, dispute or difference concerning this engagement letter and any matter arising from it on any basis. Each party irrevocably waives any right to object to any action being brought in those Courts, to claim that the action has been brought in an inappropriate forum, or to claim that those Courts do not have jurisdiction.

We will not accept responsibility if you act on advice previously given by us without first confirming with us that the advice is still valid in light of any change in the law or in your circumstances. We will accept no liability for losses arising from changes in the law, or the interpretation thereof, that occur after the date on which the advice is given.

2 Client identification

2.1 As with other professional services firms, we are required to identify our clients for the purposes of the UK anti-money laundering legislation. We may request from you, and retain, such information and documentation as we require for these purposes and/or make searches of appropriate databases. If we are not able to obtain satisfactory evidence of your identity, we will not be able to proceed with the engagement.

3 Complaints

3.1 We are committed to providing you with a high-quality service that is both efficient and effective. However, should there be any cause for complaint in relation to any aspect of our service please contact Sarim Shami. We agree to look into any complaint carefully and promptly and do everything reasonable to put it right. If you are still not satisfied you can refer your complaint to our professional body, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

4 Confidentiality

4.1 Unless we are authorised by you to disclose information on your behalf, we confirm that where you give us confidential information we shall at all times during and after this engagement keep it confidential, except as required by law, by our insurers or as provided for in regulatory, ethical, or other professional pronouncements or as part of an external peer review applicable to us or our engagement. This undertaking will apply during and after this engagement.

You agree that, if we act for other clients who are or who become your competitors, to comply with our duty of confidentiality it will be sufficient for us to take such steps as we think appropriate to preserve the confidentiality of information given to us by you, both during and after this engagement. These may include taking the same or similar steps as we take in respect of the confidentiality of our own information.

In addition, if we act for other clients whose interests are or may be adverse to yours, we will manage the conflict by implementing additional safeguards to preserve confidentiality. Safeguards may include measures such as separate teams, physical separation of teams, and separate arrangements for storage of and access to information.

You agree that the effective implementation of such steps or safeguards as described above will provide adequate measures to avoid any real risk of confidentiality being impaired.

We may, on occasions, subcontract work on your affairs to other tax or accounting professionals. The subcontractors will be bound by our client confidentiality terms.

We reserve the right, for the purpose of promotional activity, training or for other business purpose, to mention that you are a client. As stated above we will not disclose any confidential information.

5 Conflicts of interest

5.1 We will inform you if we become aware of any conflict of interest in our relationship with you or in our relationship with you and another client unless we are unable to do so because of our confidentiality obligations. We have safeguards that can be implemented to protect the interests of different clients if a conflict arises. Where conflicts are identified which cannot be managed in a way that protects your interests then we regret that we will be unable to provide further services.

5.2 If there is a conflict of interest that is capable of being addressed successfully by the adoption of suitable safeguards to protect your interests then we will adopt those safeguards. In resolving the conflict, we would be guided by ICAEW’s Code of Ethics, which can be viewed at icaew.com/en/membership/regulations-standards-and-guidance/ethics. During and after our engagement, you agree that we reserve the right to act for other clients whose interests are or may compete with or be adverse to yours, subject, of course, to our obligations of confidentiality and the safeguards set out in the paragraph on confidentiality above.

6 Data protection

6.1 This clause applies to personal data provided by or on behalf of you in connection with an agreement to provide business services or any engagement letter. Each party shall comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) when processing such personal data. In particular, you shall ensure that any disclosure of personal data to us complies with the DPA.

6.2 We shall use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data. We shall not sub-contract any processing of personal data unless that personal data continues to be subject to an appropriate level of protection. To the extent we act as data processor for you, we shall only process personal data in accordance with your instructions.

6.3 We shall notify you in 10 working days in the event of an individual asking for copies of their personal data, a complaint about processing of personal data or a notice from a relevant Data Protection Authority. You and we shall consult and co-operate with each other when responding to any such request, complaint or notice.

6.4 We shall answer your reasonable enquiries to enable you to monitor compliance with this clause.

6.5 Sarim Shami & Co is registered with the Information Commissioner as a data controller; details about our registration can be viewed here under registration number ZA751935.

7 Electronic and other communication

7.1 Unless you instruct us otherwise we may, where appropriate, communicate with you and with third parties via email or by other electronic means. The recipient is responsible for virus checking emails and any attachments.

7.2 With electronic communication there is a risk of non-receipt, delayed receipt, inadvertent misdirection or interception by third parties. We use virus-scanning software to reduce the risk of viruses and similar damaging items being transmitted through emails or electronic storage devices. However electronic communication is not totally secure and we cannot be held responsible for damage or loss caused by viruses nor for communications which are corrupted or altered after despatch. Nor can we accept any liability for problems or accidental errors relating to this means of communication especially in relation to commercially sensitive material. These are risks you must bear in return for greater efficiency and lower costs. If you do not wish to accept these risks please let us know and we will communicate by paper mail, other than where electronic submission is mandatory.

8 Fees and payment terms

8.1 Our fees may depend not only upon the time spent on your affairs but also on the level of skill and responsibility and the importance and value of the advice that we provide, the level of urgency as well as the level of risk.

8.2 If we provide you with an estimate of our fees for any specific work, then the estimate will not be contractually binding unless we explicitly state that that will be the case.

Otherwise our fees will be calculated on the basis of the hours worked by each member of staff necessarily engaged on your affairs multiplied by their charge-out rate per hour. To obtain our indicative hourly charge out rates, please contact us and we will send this to you.

8.3 Our fees may be increased from time to time and a copy of our current terms of business is available on our website or on request. In any case, we reserve the right to increase these rates in line with inflation on an annual basis without further specific notification to you.

8.4 For Sarim Shami & Co to act as Company Secretary we charge £150 per annum and to provide a registered office we charge £150 per annum. Statutory post forwarding is included within the annual fee. Any non-statutory post forwarded will be charged according to processing time and postal costs. Any letters of any kind that you ask us to send via post or courier may incur additional charges. We will not accept the delivery of parcels on your behalf.

8.5 Where requested we may indicate a fixed fee for the provision of specific services or an indicative range of fees for a particular assignment. If it becomes apparent to us, due to unforeseen circumstances, that a fee quote is inadequate, we reserve the right to notify you of a revised figure or range and to seek your agreement thereof.

8.6 We will bill periodically and our invoices are due for payment within 7 days of issue. Our fees are exclusive of VAT which will be added where it is chargeable. Any disbursements we incur on your behalf and expenses incurred in the course of carrying out our work for you will be added to our invoices where appropriate.

8.7 Unless otherwise agreed to the contrary our fees do not include the costs of any third party, counsel or other professional fees. Should these costs be incurred to fulfil our engagement then such necessary additional charges may be payable by you.

8.8 We reserve the right to charge interest on late paid invoices at the rate of 5% above bank base rates under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. We also reserve the right to suspend our services or to cease to act for you on giving written notice if payment of any fees is unduly delayed. We intend to exercise these rights only where it is fair and reasonable to do so.

8.9 If you do not accept that an invoiced fee is fair and reasonable you must notify us in writing within 14 days of receipt, failing which you will be deemed to have accepted that payment is due.

8.10 If a client company, trust or other entity is unable or unwilling to settle our fees we reserve the right to seek payment from the individual (or parent company) giving us instructions on behalf of the client and we shall be entitled to enforce any sums due against the Group Company or individual nominated to act for you.

8.11 In some cases we will ask clients to pay by monthly standing order or direct debit and to periodically adjust the monthly payment by reference to actual billings.

8.12 Where you have agreed to pay in instalments by standing order over 12 months, then in the event that you; cancel the standing order prior to the end of the 12 months; fail to make one of the agreed payments on time; or give notice to us to stop acting for you, then you agree to pay us by return the higher of i) the actual costs incurred based on our standard charge out rates at that time or ii) the amount invoiced less the payments you have made.

8.13 In such cases where you settle fees by monthly instalments, we reserve the right to amend the future monthly payment amount or raise additional fees where the actual time spent or work required is more significant than originally anticipated.

9 Lien

9.1 Insofar as we are permitted to so by law or professional guidelines, we reserve the right to exercise a lien over all funds, documents and records in our possession relating to all engagements for you until all outstanding fees and disbursements are paid in full.

10 Implementation

10.1 We will only assist with implementation of our advice if specifically instructed and agreed in writing.

Intellectual property rights

We will retain all copyright in any document prepared by us during the course of carrying out the engagement save where the law specifically provides otherwise.

You are not permitted to use our name in any statement or document you may issue unless our prior written consent has been obtained. The only exception to this restriction would be statements or documents that, in accordance with applicable law, are to be made public.

11 Interpretation

11.1 If any provision of our engagement letter or terms of business is held to be void, then that provision will be deemed not to form part of this contract. In the event of any conflict between these terms of business and the engagement letter or appendices, the relevant provision in the engagement letter or schedules will take precedence.

12 Limitation of liability

12.1 We have discussed with you the extent of our liability to you in respect of the professional services described within this engagement letter (the professional services).

In reaching this agreement it is also agreed that:

in the event of any claim for loss or damage arising from the professional services, you have agreed that the sum of £7,500 represents the maximum total liability to you in respect of the firm, its directors and staff. This maximum total liability applies to any and all claims made on any basis and therefore includes any claims in respect of breaches of contract, tort (including negligence) or otherwise in respect of the professional services and shall also include interest; and

we confirm that the limit in respect of our total aggregate liability will not apply to any acts, omissions or representations that are in any way criminal, dishonest or fraudulent on the part of the firm, its directors or employees; and

you have agreed that you will not bring any claim of a kind that is included within the subject of the limit against any of our directors or employees on a personal basis; and

You have agreed that we will not be liable for any delay or failure to perform our obligations under this engagement letter if the delay or failure is caused by circumstances outside our reasonable control.

13 Limitation of third-party rights

13.1 The advice and information we provide to you as part of our service is for your sole use and not for any third party to whom you may communicate it unless we have expressly agreed in the engagement letter that a specified third party may rely on our work. We accept no responsibility to third parties, including any group company to whom the engagement letter is not addressed, for any advice, information or material produced as part of our work for you which you make available to them. A party to this agreement is the only person who has the right to enforce any of its terms and no rights or benefits are conferred on any third party under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.

13.2 You agree to indemnify us and our agents in respect of any claim (including any claim for negligence) arising out of any unauthorised disclosure by you or by any person for whom you are responsible of our advice and opinions, whether in writing or otherwise. This indemnity will extend to the cost of defending any such claim, including payment at our usual rates for the time that we spend in defending it.

14 Period of engagement and termination

14.1 Unless otherwise agreed in our engagement letter, our work will begin when we receive implicit or explicit acceptance of that letter. We will not be responsible for periods before that date.

14.2 Each of us may terminate our agreement by giving not less than 30 days’ notice in writing to the other party except where you fail to cooperate with us or we have reason to believe that you have provided us or HMRC with misleading information, in which case we may terminate this agreement immediately. Termination will be without prejudice to any rights that may have accrued to either of us prior to termination.

14.3 In the event of termination of our contract, we will endeavour to agree with you the arrangements for the completion of work in progress at that time, unless we are required for legal or regulatory reasons to cease work immediately. In that event, we shall not be required to carry out further work and shall not be responsible or liable for any consequences arising from termination.

14.4 We reserve the right to terminate the engagement between us with immediate effect in the event of: your insolvency, bankruptcy or other arrangement being reached with creditors; an independence issue or change in the law which means we can no longer act; failure to pay our fees by the due dates; or either party being in breach of their obligations if this is not corrected within 30 days of being asked to do so.

15 Professional rules and statutory obligations

15.1 We will observe and act in accordance with the bye-laws, regulations and code of ethics of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and will accept instructions to act for you on this basis. In particular you give us the authority to correct errors made by HMRC where we become aware of them. We will not be liable for any loss, damage or cost arising from our compliance with statutory or regulatory obligations. You can see copies of these requirements in our offices. The requirements are also available on the internet at http://www.icaew.com/en/members/regulations-standards-and-guidance

15.2 When dealing with HMRC on your behalf we are required to be honest and to take reasonable care to ensure that your returns are correct. To enable us to do this, you are required to be honest with us and to provide us with all necessary information in a timely manner. For more information about ‘Your Charter’ for your dealings with HMRC, visit: http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/your-charter.

16 Reliance on advice

16.1 We will endeavour to record all advice on important matters in writing. Advice given orally is not intended to be relied upon unless confirmed in writing. Therefore, if we provide oral advice (for example during the course of a meeting or a telephone conversation) and you wish to be able to rely on that advice, you must ask for the advice to be confirmed by us in writing.

17 Retention of papers

17.1 You have a legal responsibility to retain documents and records relevant to your financial affairs. During the course of our work we may collect information from you and others relevant to your tax and financial affairs. We will return any original documents to you if requested. Documents and records relevant to your tax affairs are required by law to be retained as follows:

Individuals, trustees and partnerships with trading or rental income: 5 years and 10 months after the end of the tax year. Otherwise: 22 months after the end of the tax year.

Companies, Limited liability Partnerships, and other corporate entities: 6 years from the end of the accounting period.

17.2 Whilst certain documents may legally belong to you, we may destroy correspondence and other papers that we store electronically or otherwise that are more than seven years old, except documents we think may be of continuing significance. You must tell us if you wish us to keep any document for any longer period.

18 Timing of our services

18.1 If you provide us with all information and explanations on a timely basis in accordance with our requirements, we will plan to undertake the work within a reasonable period of time in order to meet any regulatory deadlines. However, failure to complete our services prior to any such regulatory deadline would not, of itself, mean that we are liable for any penalty or additional costs arising.

19 Disengagement

19.1 Should we resign or be requested to resign we will normally issue a disengagement letter to ensure that our respective responsibilities are clear. Should we have no contact with you for a period of six months or more we may issue to your last known address a disengagement letter and hence cease to act. After which, you will have 3 months to collect any records of yours that we hold at that time. Thereafter, we reserve the right to securely destroy any such records without further notification.

20 Commissions or other benefits

20.1 In some circumstances we may receive commissions or other benefits for introductions to other professionals or in respect of transactions which we arrange for you. The fees you would otherwise pay will not be reduced by the amount of the commissions or benefits. You agree that we or our associates, can retain the commission or other benefits without being liable to account to you for any such amounts.

21 Our staff

21.1 You, or your associates, will employ or engage our staff within twelve months of us acting for you as accountants or advisers, without express written consent. If this is not obtained, a charge may be levied by us of 50% of the member of staff’s annual gross salary.

22 Other important information

22.1 Our professional indemnity insurer is Aqueous Underwriting, 30 Fenchurch Avenue, London, EC3M 5AD policy reference no. 5739233.

Copyright © 2021 Sarim Shami & Co Chartered Accountants

Sarim Shami & Co Limited – Registered in England, Company Number 11722894 – a firm of Chartered Accountants

Regulated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Sarim Shami & Co is a trading name of Sarim Shami & Co Limited.