Principals:
Karen Szotek BSc ACCA
Joanna Grant BSc ACA
All engagements that we accept are subject to the following standard terms of business unless changes are expressly agreed in writing.
As required by the Provision of Services Regulations 2009 (SI 2009⁄2999), details of the firm’s professional registrations, including audit registration where applicable, can be found on our website at www.tindellgrant.co.uk/legal_stuff.
We will observe and act in accordance with the bye-laws and regulations of our professional body, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, together with their code of ethics. We accept instructions to act for you on this basis. We will not be liable for any loss, damage or cost arising from our compliance with statutory or regulatory obligations.
In accordance with the disclosure requirements of the Provision of Services Regulations 2009, our professional indemnity insurer is RSA, ST Mark’s Court, Chart Way, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 1XL. The territorial coverage is worldwide excluding any action for a claim brought in any court in the United States of America or Canada.
Our fees are computed on the basis of time spent on your affairs by the principals and our staff, including sub-contractors or consultants where necessary, and on the levels of skill and responsibility involved. Disbursements represent travel, accommodation and other expenses incurred in dealing with your affairs.
If it is necessary to carry out work outside the responsibilities agreed with you for each service, we will advise you in advance. Any additional work will involve additional fees. Accordingly we would like to point out that it is in your interests to ensure that your records etc. are completed to the agreed stage.
In the event that we cease to act in relation to your company’s affairs you agree to meet all reasonable costs of providing information to the company’s new advisers. In particular you agree to meet these costs where we are required by law to provide information to a successor firm.
As directors you guarantee to pay personally any fees (including disbursements) for services provided to the company that the company is unable to pay. This clause shall become effective in the event of a receiver or liquidator being appointed to the company or the company otherwise being wound-up.
During the course of our work we will collect information from you and others acting on your behalf and will return any original documents to you following the preparation of your accounts and returns. You have a legal responsibility to retain these records. The law requires individuals, trustees and partnerships to keep records in relation to trading or rental income 6 years from the 31 January following the end of the tax year to which they relate. Other records should be kept for 22 months after the end of the tax year they relate to. Companies, Limited Liability Partnerships and other corporate entities are required to keep records for 6 years from the end of the accounting period.
Whilst certain documents may legally belong to you, unless you tell us not to, we intend to destroy correspondence and other papers that we store which are more than [seven] years old, other than documents which we consider to be of continuing significance. If you require retention of any document you must notify us of that fact in writing..
We reserve the right during our engagement with you to deliver services to other clients whose interests might compete with yours or are or may be adverse to yours, subject to below. We confirm that we will notify you immediately should we become aware of any conflict of interest involving us and affecting you 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.
If a conflict of interest should arise, either between two or more of our clients, or in the provision of multiple services to a single client, we will take such steps as are necessary to deal with the conflict. In resolving the conflict, we would be guided by the code of ethics of our professional body, which can be viewed at https://www.icas.com/ethics/icas-code-of-ethics.
We confirm that where you give us confidential information, we shall at all times keep it confidential, except as required by law or as provided for in regulatory, ethical or other professional statements relevant to our engagement.
As part of our ongoing commitment to providing a quality service, our files are periodically subject to an independent regulatory or quality review. Our reviewers are highly experienced and professional people and are bound by the same requirements of confidentiality as our principals and staff.
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, see www.hmrc.gov.uk/charter/index.htm. To the best of our abilities, we will ensure that HMRC meet their side of the Charter in their dealings with you.
If at any time you would like to discuss with us how our service to you could be improved, or if you are dissatisfied with the service you are receiving, please let us know, by contacting your preferred director at our office.
We undertake to look into any complaint carefully and promptly and do all we can to explain the position to you. If we do not answer your complaint to your satisfaction you may of course take up the matter with our professional body.
In order for us to provide you with a high quality service on an ongoing basis it is essential that you provide us with relevant records and information when requested, reply to correspondence in a timely manner and otherwise follow the terms of the agreement between us set out in this Standard Terms of Business and associated Engagement schedules. We therefore reserve the right to cancel the engagement between us with immediate effect in the event of: - your insolvency, bankruptcy or other arrangement being reached with creditors; - failure to pay our fees by the due dates; - either party being in breach of their obligations where this is not corrected within 30 days of being asked to do so.
This engagement letter is governed by, and construed in accordance with Scottish law. The Courts will have exclusive jurisdiction in relation to any claim, dispute or difference concerning this engagement letter and any matter arising from it. Each party irrevocably waives any right it may have 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.
If any provision in this Standard Terms of Business or any associated engagement schedules, or its application, are found to be invalid, illegal or otherwise unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality or enforceability of any other provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired.
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 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.
Unless you instruct us otherwise we may, where appropriate, communicate with you and with third parties via email or by other electronic means. However, internet communications are capable of data corruption and therefore we do not accept any responsibility for changes made to such communications after their dispatch. It may therefore be inappropriate to rely on advice contained in an e-mail without obtaining written confirmation of it. We do not accept responsibility for any errors or problems that may arise through the use of internet communication and all risks connected with sending commercially sensitive information relating to your business are borne by you. If you do not agree to accept this risk, you should notify us in writing that e-mail is not an acceptable means of communication. It is the responsibility of the recipient to carry out a virus check on any attachments.
This privacy statement explains how we collect and use personal information about you.
We do not disclose your information to anyone, other than as set out in this Privacy Statement.
What type of information we collect We collect personal information about you and your business.
Where we collect this information from We collect the information directly from you. We may also gather information which is publically available.
We use this information to: enable us to deliver services to help you meet your legal responsibilities; verify identity; communicate by post, email or telephone; understand needs and how they may be met; maintain records; process financial transactions; prevent and detect crime fraud or corruption.
We share the information with: relevant regulatory authorities; anyone you may explicitly ask us to by giving written authority.
We retain this information for the length of time required by law.
Holding personal information outside the EEA We use cloud based software for processing tax returns. This information may be held outside the EEA.
If you do not provide your personal information we may be unable to act for you if that information is required by law.
Using our website We do not use cookies and we do not collect personal information via our website.
Your rights Access to your information You have the right to request a copy of the personal information about you that we hold.
Correcting your information We endeavour to ensure that the personal information we hold about you and your business is accurate, complete and up to date and you may ask us to correct any personal information about you that you believe does not meet these standards.
Deletion of your information
You have the right to ask us to delete personal information about you where:
You consider that we no longer require the information for the purposes for which it was obtained;
We are using that information with your consent and you have withdrawn your consent;
You have validly objected to our use of your personal information;
Our use of your personal information is contrary to law or our other legal obligations.
Objecting to how we may use your information You have the right at any time to require us to stop using your information for direct marketing purposes. In addition, where we use your personal information to perform tasks carried out in the public interest then, if you ask us to, we will stop using that personal information unless there are legitimate grounds to continue.
Withdrawing consent Where we use your personal information with your consent you may withdraw that consent at any time and we will stop using that information for the purpose for which it was given.
Changes to our privacy statement We keep this privacy statement under regular review and will place any updates on this website.
Further advice can be obtained by contacting our office.
Complaints We seek to resolve all complaints about how we handle personal information but you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office whose contact details are as follows:
Information Commissioner’s Office Wycliffe House Water lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF
Persons who are not party to this agreement shall have no rights under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 to enforce any term of this agreement. This clause does not affect any right or remedy of any person which exists or is available otherwise than pursuant to that Act.
The advice we give you is for your sole use and is confidential to you and will not constitute advice for any third party to whom you may communicate it. We will accept no responsibility to third parties for any aspect of our professional services or work that is made available to them.
In common with all accountancy and legal practices, the firm is required by the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 (SI 2007⁄2157) to:
We have a duty under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, s. 330 to report to the National Crime Agency (NCA) if we know, or have reasonable cause to suspect, that another person is involved in money laundering. Failure on our part to make a report where we have knowledge or reasonable grounds for suspicion would constitute a criminal offence.
The offence of money laundering is defined by the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, s. 340(11) and includes concealing, converting, using or possessing the benefits of any activity that constitutes a criminal offence in the UK. It also includes involvement in any arrangement that facilitates the acquisition, retention, use or control of such a benefit. This definition is very wide and would include such crimes as: - deliberate tax evasion; - deliberate failure to inform the tax authorities of known underpayments or excessive repayments; - fraudulent claiming of benefits or grants; or - obtaining a contract through bribery.
Clearly this list is by no means exhaustive.
We are obliged by law to report any instances of money laundering to NCA without your knowledge or consent. In consequence, neither the firm’s principals nor staff may enter into any correspondence or discussions with you regarding such matters.
We are not required to undertake work for the sole purpose of identifying suspicions of money laundering. We shall fulfill our obligations under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in accordance with the guidance published by the Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies.
We will provide services as outlined in this letter with reasonable care and skill. However, to the fullest extent permitted by law, we will not be responsible for any losses, penalties, surcharges, interest or additional tax liabilities where you or others supply incorrect or incomplete information, or fail to supply any appropriate information or where you fail to act on our advice or respond promptly to communications from us or the tax authorities.
You will not hold us, our directors and staff, responsible, to the fullest extent permitted by law, for any loss suffered by you arising from any misrepresentation (intentional or unintentional) supplied to us orally or in writing in connection with this agreement. You have agreed that you will not bring any claim in connection with services we provide to you against any of our partners or employees personally.
Our work is not, unless there is a legal or regulatory requirement, to be made available to third parties without our written permission and we will accept no responsibility to third parties for any aspect of our professional services or work that is made available to them.
You are not permitted to use our name in any statement or document that 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.