Terms of business

1. Who we are

Rootstone Property Ltd, trading as Rootstone Inventories, company number 14456704, registered office 86-90 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NE. In these terms "we" and "us" mean Rootstone, and "you" means the person or company instructing us, whether that is a letting agent, a landlord or a tenant.

2. Instructions and confirmation

An instruction is accepted when we confirm it in writing by email. The confirmation will state the property, the report, the date and the fixed price.

Prices are as published at rootstone.co.uk on the date of instruction. Where a property turns out to be materially larger or different from the one described at booking, we will tell you before we begin and agree a revised price. We will not vary a price after a report has been issued.

3. Access

You are responsible for arranging access. That means keys available where you said they would be, a working key safe code given to us on the day, or somebody meeting us on site.

We will wait a reasonable time and telephone the contact given on the booking. If we still cannot gain access, or the appointment is cancelled with less than 24 hours notice, an abortive visit fee of £50 applies and the appointment is rebooked.

4. Condition of the property

For a check in inventory the property should be empty of belongings, cleaned and ready to let. We record the property exactly as we find it. If it is not ready, we will still carry out the report and it will show the property in that state.

We do not move heavy furniture, lift fitted carpets, enter lofts or cellars, test electrical installations, gas appliances or the structure of the building, or comment on anything that is not visible on a normal visual inspection.

5. The report

Reports are issued as a PDF, normally by the next working day. A report is a record of visible condition, cleanliness and contents on the date of the visit. It is not a survey, a valuation, a safety certificate or a professional opinion on the state of the building.

If you believe something has been recorded incorrectly, tell us within seven days of the report being issued and we will check it and correct it at no charge.

6. Tenant comments

Where we carry out a check in, the tenant is given the opportunity to comment on the report. Industry practice is that comments are accepted for seven days from the start of the tenancy. It is the instructing party's responsibility to pass the report to the tenant if we have not been asked to do so.

7. Fees and payment

Fees are as published and no VAT is added. An invoice is issued with the report.

Agencies on account: payment within 14 days of the invoice date. Landlords and tenants instructing us directly: payment within 7 days of the invoice date.

We may charge interest on late payment at the statutory rate under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, and we may decline further instructions while an invoice is outstanding.

8. Cancellation

Cancel or move an appointment with more than 24 hours notice and there is no charge. Inside 24 hours, or where access fails on the day, the fee is £50.

9. Impartiality

We work to the same standard whoever instructs us. We do not adjust a report to favour a landlord, an agent or a tenant, and we will not remove or soften a recorded defect on request.

10. Liability

We carry out our work with reasonable skill and care. Our liability for any claim arising out of a report is limited to the fee paid for that report, except where liability cannot lawfully be limited.

We are not liable for losses arising from information we were given that turned out to be wrong, from an inability to access part of a property, or from a decision taken by a deposit scheme or an adjudicator.

11. Documents and copyright

Copyright in a report and its photographs remains with us. On payment, you have an unlimited licence to use the report for the tenancy it relates to, including in a deposit dispute, and to pass it to the landlord, the tenant and the deposit scheme.

12. Storage

We keep a copy of every report and its photographs for six years, which covers the period in which a claim relating to a tenancy can usually be brought. See our privacy notice.

13. Complaints

Write to hello@rootstone.co.uk and we will reply within five working days.

14. Law

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