ROBERT RYDER NOTARY PUBLIC-TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ACTING:

1. BASIS OF MY RETAINER
   I contract only on the basis of these terms and conditions.
2. MY FEES AND DISBURSEMENTS
   I charge fees based on the time taken for the whole matter (including but not exclusively making the appointment, travelling or waiting time and the time needed to maintain my records) at the rate of £350.00 per hour. The fee not only covers the work done when I am with you, but preparing for the meeting, printing costs, insurance, fidelity bond, data registration, regulation costs and other overheads. I also charge for out of pocket expenses, for example, fees payable to the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, embassies, consular offices or agents dealing with the legalisation of documents or postage or courier charges. Unless agreed otherwise my invoice must be paid at our meeting and documents will not be released until it has been paid. The basis of the calculation for my fees is a combination of the time incurred by me, the nature and amount of the documentation and taking into account any additional factors such as the need for legalisation or a translation. I reserve the right to charge interest at 8% over Bank of England base rate on invoices unpaid after 7 days.
3. CLIENT’S MONEY
   I do not hold client’s monies and there is usually no need to so. If I am asked to hold client’s money I will only do so in accordance with the relevant Notaries’ Practice and Accounts Rules paying interest when required to do so by the Rules. To comply with my obligations under the Criminal Justice Act 1993, the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and the Money Laundering Regulations 1993, 2001 and 2003, I reserve the right to ask for evidence of the source of any funds provided to me or involved in the transaction.
4. VERIFICATION OF FACTS
   An important part of my role is to check the facts in the documents I notarise, and this sometimes involves obtaining evidence or proof from sources independent of you. In this I need your full co-operation. If I have to add disclaimers to the document to make it clear that there are facts I have not been able to verify, the document may become ineffective or of less benefit to you and in such cases I shall not have any responsibility or liability for the document’s effectiveness or ineffectiveness.
5. IDENTIFICATION
   Unless I already have such proof, if you sign a document before me, I will need to see proof of your identity. Where you are signing on behalf of an organisation such as a limited company, I will additionally require evidence of the company’s existence as well as proof of your authority and capacity to sign on its behalf.
6. CEASING TO ACT
   In some circumstances I may consider that I ought not to act or ought to stop acting for you. For example, if you cannot give clear or proper instructions on how I am to proceed, if the matter on which I am instructed involves fraud or violence, if I decide that you have insufficient capacity or if you do not pay my fees.
7. STORAGE OF DOCUMENTS
   I will store without charge to you the (unless instructed otherwise) the Notarial act in the ‘public’ form and a copy of every Notarial act in the ‘private’ form as a permanent record. I will not always keep a full copy of your document(s) but I reserve the right to do so. I may charge a fee for producing a copy at a later date.
8. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
   I maintain professional indemnity insurance cover. Save as provided under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977, my liability (directly or indirectly arising from my retainer/instruction) to you for any loss, injury or damage of any nature whatever whether direct or consequential, including without limitation in respect of negligence or breach of my duty to you, is hereby limited to the sum of £1,000,000.00 (One Million Pounds) in respect of any one claim or series of related claims, save in the case of liability for personal injury or death where no such limit shall apply.
9. DATA PROTECTION POLICY AND THE GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATIONS
   I hold personal data relating to clients I meet and act for including name, address, telephone number and passport details in order to verify identities and to carry out notarial acts. I am registered to do so with the Information Commissioner’s Office (reference number ZA061283). I retain hard copies for up to one year and then in digital form.
10. USE OF TECHNOLOGY, DEVICES AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
    In any case where I use any automated decision-making technology, including artificial intelligence, in the course of my services, I do not rely upon the same without human intervention. Before using any new technology including artificial intelligence, I carry out an appropriate risk assessment to ensure that your rights are not adversely affected by the same.

Complaints Handling Procedure:

 

Finally, even if you have your complaint considered under the Notaries Society Approved Complaints Procedure you may at the end of that procedure or after a period of eight weeks from the date of making your complaint to me, make your complaint direct to the Legal Ombudsman (whose contact details are set out below) if the matter has not been resolved to your satisfaction:

Legal Ombudsman
Baskerville House
Centenary Square
Broad Street
Birmingham
B1 2ND

Email:     enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Website:  www.legalombudsman.org.uk