Terms of business

Red Roman Financial Services is run by Tom Davison, MAAT, a full member of the Association of Accounting Technicians, from Chartham, Canterbury.

The practice trades as Tom Davison T/A Red Roman Financial Services. It is a sole trader business and so has no company registration number.

I am supervised for anti-money-laundering purposes by the AAT.

These terms apply to all work I do for you. They should be read together with your engagement letter, which sets out the specific services I am providing, the fee for them and the period they cover.

Where the engagement letter and these terms conflict, the engagement letter takes precedence.

I will provide the services set out in your engagement letter with reasonable care and skill, in accordance with the professional standards of the AAT.

I am not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and I do not give investment advice. Where you need it, I will suggest you speak to a suitably authorised adviser.

Unless your engagement letter says otherwise, I am not engaged to audit your accounts, and the work I do is not an audit. My work will not necessarily disclose fraud, error or other irregularities.

Any advice I give is based on the law and HMRC practice at the time, and on the information you give me. I am not obliged to keep advice under review after it is given unless you ask me to.

Fees are agreed in writing before work begins. Monthly package fees are payable by standing order or direct debit in advance. One-off work is invoiced on completion unless agreed otherwise.

Published prices are starting prices. The fee for your work depends on the volume of transactions and the condition of your records, and I will confirm your fee in writing before starting.

Invoices are payable within 7 days of the invoice date.

If work falls outside what was agreed, I will tell you before carrying it out and we will agree a fee for it.

Red Roman Financial Services reserves the right to charge interest on the outstanding balance at the statutory rate permitted under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, together with any applicable statutory compensation and reasonable recovery costs.

Interest will accrue from the day following the payment due date until payment is received in full.

Monthly fees cover the services listed for the period they are paid for. If the engagement ends part way through a year, work already carried out remains payable.

You are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the records and information you give me, and for keeping proper accounting records as the law requires.

You remain legally responsible for your own tax returns and statutory filings, including their accuracy, even where I prepare and submit them on your behalf.

Please provide records in good time. Where a deadline is at risk because information has not reached me, I will tell you, but I cannot be responsible for penalties arising from late or incomplete information.

You should tell me promptly about anything that changes your tax position, and review anything I prepare before approving it for submission.

I will act in your best interests within the law and the standards of my profession, keep you informed about progress, and tell you promptly if a deadline is at risk.

I will monitor your filing and payment deadlines for the services I have been engaged to provide, and remind you ahead of time.

I am required to verify the identity of new clients and, where relevant, their beneficial owners, before acting. I may use an electronic verification service.

I am required to report knowledge or suspicion of money laundering to the National Crime Agency, and I may be prohibited by law from telling you that I have done so.

I will keep your affairs confidential except where disclosure is required by law, by my professional obligations, or where you have given permission.

I may be required to allow the AAT access to my files as part of a practice review. Reviewers are themselves bound by confidentiality.

I handle personal data in line with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. How I do that is set out in my privacy policy.

Where I process payroll for your employees, you are the controller of that data and I act as your processor.

I hold professional indemnity insurance. My insurer is Chiswell. Details are available on request.

Our liability to you for any loss or damage arising from or in connection with this engagement shall, in all circumstances, be limited to the amount of our fees for the services provided under this agreement. We will not be liable for any indirect or consequential losses.

I am not liable for losses arising from information that was incomplete, inaccurate or provided late, nor for losses arising from decisions you take that are outside the scope of the advice I gave.

Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for anything else that cannot lawfully be limited.

Advice is given for your use alone. I accept no responsibility to third parties who see it, unless I have agreed otherwise in writing.

I may act for other clients in the same market as you. If a conflict arises I will tell you and we will agree how to deal with it, which may mean I can no longer act for one of you.

I will usually communicate by email, WhatsApp and through accounting software. Email and messaging are not completely secure and can be delayed or intercepted, and I cannot accept liability for that. Tell me if you would rather I did not use them.

Your original records are returned to you once work is complete. I keep my own file for six years from the end of the financial year for limited companies, and five years for sole traders, after which it may be destroyed without further notice.

Either of us may end the engagement by giving 30 days written notice. Fees for work already carried out remain payable.

If you move to another accountant I will provide professional clearance and hand over your records promptly, once outstanding fees are settled.

If you are unhappy with any part of my service, please tell me first, at tom@redroman.co.uk or on 07944 022480, so I have the chance to put it right. I will acknowledge a complaint within 5 working days.

If we cannot resolve it, you can refer the matter to the AAT under its complaints procedure.

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