Terms and Conditions
Terms & Conditions
Last updated: 31 August 2026
1. About these terms
These Terms & Conditions apply when you instruct The Housing Inspector to provide a service.
The Housing Inspector is the trading name of Anne Marie Taylor.
Website: thehousinginspector.com
Email: annemarie@thehousinginspector.com | admin@thehousinginspector.com
These terms are intended to make clear what you can expect from us and what we need from you.
Specific work may also be covered by a quotation, appointment confirmation, management agreement, report instruction or other written agreement. Where a specific written agreement contains terms relating directly to that work, those terms will apply alongside these Terms & Conditions.
2. Our approach
The Housing Inspector provides independent housing and property management, inspection, reporting, investigation and practical housing support.
Our work is based on establishing the facts, communicating clearly and identifying practical steps that can move a matter forward.
We work with landlords, tenants, leaseholders, property owners, agents and other housing professionals.
Being instructed by one party does not mean that we will ignore relevant facts, evidence or responsibilities relating to another party. Our professional findings and reports will reflect the information and evidence reasonably available to us.
3. Our services
Depending on what has been agreed, our services may include:
tenancy and property management;
inventories, check-ins, check-outs and property inspections;
condition and photographic reporting;
investigation of disrepair, damp, leaks and other property concerns;
tenancy reviews and case assessments;
landlord, tenant and professional liaison;
coordination of repairs and contractors;
compliance and tenancy-management support;
independent housing reports;
assistance with complex housing or tenancy matters; and
other housing or property services specifically agreed with you.
The exact scope of the service will be set out in the relevant quotation, instruction or written agreement.
4. Instructing us
A contract is formed when we confirm that we have accepted your instruction.
Before accepting an instruction, we may ask for further information so that we understand what is required and can determine whether the matter falls within our services.
We may decline an instruction where there is a conflict of interest, insufficient information, a safety concern, the work falls outside our expertise or there is another reasonable professional reason why we should not act.
5. Information you provide
We rely on clients providing information that is accurate and reasonably complete.
You should tell us about anything that may materially affect the work, including relevant tenancy arrangements, previous repairs, known defects, access restrictions, disputes or correspondence.
If important information is withheld, inaccurate or provided late, this may affect our findings, advice, timetable or ability to complete the work.
Where you provide information concerning another person, you must have a lawful and appropriate reason for doing so.
6. Authority to instruct us
You must have appropriate authority to instruct us in relation to the property or matter concerned.
Where you instruct us on behalf of somebody else, you must make this clear and, where requested, provide evidence of your authority.
Where a landlord, owner or other client asks us to communicate with tenants, agents, contractors or professionals on their behalf, we will treat that instruction as authority to make reasonable communications necessary to carry out the agreed work.
7. Property access
Where a service requires access to a property, the person arranging the appointment is responsible for ensuring that lawful access has been arranged.
This includes obtaining any consent or providing any notice required before access takes place.
We will not knowingly enter a property without appropriate authority.
If we are unable to gain access at an agreed appointment because access has not been properly arranged, we may charge for reasonable time and costs already incurred.
8. Inspections and reports
Unless specifically agreed otherwise, an inspection is a visual and non-destructive inspection of reasonably accessible areas.
We will not normally:
open up walls, floors or ceilings;
dismantle equipment;
move heavy furniture or possessions;
enter areas that are unsafe or inaccessible;
test specialist installations unless this forms part of the agreed instruction; or
undertake a structural survey or specialist engineering assessment.
A report records the property and evidence reasonably available at the time of the inspection.
Some defects may be concealed, intermittent or impossible to identify during a single visit. A report should therefore not be interpreted as a guarantee that no other defect exists.
Where specialist investigation is appropriate, we may recommend that advice is obtained from an appropriately qualified surveyor, engineer, electrician, gas engineer or other specialist.
9. Photographs and evidence
Photographs, videos, measurements, notes and other evidence may be collected where reasonably necessary for the work.
We will try to avoid recording unnecessary personal information or possessions.
Photographs and evidence may be included within reports or shared with relevant parties where this is necessary for the service we have been instructed to provide.
Personal information is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
10. Professional judgement and independence
Housing matters are not always straightforward.
Our reports, assessments and recommendations represent our professional opinion based on the information, circumstances and evidence reasonably available at the relevant time.
We will not alter a professional finding simply because a particular conclusion would be more convenient to a client or another party.
Where accounts differ, we may record those differences rather than adopt one account without sufficient evidence.
11. Housing and legal information
Our work may involve explaining housing responsibilities, tenancy processes, compliance requirements and practical options.
Unless specifically agreed otherwise, The Housing Inspector is not acting as your solicitor and does not provide reserved legal services.
Where formal legal advice or representation is required, we may recommend that you obtain advice from a solicitor or another appropriately regulated professional.
Nothing in a report should be treated as a guarantee of the outcome of court proceedings, insurance claims, deposit disputes, possession proceedings or any other third-party decision.
12. Contractors and repair work
The Housing Inspector may identify, recommend, obtain quotations from or coordinate contractors as part of a property-management or repair instruction.
We do not take commission from contractors for recommending their services.
Unless we expressly agree otherwise in writing, a contractor remains responsible for the work they undertake and for their own workmanship, insurance, qualifications and statutory obligations.
Where appropriate, we will assist in communicating concerns about contractor work and seeking an appropriate resolution.
If we are authorised to arrange work on your behalf, you remain responsible for paying the agreed cost of that work unless another arrangement has been confirmed in writing.
13. Third-party information
We may sometimes rely on information supplied by contractors, agents, landlords, tenants, local authorities, insurers or other professionals.
We will take reasonable care when considering that information, but we cannot guarantee the accuracy of information supplied by an independent third party.
Where something appears inconsistent or requires further investigation, we will raise this where reasonably possible.
14. Fees and quotations
Our fees will normally be confirmed before work begins.
A quotation will explain what is included in the agreed price.
Additional work outside the original instruction may be charged separately, but we will normally discuss this with you before undertaking material additional work.
Any applicable taxes will be dealt with as stated on the relevant quotation or invoice.
15. Payment
Payment terms will be shown on the relevant quotation, invoice or agreement.
Invoices should be paid by the due date shown.
If you believe an invoice is incorrect, please raise this with us promptly so that it can be reviewed.
For business-to-business instructions, statutory interest and applicable debt-recovery costs may be claimed on qualifying overdue commercial debts where permitted by law. Current legislation permits statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate where the statutory regime applies.
This commercial late-payment provision does not apply in the same way to consumer clients.
16. Cancelling or rearranging an appointment
We understand that arrangements sometimes change.
If you need to cancel or rearrange an inspection or appointment, please tell us as soon as reasonably possible.
Where cancellation takes place after work has already been undertaken or costs have been reasonably incurred, we may charge for the work completed and reasonable unavoidable costs arising from the cancellation.
We will not impose a disproportionate cancellation charge. Consumer cancellation charges must be fair and should reflect the business’s actual reasonable loss rather than operate as a penalty.
Where a specific cancellation arrangement applies to an appointment, we will make this clear before confirmation.
17. Consumer right to cancel
If you are acting as a consumer and enter into a contract with us online, by telephone or in certain circumstances away from our business premises, you may have a legal right to cancel the contract within 14 days without giving a reason.
If you ask us to begin providing the service during that 14-day cancellation period, we may ask you to expressly confirm that you want us to begin.
If you then cancel after work has started, you may have to pay a proportionate amount for the work already provided.
If the service is completed in full during the cancellation period after you expressly requested an early start and acknowledged that your cancellation right would be lost once the service was fully performed, your statutory cancellation right may end at that point.
Nothing in these Terms affects any cancellation or other statutory rights that you have as a consumer.
18. Standards of service
We will provide our services with reasonable care and skill.
Where no specific completion date has been agreed, we will carry out the service within a reasonable time taking account of the nature and complexity of the instruction.
These Terms do not remove or restrict the statutory rights of a consumer. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 provides that consumer services must be carried out with reasonable care and skill.
19. Timescales and delays
We will make reasonable efforts to meet agreed timescales.
Housing matters sometimes depend on access, contractors, third parties, documentation, weather, local authorities, insurers or other circumstances outside our direct control.
Where a delay occurs, we will try to keep you reasonably informed.
We are not responsible for delays caused by circumstances genuinely outside our reasonable control, but this does not affect any rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.
20. No guarantee of outcome
Our role is to investigate, advise, manage, communicate and take practical action within the scope of the instruction.
We cannot guarantee that another person or organisation will agree with our findings or act upon our recommendations.
For example, we cannot guarantee:
that a tenant or landlord will agree to a proposal;
that a contractor will accept liability;
that an insurer will accept a claim;
that a council or other authority will reach a particular decision;
that a dispute will settle; or
that legal proceedings will produce a particular outcome.
What we can undertake to do is approach the work with reasonable care, independence and professional judgement.
21. Reliance on reports
Unless otherwise stated, a report is prepared for the client who instructed us and for the purpose specified in the instruction.
Another person should not rely upon a report for a materially different purpose without first checking whether it is appropriate to do so.
Where a report is intended for wider circulation, an insurer, solicitor, tribunal, court or another professional purpose, this should be agreed as part of the instruction where reasonably possible.
22. Our responsibility
Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where it would be unlawful to do so, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation.
Nothing in these Terms limits the statutory rights of a consumer.
We are responsible for loss or damage that is a reasonably foreseeable consequence of our breach of contract or failure to use reasonable care and skill.
We are not responsible for loss caused by inaccurate or incomplete information supplied to us, unauthorised instructions, concealed defects that could not reasonably have been discovered, or matters outside the agreed scope of our instruction.
For business clients, any additional limitation of liability applying to a particular professional instruction will be stated clearly in the relevant quotation, engagement or agreement rather than hidden within these general website terms.
23. Ending an ongoing instruction
Either party may end an ongoing instruction by giving reasonable notice, subject to any specific management or service agreement in place.
We may stop acting immediately where there is a serious reason to do so, including:
threatening, abusive or unsafe behaviour;
an instruction to act unlawfully or dishonestly;
a serious conflict of interest;
persistent failure to provide necessary authority or information; or
material non-payment.
Where an instruction ends, fees remain payable for work properly completed and reasonable costs incurred up to the date it ends.
24. Complaints
If you are unhappy with any aspect of our service, please tell us.
We would normally prefer to understand the issue and have an opportunity to put something right where reasonably possible.
Complaints can be sent to:
We will acknowledge the matter and respond as soon as reasonably possible.
25. Website information
Information published on thehousinginspector.com is intended to provide general housing and property information.
Housing law and regulatory requirements can change and individual cases depend heavily on their own facts.
Website content should therefore not be treated as a substitute for advice based on the particular circumstances of your case.
We take reasonable care when preparing website content but do not guarantee that every page will remain permanently current.
26. Intellectual property
Unless otherwise stated, the written content, reports, templates, photographs, graphics and other original material created by The Housing Inspector remain our intellectual property.
A client may use a report or document for the purpose for which it was commissioned.
Our material should not be materially altered and then presented as an original report or opinion of The Housing Inspector.
27. Privacy and cookies
Personal information is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Information about cookies and website tracking technologies is provided in our Cookie Policy.
Our Accessibility Statement explains our approach to digital accessibility.
28. Changes to these terms
We may update these Terms & Conditions when our services, website or legal requirements change.
The terms applying to a particular instruction will normally be those in force when the instruction is accepted, together with any specific terms agreed for that work.
The current version will always be available on our website.
29. Governing law
These Terms are governed by the law of England and Wales.
If you are a consumer, this does not remove any mandatory rights you may have to bring proceedings in another court where applicable consumer law gives you that right.
30. Contact us
If you have a question about these Terms & Conditions or about an instruction, please contact:
The Housing Inspector
Email: admin@thehousinginspector.com
Website: thehousinginspector.com
Last updated: 31 August 2026