Cooper Adams’ terms and conditions including website usage

Cooper Adams may monitor email traffic data and also the content of email for the purposes of security and staff training.

Cooper Adams is regulated by the NAEA & the PRS (The Property Redress Scheme). We adhere to their strict codes of conduct. We are committed to best practice and high standards of compliance, offering sound, professional advice and safeguarding our customers interests at all times.

Cooper Adams are members of the Propertymark Client Money Protection scheme ref C0010534.

The Propertymark Conduct and Membership Rules can be found here.

Cooper Adams is a trading name of Cooper Adams Estates Limited, Registered in England No 7127482. Registered Office: Bishopstone, 36 Crescent Road, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 1RL VAT Number 837154618.

Cooper Adams ICO Data Protection Registration reference Z237873X.

HMRC AML body re no. XZML00000183305.

TDS Tenancy Deposit scheme member number EW37794.

Property Redress Scheme PRS Member number PRS005750.

Welcome to our website.

If you continue to browse and use this website you are agreeing to comply with and be bound by the following terms and conditions of use, which together with our privacy policy govern Cooper Adams’ relationship with you in relation to this website.

The term Cooper Adams or us or we refers to the owner of the website whose registered office is Cooper Adams Estate Agents, 35 Sea Road, East Preston, West Sussex, BN16 1JN. Vat No 837 1546 18.

The term you refers to the user or viewer of our website. Top 10 Agent in the UK Estate Agent of the year 2008 refers to Cooper Adams being recognised as a TOP 10 AGENT in the South of UK Region at the Estate Agent & Letting Agent Awards 2008.

The use of this website is subject to the following terms of use:

  • The content of the pages of this website is for your general information and use only. It is subject to change without notice.
  • Your use of any information or materials on this website is entirely at your own risk, for which we shall not be liable. It shall be your own responsibility to ensure that any products, services or information available through this website meet your specific requirements.
  • This website contains material which is owned by or licensed to us. This material includes, but is not limited to, the design, layout, look, appearance and graphics. Reproduction is prohibited other than in accordance with the copyright notice, which forms part of these terms and conditions.
  • All trademarks reproduced in this website, which are not the property of, or licensed to the operator, are acknowledged on the website.
  • Unauthorised use of this website may give to a claim for damages and/or be a criminal offence.
  • From time to time this website may also include links to other websites. These links are provided for your convenience to provide further information. They do not signify that we endorse the website(s). We have no responsibility for the content of the linked website(s).
  • You may not create a link to this website from another website or document without Cooper Adams’ prior written consent.
  • Your use of this website and any dispute arising out of such use of the website is subject to the laws of England and Wales.

Cooper Adams give notice that:

All our material is protected by laws of copyright. The owner of the copyright is Cooper Adams. No unauthorised copying or distribution without permission.

Whilst every attempt has been made to ensure the accuracy of details and floor plans contained on this website and other promotional material, they do not constitute any offer or contract or part thereof, measurements of doors, windows, rooms and any other items are approximate. All measurements are always maximum measurements into bay windows, alcoves and for L shaped rooms. All our details, pictures, maps and floor plans are for illustration purposes only and not to scale.

If there is any point, which is of particular importance to you, please contact the office and we will be pleased to check the information. Do so particularly, if contemplating travelling some distance to view a property.

The mention of any appliance and/or services by Cooper Adams does not imply that they are in full and efficient working order and have not been tested.

Stats Data Sources

Source: Achieved December price is BN16 1 properties sold and completed from Land Registry Crown copyright data printed 2016. Listed: Sale Agreed Ratio data as well as stock reduced and property views per day is from a property websites 01/01/16 – 16/12/16. The difference between 99.5% and 96.4% is 3.1%. 3.1% of an average priced property at £400,000 in this area = £12,400. We revisited the data again in January 2018 looking at completed properties in 2017. Cooper Adams was still achieving prices 3% more than their largest competitor.

In Autumn 2020 we again compared the prices we achieve as a percentage of asking price and according to the website TwentyCi we outperformed our competitors by 4.47%. This is over £20,000 on an average home of £450,000. The summary is "Using another agent could cost you £20,000 on your selling price".

Price achieved:

When we quote price achieved this is compared to the asking price at the time of sale. Sometimes an asking price can be a price agreed on or by instructed by the seller and not Cooper Adams’ valuation price.

Email terms:

Any property details we email maybe an electronic pdf document. Pdf documents can be read with Acrobat Reader. If you don’t have this, it can be downloaded, free of charge, from the Adobe web site at: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html Just double-click on the appropriate file to produce a hardcopy.

“Any email sent from Cooper Adams contains confidential information, is subject to copyright and solely for the person/organisation intended. If you have received it in error, please contact us immediately. Any unauthorised use or disclosure of the contents of same, along with any of its attachments included, is prohibited. Please note that all information which forms part of this message hereto remains the individual sender(s) responsibility and may not be the combined expressed opinion of Cooper Adams Estate Agents.

Whilst we have taken every precaution and scanned every email, we will not accept liability for any loss or damage caused by any computer virus attached to or transmitted with this communication and would advise that you carry out your own virus checks on this e-mail and any attachments.”

Cooper Adams does not tolerate unsolicited email practices and maintains strict policies with regards data protection and privacy of information. Cooper Adams may monitor email traffic data and also the content of email for the purposes of security and staff training. Cooper Adams is regulated by the NAEA & the TPO. We adhere to their strict codes of conduct.

We are committed to best practice and high standards of compliance, offering sound, professional advice and safeguarding our customers’ interests at all times. Cooper Adams is a trading name of Cooper Adams Estates Limited, Registered in England No 7127482. Registered Office: Bishopstone, 36 Crescent Road, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 1RL VAT Number 982847172.

Cooper Adams Photography:

We always show our clients properties in the best possible light and always comply with all regulations. Photography is only one part of doing the absolute best for our clients – for us it’s the norm for our competitors it is not. Cooper Adams photography is carried out using a wide-angle lens to capture more of a particular room. All our photographs are enhanced using post production to lighten and improve images as our job is always to make our photos look the best but not to mislead, no structural flaws can be disguised – conforming to law.

Cooper Adams Cookies:

Cooper Adams’ websites may use “cookies”. Cookies improve the user experience and personalise your experience on our site. If you want to disable cookies in the web browser, check with your provider to find out how to disable cookies.

Cooper Adams Complaint procedure

Our aim is to provide a first class service and to do everything we can to ensure you are satisfied. If you feel that we have fallen short of this standard and you wish to complain.

There are three stages for complaining and each stage needs to be exhausted before starting the next stage.

In order to resolve your complaint, we would ask that you include the following information and evidence, if applicable:

  • An outline of your complaint explaining why you feel that we have fallen short of our first class service
  • What you would like us to do to resolve it
  • Any specific details that you feel would assist us with resolving your complaint. Including, but not limited to:
    • Names of Advisors you have spoken to in connection with the complaint
    • The Branch Name in connection with the complaint
    • Time(s) and Date(s) of the incidence(s)
    • Telephone number(s) and or Address(es) you have used to contact us
    • Any written correspondence in connection with your complaint
    • Any other document in support of your complaint

On receipt of a complaint, we will investigate the issue(s) you have raised on your complaint fully and respond to you accordingly.

The timescales for dealing with a complaint are as follows:

  • You will receive an ‘acknowledgement of receipt’ of your complaint from us within 3 working days of receipt of your complaint in stages one and two.
  • Within 10 working days of the acknowledgement, you will receive a full response.
  • If we are unable to resolve the matter within the 10 working days as stated above, we will provide you with reasons why we could not meet this time frame and provide you with an estimate of when a full response will be received.
  • After our final written response, we may deem the complaint closed. If we deem the matter closed then we reserve the right not to enter into any further correspondence.

Stage one. We ask that you first address the complaint in writing or email to the branch manager of the office you are dealing with and explain that you are dissatisfied with an aspect of the service you have received.

Stage two. If you remain unhappy with the way your complaint has been dealt with after speaking to the person with conduct of your matter then you should set out your complaint in writing or email to: Shaun Adams, Cooper Adams, 35 Sea Road, East Preston BN16 1JN If the Director does not feel that Stage one has been exhausted your complaint could be passed back to the Branch Manager before going into Stage two.

Stage three. We are members of the Property Redress Scheme. If you remain unhappy with the response received from us and have exhausted our complaints procedure, you can contact the Property Redress Scheme to ask them to investigate your complaint. In order to take your complaint to The Property Redress Scheme you must first have carried out the following:

  • You have waited 8 weeks from the date of your written complaint to us for a response; and
  • It is still within 6 months from our last communication with you regarding this complaint

The Property Redress Scheme is a government approved Redress Scheme who resolves complaints between Members and their consumers. The complainant must have exhausted the Member’s internal complaints procedure and remain dissatisfied with the Member’s response. The Property Redress Scheme is free to use for the complainant and further information and guidance on how to resolve complaints is available via their website.

In order to make a complaint, please contact the Property Redress Scheme directly or alternatively, visit their website and fill out a Complaints Form. The Property Redress Scheme contact details are as follows: Website: By Email: www.theprs.co.uk info@theprs.co.uk By post at: The Property Redress Scheme Ground Floor, Kingmaker House Station Road, New Barnet Hertfordshire EN5 1NZ

Cooper Adams Online Surveys:

Entry into our free prize draws is conditional on full completion of our online surveys. Once the online survey has been submitted by the individual and has been checked by the promoter to see that it has been fully completed, entry into the free prize draw will immediately follow unless you have advised you wish to opt out of the free prize draw.

Entry will be deemed as acceptance of these rules. Our free prize draws is open to any person aged 18 or over who is invited to participate by the promoter, and who fully completes an on line survey which is submitted and accepted by the. Only one entry per individual is allowed.

Employees of companies within Cooper Adams and anyone else involved in the operation of the free prize draw are excluded from entering. There is one prize. This prize is non-negotiable, non-transferable and there is no cash alternative. The draw will be made by random selection from all valid entries.

The winner will be notified by telephone, or by email. By entering the free prize draw, entrants agree that their details may be disclosed to anyone requesting details of the prize winner. The prize winner may be required to take part in publicity relating to this promotion. The promoter’s decision is binding in all matters. The promoter can accept no responsibility for, and reserves the right to refuse, entries which are corrupt, incomplete or fail to arrive by the relevant closing dates.

These rules are governed by English law and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts. The promoter accepts no liability or responsibility for entries lost, delayed or undelivered, nor any liability for technical errors or communication failures in networks and/or internet access.

Promoter: Cooper Adams Estates Limited 35 Sea Road East Preston BN16 1JN.

Making an offer on a property through Cooper Adams:

Ideally, before making an offer you need to be in a position to proceed. You may have nothing to sell first or a property ‘under offer’. If you are not in a position to proceed your offer will most likely be refused. We need your offer in writing or emailed to us. We need the address you are offering on, the amount of your best offer, the full names of all buyers with addresses and DOB for anti-money laundering checks. Details of the agent you are selling though. Your contact numbers for us to call you back on. Your solicitor's details if known. A timescale of how soon you anticipate being ready to exchange contracts if known. Our independent financial advisor will also contact you for further clarification on funding your purchase.

We need to check out all is in place before an offer is accepted. If selling we need to check your buyer’s position and so on. We will be very thorough as we need to relay all the information to our client selling. You will also need to provide financial evidence on your ability to proceed. This will be asked for and readily available information will smooth and speed up the process. It also puts any potential purchaser in a better light removing any doubt of ability to proceed.

Failure to provide this may mean your offer is refused, delay decisions and could make the vendor feel uneasy about your intentions. This conforms to the Property Redress Scheme section 4.9 where the code of practice specifically advises the agent must check “the buyer’s source of funds (to assist a seller in deciding whether or not to accept an offer)”. All checks are completely confidential and for Cooper Adams use only, conforming to the data protection act.

Proof of funding can be a letter/email (not verbal) from mortgage broker advising a mortgage agreement in principle, proof of cash (email/letter not verbal) has to state when the cash is available and from the bank, chartered accountant or a solicitor. You will need to give permission to your bank/solicitor/accountant to release this.

The proof can simply be correspondence to advise the client has the required amount of money to buy the property for £x and the funds will be available from [date]. This information is completely confidential only to allow acceptance of an offer. Whether your proof shows you have enough cash or multiple times the amount required it is completely confidential. We will advise our client you have the funds and not how much. If the seller was privy to the amount they may be inclined to look for more money on their sale.

Your offer is based on what you are happy to pay for the property, not on your availability of funds. If you have a related sale we will need to check this is all in order and proceeding 100% smoothly. We will speak to your selling agent to verify your sale is in hand and without any problems, we will need confirmation from them they have checked your buyer’s financial position and if they have a related sale done the same checks below. We do not want to raise our client’s hopes in any way without checking all is in order with a related sale or chain.

The data protection act and client confidentiality laws we do not divulge any information without permission. This is a legal requirement for all estate agents. Once we have all the data we will communicate with our client, the seller and advise you of their decision on the offer. We will keep you updated.

Energy Performance Certificates

Current legislation requests we only display the current energy efficiency rating. Full Energy performance certificates on any property can be accessed (with a postcode) via https://www.epcregister.com/reportSearchAddressByPostcode.html

Monitoring telephone calls and emails

Telephone calls using the telephone numbers provided on this website and email correspondence with Cooper Adams at the email addresses accessible through, or discernible from, this website may be recorded or monitored. By using such communication methods you are consenting to the recording or monitoring of the same.

The customer can ask for a copy of a phone call. A request can be made for a copy of the recording under data protection legislation and is known as a “subject access request”.

Under the Data Protection Act, you can make a subject access request from “data controllers”, which includes contact centres, for both paper and computer records, as well as for any related information.

There is a legal admin fee of £10 + vat (£12) per recording for us to process this. Call recordings are only kept for a limited time as old recordings are automatically deleted to make space for new recordings.

Introducer / referral fees

Cooper Adams may receive introducers fees for referring clients to third party companies including solicitors, surveyors, domestic energy assessors, contractors and mortgage brokers amongst others. We would only pass on your details with your full permission. Many of our recommended contractors now pay us a referral fee in return for recommending their services to you. We would only recommend contractors we would use ourselves, their work needs to be a high standard and they need to provide good value. We believe you should know how much we stand to receive each time we make a referral and whether these companies are connected to us. This way, you can make an informed decision on whether to use them or use a company of your own choice. We would expect to receive ten per cent of the amount of the invoice unless stated. For Energy performance certificates we receive twenty pounds on average. Inventories – twenty-five pounds on average. House clearance – thirty-five pounds on average. Some surveyors give us a gift voucher for around thirty pounds. Some conveyancing solicitors pay us around two hundred pounds, and Finance/mortgage referral – thirty per cent of any lender commissions paid. ODT solicitors have a referral agreement with us, we receive a referral fee from them for the sum of one hundred and fifty pounds. Our clients are free to choose any solicitor they wish.

GDPR for all our contacts

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) click here

Client Money Protection

Propertymark Conduct and Membership Rules, (specifically the rules for handling Client Money), as required by Section 5 (2) (a) The Client Money Protection Schemes for Property Agents (Approval and Designation of Schemes) Regulations 2018

Click here to view and download our Client Money Protection accredited certificate.

Competition

Any Cooper Adams competition:

By entering this promotion, you accept and agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions:

  1. The promoter of a Promotion on our social media channels is Cooper Adams 35 Sea Road East Preston BN16 1JN.
  2. This promotion is open to all UK residents aged over 18 years.
  3. There will be one prize given to one winner of the promotion.
  4. The promoter's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
  5. The winner will be notified within 48 hours of the competition closing via Facebook Messenger. The winner is required to reply on Facebook messenger and provide their email address within 48 hours of receiving the notification.
  6. If for any reason the winner does not reply to the Facebook Messenger notification within 48 hours the promoter will select another winner.
  7. If the prize is unavailable, the Promoter reserves the right to substitute the prize with a prize to the equal value and/or specification. There is no cash alternative and the prize is non-transferable and non-refundable.
  8. The decision of the Promoter is final, and binding and no correspondence will be entered regarding the outcome of this promotion.
  9. Please allow up to 30 days for the giftcard to be sent.
  10. Winners may be required to participate in publicity.
  11. Upon request, the surname and country of the winner will be available by sending an SAE to the Promoter at the address below. Such requests should not be sent until 28 days after the draw.
  12. By entering the prize draw you agree to receive further information from Cooper Adams and carefully selected third parties to inform you of various promotions, good and services that may be of interest to you. If you are the winner of this promotion, you also agree to participate in any publicity arising from the prize draw and the publication of your surname and country to those that request those details.
  13. The Promoter will at all times comply with data protection legislation when collecting and processing data. The Promoter will only use the personal details supplied for the administration of the Promotion, Participant’s personal details will not be used for any other purpose whatsoever, unless the Promoter has your consent. Your personal details will at all times be kept confidential. We take your privacy and security of your personal information very seriously. Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect and use personal information in accordance with data protection laws.
  14. By participating in the promotion, entrants are deemed to have accepted these terms and conditions.
  15. English law applies to these terms and conditions

Money Laundering ID needed

Identity Documents Required

Why do we ask you to provide evidence of your identity and address and which documents are acceptable when selling and buying a property? Under the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 and the new version MLR 2017, we are required to verify the identity and address of new and existing clients.

This includes companies/businesses as well as individuals.

For UK residents, evidence of identity will normally be one of the following original documents - copies are not normally acceptable.

Proving your identity and ownership of a property - We have to obtain and hold identification and proof of address for all customers. Additionally, we are also required to establish whether there are any beneficial owners on whose behalf the transaction or activity is taking place, hence, we would request you to identify anyone who you would consider to be a beneficial owner. Where appropriate, the source or destination of funds may also be requested. Without this information we will be unable to proceed with any work on your behalf.

Below is a list of acceptable identity documents. We require sight of all original or certified documents. Subject to your individual circumstances, we may liaise with you for further/other documentation.

Individual identity documents

We require one document from List A and one document from List B.

LIST A – Evidence of name

  • Current signed passport
  • Valid UK driving licence
  • Resident Permit
  • Inland Revenue tax notification
  • State pension or benefits book/letter
  • EEA member state identity card

LIST B – evidence OF ADDRESS

  • UK/EU/EEA Drivers Licence (if UK Drivers Licence not used as ID) Must be valid, not expired. Full or provisional. Cannot be used if used on list A.
  • Bank, Building Society or Credit Union Statement Dated with 3 months. Must include account number and show recent activity. No general correspondence.
  • Credit Card Statement Dated within 3 months. Must include account number and show recent activity. No general correspondence.
  • UK, EU, EEA Mortgage statement Dated within 12 months. Must show account number. No general correspondence.
  • Utility Bill Dated within 6 months E.g. Gas, electricity, water. Must show address for service and/or account number. No general correspondence.
  • Telephone Bill Dated within 6 months E.g. Landline or mobile pay monthly (excluding pay as you go). Must show address for service and/or account number. No general correspondence.
  • Council Tax Dated within 12 months. Must show address for service and/or account number. No general correspondence.
  • Tenancy Agreement Dated with 12 months. Must state full name and full property address. Issued by local council, housing association, solicitor or reputable letting agent.
  • Benefits Entitlement Letter Dated within 12 months. Issued by DWP or Jobcentre plus. Must confirm benefit payable at time of issue. E.g. Pension, disability, single parent, housing etc.
  • HMRC Tax Notification Dated with 6 months. Must state national insurance number and tax calculation. No general correspondence.
  • Home or Motor Insurance Certificate Dated within 12 months. Must state insured address or registered address for vehicle and policy number. No general correspondence.
  • UK solicitors letter confirming house purchase/land registration Dated with 3 months. Must state full name of new proprietor and full property address.
  • NHS Medical Card or letter from GP confirming registration Dated within 3 months. Must state individual’s date of birth and NHS number. No general correspondence.
  • Official confirmation of Electoral Register entry or official poll card Dated within 12 months. Must state full name and full address. No general correspondence.
  • Police Registration Certificate Dated within 12 months. Must state the full residential address of the individual.

Probate

If you are acting as a Representative of an Estate we require the following:

  • Grant of Probate (if a will was left)
  • Letter of administration (if no will left)
  • Individual identity evidence from List A & B for the Personal Representative, either executor or administrator

Limited company

If you are acting as a Representative of a UK Company we will also require the following:

  • Certificate of Incorporation
  • Articles of Association
  • Memorandum of Association
  • Latest Annual Return or Confirmation Statement, with details of current company officers
  • If offshore, nominee director declaration and a general power of attorney
  • Individual identity evidence from List A and B for all individuals or entities with 25% or more of the shares or voting rights in the company

If you are acting as a Representative of an Offshore Company we will also require the following:

  • Certificate of Incorporation
  • Articles of Association, Memorandum of Association, Latest Annual Return with details of current company officers, Share Certificate(s) showing the Ultimate Beneficial Owner OR
  • Certificate of Incumbency
  • If the shares are owned by another company, repeat steps above for the holding company
  • Nominee director declaration and/or general Power of Attorney (if applicable)
  • Individual identity evidence from List A and B for all individuals or entities with 25% or more of the shares or voting rights in the company

Trust

If you are acting as a Representative of a Trust we require the following:

  • Trust deed
  • List of trustees
  • List of beneficiaries
  • Individual Identity evidence from List A & B for all individuals with a vest interest in 25% or more of the capital and/or those who exercise control over the Trust

We need to take a copy of identity and address from each person named as selling or buying.

Anti Money Laundering & Online ID Verification

For Cooper Adams Estates Limited and all our associated brands we are legally required under the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2019, to complete identification checks on all of our clients. We use an external company to complete these checks and therefore we will share your personal information with them in order to complete online ID verification in the form of anti-money laundering search. It is not a credit search just an identity search. Your personal information will only be used for this purpose. The external company complies with all relevant Data Protection Regulations and is registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).

Promoter: Cooper Adams