Payment Policy

This payment policy explains how we quote, invoice and take payment for our survey, inspection and reporting services, when payment is due, and what happens if you cancel, reschedule, or an appointment cannot go ahead.

Payments for surveys and reports are taken by National Building Consultants. Registered address: 1 Elmfield Park, Bromley BR1 1LU.

This policy sits alongside our Terms & Conditions and the written quote, booking confirmation and invoice issued for your survey. Where a document issued for a specific survey sets different payment terms, that document takes precedence for that instruction.

Nothing in this policy affects your statutory rights as a consumer, including your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

We issue a written quote based on the property and instruction details you give us. The quote sets out the service, the scope of the inspection, the fee, and how long the quote remains valid.

Accepting the quote and paying the fee confirms your acceptance of the quote and of the contract for that survey. No further amount is charged for the service described in your quote unless the information you gave us turns out to be inaccurate, incomplete or misleading, or you ask us to carry out work outside the agreed scope.

Guide prices shown on the website and any output from the online estimator are for orientation only. They are not a quote, and they do not fix the final fee. Only a written quote issued to you is binding.

If the property differs materially from the information provided, for example in size, number of units, condition or access, we may need to revise the fee. We will always tell you and obtain your agreement before carrying out additional chargeable work.

Invoices are settled by bank transfer. The bank details and the payment reference are shown on the invoice we email to you, and the invoice number is your payment reference. Please quote it so that we can match your payment to your booking.

Please pay the full invoiced amount in a single transfer. We do not operate part-payment or instalment plans, and a partial transfer will not confirm a booking or release a report.

If any other payment method is available for your instruction, it will be confirmed to you in writing before payment is due.

We do not take card details over the phone, and we never ask for payment through a messaging app, a payment link sent by text, or any account other than the one printed on your invoice.

Payment terms are stated on your quote and on your invoice. Invoices are issued electronically and are due by the date shown on the invoice.

Where payment is required in advance, your appointment is confirmed once cleared funds have been received. Until then, an appointment slot is held provisionally and cannot be guaranteed.

Bank transfers are not always instant. Please allow for your bank's processing time so that funds arrive before the appointment date, particularly for bookings made close to the survey date or over a weekend or bank holiday.

An invoice is marked as paid only after a member of our team has checked the company bank account and matched your transfer to the invoice reference. This is a manual check, so there can be a short delay between your transfer arriving and your confirmation being sent.

Once payment is confirmed, we send written confirmation of the booking and of the appointment date and time.

If you have paid and have not received confirmation within two working days, please contact us with the date and amount of the transfer and the reference used, so that we can trace it.

All fees are quoted and invoiced in pounds sterling.

Where VAT applies, it is shown separately on your quote and invoice, and the total on the invoice is the amount payable.

You are responsible for any charges your own bank applies to a transfer, including international transfer or currency conversion charges. Where such charges reduce the amount we receive, the shortfall remains payable.

Where an invoice is overdue we may withhold the report, suspend further work on the instruction, and decline to book further appointments until the account is settled.

We will contact you before taking any of those steps, and we would always rather resolve a payment difficulty by talking to you. If you are having trouble paying, please tell us as early as you can.

Withholding a report does not cancel the fee. The invoice remains payable for the work that has been carried out.

As a consumer, where the contract is agreed online, by phone or by email, you normally have 14 days from the day the contract is made to cancel it without giving a reason.

We will not normally begin providing the service during that 14-day period unless you ask us to. Because surveys are usually booked for a specific date, many clients do ask us to start straight away, and we record that request in your booking confirmation.

If you ask us to begin within the 14-day period and then cancel, you remain liable for a proportionate amount covering the service provided up to the point you cancel. Once the survey has been carried out in full, the right to cancel no longer applies and the fee is payable in full.

To cancel, tell us in writing at the contact address below. You do not need to use a particular form of words, but please include your name, the property address and your invoice or booking reference.

If you need to move or cancel an appointment, please tell us as early as possible. Where there is reasonable notice and the surveyor has not yet travelled to the property, we will normally reschedule at no additional charge.

Where a cancellation is made at short notice, or the surveyor has already travelled to or attended the property, we may retain or charge a reasonable amount to cover the costs already incurred, including travel and the reserved appointment time.

If a visit is aborted or has to be repeated because access was not available, the property could not be inspected safely, or the information provided about the property was inaccurate, a further charge may apply and no refund is due for the abortive visit.

We may occasionally need to reschedule where access, safety, weather or property conditions prevent the survey from being completed. If we cancel or cannot complete a survey for reasons within our control, and no service has been provided, we will refund the fee you have paid in full.

Where a refund is due, we make it to the bank account the payment came from. We cannot refund to a different account or a different person unless we have written confirmation from the account holder who paid.

Refunds are processed within 14 days of us agreeing that a refund is due, and are usually sent sooner. The time it takes for funds to appear in your account depends on your bank.

Where the service has been partly performed, we refund the balance after deducting a proportionate amount for the work carried out and the costs already incurred. Where the survey has been carried out and the report issued, no refund is due.

A refund is not due where an inspection could not be completed, or a report could not be produced, because of information you provided that proved to be inaccurate, incomplete or misleading, or because access to the property was not made available.

Work outside the agreed scope, such as further investigation, specialist testing, additional reporting, a revisit, or expert witness work, is charged separately.

We will confirm the scope and the fee for any additional work in writing, and we will not begin it until you have agreed.

Where a revised fee applies because the property differs materially from the details provided, we will issue a revised quote or a supplementary invoice explaining the difference.

Our bank details do not change between invoices. If you receive any message claiming that our account details have changed, treat it as fraudulent, do not transfer any funds, and call us on the number published on this website to check before you pay.

Always verify bank details by phoning us on a number you have obtained independently from this website, rather than one supplied in an email or message.

We do not store card details, and we will never ask you for your online banking credentials, one-time passcodes, or remote access to your device.

If you believe you have paid the wrong account, contact your bank immediately and then tell us so that we can help.

If you have a question about a quote, an invoice, a charge or a refund, please contact us and we will explain how the amount was arrived at.

If something has gone wrong, please put the details in writing so that we have a full understanding of your concerns. We will acknowledge a written complaint within 7 days, and if we cannot give a full response straight away we will update you within 28 days.

If we cannot resolve the matter between us, we will tell you about the independent redress or alternative dispute resolution route available for your case.

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, our payment processes, or the law. The version published on this website when you accept a quote or confirm a booking is the version that applies to that instruction.

This policy is governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you may also bring proceedings in the courts of the country in which you live.