Use of Service

This section is for the rules and terms of when you use one of our services. Due to the expanding nature of our company, we will constantly revise our documents to fit new developments and products. These terms are always subject to change through company analysis of matters and products.

You should be the rightful owner or have the authority to act in the vicinity of any relevant transaction. We may ask for further clarification or to prove your authority to act. Any fraud or wrongdoing shall be reported to the relevant authorities.

Using our platform, you are required to make payment for the instructed prices and services you select. We may charge you extra fees only with the prior written agreement after you have requested any additional services or requested special arrangements. We will never send invoices before a request. Therefore, it is your responsibility to check the validity of any unwanted charges or suspicious mail. You will also be billed for costs that may occur to process a transaction if they should occur.

We will request online payment through our website (with invoice) or a later payment agreement. Cashback (auctions) will only be given after 28 days of the successful completion of your transaction and when the new owners receive the property.

All payments are due before completion of any transaction, and any extras will be charged as necessary. Failure of payment will result in an account suspension. Should our services be used illegally through some loopholes, we reserve the right to request full payment for it. To the extent that you fail to pay any of the charges owed to us, we reserve the right to pass your details on to a debt recovery company to pursue these charges. Any cost covered by the company on behalf of the transaction that is not included in the package will be your liability to pay.

Unless exceptional circumstances are arranged with the prior written consent of Viewings, deferred payment is not an option. A deposit is also required to auction your property to help cover the cost should your property doesn't sell, or you withdraw it. You will be charged £445 + VAT for administration and pack building costs by us or our nominated auctioneers, IAMSOLD. If your property is sold via the auction, please be aware that you are responsible for the cost of the legal pack of £445 + VAT which will be charged by the auctioneers when processing the sale of your property.

When making any payments, we will first require the necessary details and will not store your card payment details. Please enquire about any payments which you are uncertain of.

Once you have selected and paid for a product, you are entitled to a refund (for online advertising services) up until you finally approve and upload it online within 14 days of such purchase. If your account is withdrawn or removed due to improper use of our platform or misleading adverts, no refund will be provided. Additionally, you waive the right to a refund the moment your advertisement comes online on our platform.

You can remove your advert and upload it again (free of charge) within 14 days with the same level of add-on services purchased. However, after this time has passed, you will be required to make a new purchase if you choose to remove it.

The clients are entitled to a refund if their advert or service hasn’t been activated i.e gone live, or they have started to use a service. They will be given 14 days to be entitled to a refund unless they have waived their right or their product or service has been used. If products have been used, i.e. boards dispatched, or agent visit has commenced, the client will not be allowed to receive a refund.

If a systematic error has occurred, the advert has not gone live and no add ons which require a monetary or physical arrangement to fulfil may cause the company a loss. For some transactions, a partial refund may be processed for the products that haven’t been used.

To prevent conflict of interest, we will notify you should we find a connection and are aware of this. We cannot be liable for information that we are not aware of. In the case of employees or connected contractors, they need to notify us. We will then alert you immediately, and it will be your choice whether you want the transaction to progress further. We will in no way act in favour or biased to any party, and all our policies and procedures will need to be adhered to fully. Should we find any wrongdoing, we will notify you immediately. Any prospective seller is required to notify us in writing if connected to any employee or contractor before using our service. Using our software in a 'conflict of interest case' may result in the wrongful party being suspended or terminated from our network.

If your payment doesn't go through, we will suspend your advert immediately until the payment clears. Should 7 days pass, the transaction will be cancelled, and you will have to start again. Should your advert go live, and the payment hasn't cleared, you will be still liable for the amount for the service. We will then pass your details to the relevant debt recovery company to pursue any outstanding charges. You may be charged more depending on the debt collector.

Once your advert is ready, a preview will be sent, agreeing to this you waive your rights for a refund, agree that all the information provided is true to your knowledge and take full responsibility for any liability that may arise from this advert. Viewings will not be liable for any misrepresentation or marketing. You are required to approve any advert before it goes online, and you take full responsibility for its content. If found that any information you have provided is false or your advert is not an accurate representation, your advert will be removed, and you will be liable to pay all charges in full without any option for a refund.

All photos and plans will require your prior approval, even if taken by yourself, an agent or a third-party photography contractor. We will review the advert to make sure your photos are of satisfactory quality.

Your photos should not be overly corrected or misconstrued to deviate away from the actual truth. If the pictures do not meet our requirements, we will refuse to have them uploaded.

A photo will not be accepted if any of the following is found to be seen:

- Overly corrected photography

- Enlarged or wide screened

- Not an accurate representation of the current state

You will have to upload a new photo. Should a photo of significant nature not be included, we may edit your advert to highlight this factor (e.g. damp, structural faults etc).

Before advertising your property, you will need to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). Should this not be in place, you may order an EPC from us at an additional cost, or upload one before your advert goes live. We will not upload your property without this document. Your EPC must be valid. If you have had significant changes to your property (positive or negative) a new EPC will be required.

Any marketing material used by you and is subsequently damaged (e.g. For SALE Boards or TO LET boards) will cost £50 to be replaced. The price you pay for these boards is merely for the duration of your advert via our services.

Viewings will provide property appraisals, but it is the seller's responsibility to provide a purchase price. Should you require a quote from a qualified surveyor, this can be arranged for you and outsourced to a third-party contractor. The fees charged by the surveyor will be independent of any fees payable to Viewings.

All sellers and landlords owe a duty of care to anyone who views their property and must ensure their property is fit for viewings.

Once a booking to view your property has been made you will be notified, and we will share the names of the viewer(s) with you. We may also share your name with them, along with the confirmation specifics of the booking. Should we conduct a viewing, we will notify you if the property is vacant. You will see a viewing has been completed and ask your designated property agent for feedback. If you opt for our agents to host the viewings, you will have a legal duty to make sure the property is safe to view and take responsibility in the event of an injury if it occurs on your property.

Should we conduct viewings on your behalf, you need to provide us with two sets of keys. By providing us with the keys, you confirm that the property is safe and accessible to view. Should a viewing be conducted, and access is not gained due to a change of locks or damage, you will be charged for the viewing, nevertheless. It is your responsibility to make sure the property is safe and secure. We never hold any responsibility for the damage or theft that may occur, and you should check your property routinely to make sure it is always secure. We will keep your keys at a secure location with only Viewings employees able to access them, with your prior consent. Should your keys be lost or not collected, it will be your responsibility to re-secure your property. If your key is lost by us, we will reimburse the cost for a replacement lock and key of equal or similar value and specification.

If you host the viewings, you should do so professionally. You should update your availability and notify the prospective viewers if you have a change of plans with at least 6 hours' notice. If you do not conduct the viewings on time or miss an allotted time it will be recorded, and we may notify other viewers of the reliability of your schedule.

Our online platform provides instant notification when an offer is made. We will ask if the buyer or tenant has sufficient means to make this purchase. On receipt and confirmation that the buyer or tenant has adequate means to make the purchase, the seller or landlord will receive a notification stating the client has provided enough evidence. However, this may change or lapse. Please note the following periods of exclusivity:

- Buyers have exclusivity for 21 working days. A buyer may be required to provide progress reports to reduce time delays.

- Tenants have 7 working days to have submitted all their information to the credit checking agency.

Once an offer is made, we will need extra details from all parties to help conclude a transaction. We will provide the sale memorandum to both parties. It is the responsibility of both parties to submit the correct information required. Without correct information, we may not be able to proceed quickly which may result in delays or even a deal being cancelled. It is your responsibility to ensure information is provided in an accurate and timely manner. We are not responsible for these matters. For conveyancing matters, these depend on the third-party contractors or your selected legal representation. We have no control over the efficiency or responsibility to complete their task. We will try to help where we feel we can make your transaction successful within our capabilities.

You may request our assistance for a transaction and we will provide help where it is possible. Additional services may be charged separately if it is outside the scope of your requested service.

If your advert is unreasonable in the sense of pricing and we have received negative feedback from other users, we will contact you to discuss a suitable approach to progress forward. Should we feel that a reasonable agreement has not been made, we may reduce our services or remove the advert. No refund will be provided. You may get a professional valuation, at your own expense, to find a suitable valuation within 28 days from the initial notice from us during which time your advert will be suspended. Viewings do not provide contestable valuations and are only able to provide a market appraisal. For an accurate valuation, you will be required to get a chartered surveyor's report at your expenses, request us to pass your details to a third-party surveyor or request us to source one for you. We may receive a referral for this service.

Regarding lettings, you should acquire a copy of the HOW TO LET GUIDE to stay compliant before uploading your property. If you do require our services, we will let your property with the service you have requested. We will collect your funds from your tenants, and should they fail to pay, it will be your responsibility to pursue any such unpaid fees. We hold no responsibility, and we are merely providing a debiting and transferring service between two parties.

It is your responsibility as both landlord and tenant to be familiar with the HOW TO RENT GUIDE. It is the landlord's responsibility to check that all the requirements have been met concerning renting out the property.

Our lettings service is a tool to help landlords and tenants navigate around rental properties. Please read our terms and condition before using our service. You will always need to provide an ID to validate your ownership or affordability.

For landlords, you must make sure you follow these regulations and be familiar with them. Should you need further clarification, please ask a licensed engineered regarding your query. Viewings will never advise or give information that it is not licensed.

Your property needs to be compliant with:

Electrical Safety Regulations, Fire Risk Regulations and Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Regulations.

Landlord and tenant rights and responsibilities in the private rented sector.

For all other guides such as how to rent, how to rent a safe home, how to let, how to lease, how to buy a home and how to sell a home, here are the governments produced guides link.

If you feel at any point, we can make improvements please let us know through email.

When securing a home and your offer is accepted, we will request a holding deposit of 7 days' worth of the rental amount. It will be credited to your first month's rent when you finally secure the tenancy. The status of the property will still be open for viewings and pending checks on the prospective tenant. This deposit will be held on your account if all the checks are successful, and the tenant does not withdraw during the setup process.

Once all the documents are received and the landlord's requirements are met, then a start date will be agreed upon between the two parties. Successful completion of a tenancy agreement is done on the exchange of keys on the agreed date or after. A tenancy ends on the return of the keys on the agreed date. Abrupt termination or failure to comply with the necessary end of agreement may result in a legal proceeding brought against you by either one of the two parties.

Signing the contracts can be done electronically or physically. You may have to visit one of the offices to do so. Once the transaction completes and funds have been received (7 Days minimum before the move-in date) you will be sent all the documents and safety certificates regarding the property. Your deposit (1-2 months value, landlords' discretion) will be kept in a government protection scheme and you will need to sign the required documents.

Once you have moved in you will be passed to one of our partners who will offer you utility services that you may require.

You must also have the right to rent. These guidelines can be found here.

The holding deposit will not be returned, if for any reason the transaction falls through due to misleading information that may arise after the application has been processed, which were not disclosed earlier (e.g. poor credit that may lead to negative results). We will deduct expenses incurred if the above occurs either in part or full, depending on the expense or time lapsed. Your deposit will be held in a client account under the property ombudsman scheme.

An itinerary will be taken by the agent or landlord depending on the service option chosen. Should you find any additional items to include in the itinerary, or if you have any issues with the itinerary provided, you will have 5 days from receiving the key to make such amendments to the itinerary.

We will outsource tenant referencing to one of the trusted partners and they will contact you to get all the information they require to process the check.

You will be required to have a guarantor. The purpose of the check is to see affordability, financial security and rental history. Each case is different, and landlord requirements vary. You will be notified of what any such landlords require. The results of the guarantor check are then sent to the landlord to make their decision. We will not influence their decision and it is entirely the landlord's decision to proceed. We provide the necessary checks only. Tenants and landlords may arrange alternate requirements, and we never hold responsibility for this.

Landlords will be charged on renewing contracts. Should there be a need change the tenancy, a £50 fee will be payable by the landlord.

If you feel you have a complaint to make, please contact us immediately, describing in detail the extent of your issue. We endeavour to deal with the complaint within 5 working days. We may request further information. We will provide a written conclusion of the matter within 28 days. Should you not be satisfied with our outcome, we will then provide you with details for the complaint's procedure at The Property Ombudsman, who will provide the outcome.