Terms of Engagement

The terms on which Retrospective Planning Experts provides planning services. These terms apply to every engagement unless we agree otherwise in writing.

Last updated: April 2026

1. Who we are

Retrospective Planning Experts ("RPE", "we", "us", "our") is a Chartered Town Planning practice regulated under the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Code of Professional Conduct. Our postal address is 1 Victoria Street, Redcliffe, Bristol BS1 6AA. Email: info@rpexperts.co.uk. Phone: 01172 565 075.

2. Services

We provide professional planning advice and prepare planning applications on behalf of clients — principally retrospective planning applications, responses to enforcement notices, certificates of lawfulness, appeals, and related written submissions. The specific scope of any engagement will be confirmed in writing before work starts.

3. Quotes and fees

4. What is included

Unless stated otherwise in your engagement confirmation, our fixed fee includes:

Items not included in the standard fee (and quoted separately if required) include: the council's application fee; land ownership or boundary surveys; measured building surveys; arboricultural, ecology, heritage or flood risk specialist reports; appeals; attendance at planning committee; and public inquiries.

5. Your responsibilities

6. Outcomes and warranties

Planning is a professional judgement exercised by the Local Planning Authority on the merits of each case. We do not and cannot guarantee that an application will be approved. What we commit to is a diligent, evidenced and professionally competent case, prepared in accordance with the RTPI Code of Professional Conduct and with reasonable skill and care.

7. Professional indemnity and limitation of liability

We carry professional indemnity insurance in accordance with RTPI requirements. Our total liability to you for any claim arising out of or in connection with an engagement is limited to the amount of our fee actually paid in respect of that engagement, or £1,000,000 whichever is the lower, except where liability cannot lawfully be limited (for example, for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for fraud).

8. Intellectual property

We retain copyright and all other intellectual property rights in the documents, drawings and other materials we prepare, and you receive a licence to use them for the specific planning application they were prepared for once our fees are paid in full.

9. Confidentiality and data protection

We treat client information in confidence. We process personal data in accordance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. See our Privacy Policy for full detail.

10. Complaints

If you are unhappy with any aspect of our service, please raise it with us in the first instance by email to info@rpexperts.co.uk. We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days and aim to resolve it within 20 working days. Matters that cannot be resolved directly can be escalated to the RTPI under its Code of Professional Conduct complaints procedure: rtpi.org.uk/membership/professional-standards.

11. Cancellation

Either party may terminate an engagement in writing. If you terminate after work has started, you remain liable for fees in respect of work reasonably undertaken up to the date of termination. Consumer clients engaging us at a distance have statutory cancellation rights under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, which will be explained in your engagement confirmation.

12. Governing law

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

13. Changes

We may update these terms from time to time. The "last updated" date at the top of the page reflects the current version. The terms that apply to your engagement are those in force on the date your engagement confirmation is issued.

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Last reviewed by a Chartered Town Planner: April 2026