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Please fill in this form with your details, and check that you’re happy with my terms and conditions.

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I have read and agree to the terms and conditions found below.

“I/me/my” means Kim Hunter, 26 Rivington Avenue, Adlington, Lancashire. PR6 9PX.
“You/your” means the client.

Your contact and family information is treated as strictly confidential and will not be provided to any other person or organisation without your permission. If you wish me to communicate with anyone other than you regarding your research, I will first require your written permission to do so.
I may from time to time publish extracts from my research on my website and social media sites.
Occasionally I may incorporate results of research in academic coursework, talks, or publications. No information about living people will be revealed. By agreeing to these terms and conditions, you give permission for your research to be used in this way. Any new discoveries will still be communicated to you.
Before beginning any research, I will confirm your instructions in writing, along with my understanding of any specific research requests.
If you provide details of any previous research, it is your responsibility to ensure its accuracy to avoid any research being inadvertently repeated, unless you specifically instruct me to verify it. Anything duplicated due to undisclosed prior findings will still be billed.
You understand that I cannot guarantee the discovery of any particular person, family, or record, and that the outcome of searches cannot be predicted. If a search is unsuccessful, I reserve the right to charge for the time spent.

I offer family and house history research of the highest quality. You will be kept informed of progress at regular intervals, and I aim to ensure that clients are happy, aware, and involved at every stage.
I will not exceed the time initially commissioned by you without prior agreement.
I will report my findings with detailed sources. If research is unsuccessful, I will outline the avenues explored.
Paid time includes research, analysis, creating charts, and writing reports. It may also include communication time, where applicable.
If research reaches an insurmountable hurdle early on, I may offer a partial refund based on time already spent.
If research takes less time than expected, any unused pre-paid hours will be refunded.
In some cases, I may instruct carefully chosen sub-contractors with your agreement, due to location or specialist knowledge.
I remain the primary contact and oversee all research conducted under the Kim Hunter Genealogy banner.

As a member of the Register of Qualified Genealogists (RQG), I follow their Professional Code, which is available at: qualifiedgenealogists.org/the-professional-code

For research under 10 hours, an estimate and full invoice will be provided upfront. For longer projects, staged payments will be offered. I will not begin work until the initial payment is received.
Travel to archives may incur additional costs.

The cost of documents is charged in addition to my fees and will not be incurred without your prior agreement.
If a budget is agreed, documents may be purchased without your consent unless doing so would exceed the budget.
If document costs are unclear upfront, they will be invoiced separately.

Not all research will uncover the information hoped for. All time spent researching (even if the outcome is negative) is valuable and will be included in the report.

Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, you may cancel within 14 working days of confirming the agreement. If you wish for work to begin immediately, you authorise this by confirming these terms. If you later cancel, you must do so in writing, and you will be charged for any work already completed. Any balance owed to you will be refunded within 14 days.

I may decline cases where success is unlikely, e.g., where the only starting point is “his name was John Smith and he was born in the UK around 1900.”
If payment terms are not met, I reserve the right to cancel instructions and discontinue work, though outstanding fees will still be payable.
Continued failure to pay may result in dispute resolution or legal proceedings, with further costs potentially payable by you.
If I receive no confirmation within 14 days, I will assume you do not wish to proceed and will take no further action.

I do not accept responsibility for any errors in original documents.
My liability for loss or damage is limited to the value of the contract.
Any third-party researchers involved are subject to these same terms. If they have their own terms, it is your responsibility to review them.

All documents I prepare, including charts, reports, transcriptions and translations, remain the copyright of Kim Hunter and must not be published without permission.
Digitised material from websites remains the copyright of the respective websites and will be acknowledged in my work.
GRO documents (PDF or certified copies) obtained by me on your behalf belong to you but remain Crown copyright.

By agreeing to these terms, you consent to me storing and processing your personal data as required for your research, and retaining it for a minimum of 5 years.
Personal documents containing information on living individuals are shared with their implied consent.

If you are dissatisfied, I will work with you to resolve the issue promptly and, if necessary, offer a refund. If not resolved, I refer you to the RQG’s Resolution Procedure: RQG Resolution Procedure (PDF)

Notices should be addressed to Kim Hunter, 26 Rivington Avenue, Adlington, Lancashire. PR6 9PX.

If injury or ill health prevents me from completing your research, I will provide a full report, supporting documentation, and written consent for another researcher to continue. You will be charged only for the work completed.
In the event of my death, my Executors will provide copies of any work completed, along with documentation from my records. These terms serve as my consent for another genealogist to continue. Remaining payments will be refunded as soon as possible, subject to probate.

These terms are based on the Register of Qualified Genealogists’ Client Terms template (September 2020), as amended by Kim Hunter, 26 Rivington Avenue, Adlington, Lancashire. PR6 9PX.