ADVICE RESOLUTIONS LEGAL SERVICES AND LAW CONSULTANCY
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS?
Can I see a member of your staff by appointment at a location convenient for me?
Yes. We arrange to meet you in a location convenient to you, subject to staff availability
If threatened with eviction could I lose my home if I do not seek your help as quickly as possible?
Yes. We are able to hold a meeting with your landlords or write to your landlords and secure that an eviction is stayed, and / or that temporary accommodation is made available to you whilst your homelessness enquiries are pending.
Will you help me to have my deposit returned from my landlord?
Yes. We can check the deposit details held regarding your landlord, and make the relevant enquiries to establish whether the deposit can be returned.
Will you help me look at the conditions of my tenancy agreement?
Yes. We can check the clauses of your tenancy. Sometimes tenancies can contain unfair clauses and you may be able to renegotiate some or all of the clauses.
Can you help me to make a social housing application?
Yes. We have extensive experience in the field of social housing
Will I need to go to court if my case requires?
Sometimes. We help you to negotiate a settlement in your case against the opponent party in a legal action, and help to secure that advice and representation is available to you to consider your options.
Can you help me to negotiate a settlement with my employer if I choose to leave my employment?
Yes. We can work with you to ensure that you take full account of any implications of reaching a settlement with your employer?
Can you attend employment appeal hearings with me at my place of employment or an employment office?
Yes we can. We can take notes and ask for documents to assist your case.
Can you attend an employment tribunal with me?
Yes. We can assist you with your trial bundle, attend hearings with you, and prepare relevant papers for hearings, take notes, help you to obtain an employment reference, financial settlement, and help you in research.
Do you take any percentage of any settlement that I receive from my employer?
Yes. Our Charity arm will assist you to negotiate with your employer and a percentage of no more than 33% donation as a minimum is offered to us on the full settlement and managed by our Advice Resolutions Charity and the remainder given to the client. Your donation helps many more potential and current clients to access justice and receive optimum assistance with their case.
Do you take deposits as well as charge fees?
No. Our fees are for hourly rates and disbursements; travel, and cost of reports, and documents that we incur costs in providing.
Do you attend Department for Work and Pensions medical meetings in cases of welfare Benefits?
Yes. we can take notes throughout the meeting and support you in the meeting with the Doctor, Nurse, or health representative.
Can you undertake welfare benefit appeals for me and attend hearings with me?
Yes we can. We can support you by writing letters appealing welfare benefits decisions and by attending meetings.
Can you help me to make applications for welfare benefits?
Yes. Not only do we help clients to claim welfare benefits but we also help clients to secure backdate awards for unclaimed benefit periods.
Can I make payments in instalments ?
Our fees are upfront charges and we do not offer any form of instalment credit time to pay. We keep our costs low for you as a potential client so that we can offer you an affordable service normally chargeable by Solicitors at several hundreds of pounds over a number of hours.
Do you offer help with confidence building and low esteem?
Yes. We can hold 1-2-1 discussions with you on re-building your career, returning to work after being a homemaker, returning to education or supporting you through a difficult employment period.
How long are the confidence and low esteem meeting sessions for?
Sessions can last for up to an hour. We offer you the 2nd hour at half price, and any subsequent hour thereafter.
Can you help me if my landlord is harassing me and threatening to evict me illegally?
Yes. We can contact your landlord and advise them of their legal obligations. We will support you in making a formal complaint to the public authorities whether the police and/or the local council. An illegal eviction is a criminal offence, a landlord can be arrested, imprisoned and have to pay a fine?
Can you help me if I am a home owner and have a neighbour dispute?
Yes. Neighbour disputes between home owners/private tenants are essentially handled privately, depending on the type of property occupied. We can act on your behalf to correspond with your neighbour and help support you to refer the matter to the public authorities. Social housing tenants are able to use our mediation services.
If I receive a backdate of welfare benefit money, do I need to pay you a
percentage of the award ?
No. You can get to keep all your backdated welfare benefits payments. We only expect to receive the charges for our services from you.
How successful are you at re-claiming welfare benefit payments owed to clients and removing the right of the public authority to ask for an overpayment?
We have a successful track record of re-claiming £thousands from the local authorities for our clients and can successfully reduce or have the overpayment reduced to nil.
How can I make payment?
Payment to us is by:
direct bank transfer
cleared funds from a Banker’s Cheque or Banker’s Draft to our office address (it is advisable to send Cheques and Drafts by recorded or special delivery to safeguard receipt). We cannot be held liable for lost post.
Do I have to pay VAT on the charges you make?
No. As we are not VAT registered. Therefore we save you even more money over a period of time.
Can you still help me if I am unable to pay your hourly rate?
Sometimes, if we have the staff capacity, we can offer a pro bono (reduced cost service from our charity Advice Resolutions (a not for profit Charity) for a donation covering the cost of materials. reports, travel and other disbursements.
Do you need my permission to act on my behalf with third parties.
Yes. We will require you to sign and complete a data protection consent form so that we can approach third party organisations.
Will you help me if I need help because my marriage has broken down ?
No. We would refer you to family law specialists
Do you represent clients in court in cases of crime?
No. Our area of law is civil law. In criminal cases, we would refer you to Solicitors specialising in criminal law that cannot be dealt with by our company. However, we undertake extensive criminal data research on behalf of our clients.
Do you represent clients in immigration matters?
No. we would refer you to Solicitors specialising in immigration law that cannot be dealt with by our company.
Can you attend a meeting with the school, University or College if my child has been expelled/suspended?
Yes. We have had success in overturning decision in this area.
Can you help me to appeal an application where my child has been refused a school place?
Yes. We can investigate the school’s policies and procedures and represent you in your case.
Can you help me to investigate whether a public building would be suitable to use as a community asset?
Yes. We can facilitate co-ordinating all the relevant interested parties and arrange a feasibility study for you.
I am thinking of starting a business and need your help. Can you assist me with a business plan/start up help?
Yes. We have experience of writing a business plan with success and can help you to achieve that success too. We can assist you in putting in place the relevant documents to see your business up and running in no time.
If I have a disability, can you hold an interview with me at a location where there are adaptations?
Yes. we have access to a wide range of community facilities.
Can you arrange for me to get access to an interpreter at interviews?
We are able to arrange for you to have access to an interpreter when we hold interviews with you, the public sector and housing association staff. Unfortunately, we are not funded for directly instructing interpreters. If the service we use is not funded for interpretation services, we would have to pass on any costs to the client.
Can you print documents for me in large print?
Yes. We can arrange large print for our clients at their request. There is a small charge for administration in our writing letters for you on your behalf.
If I have a sight impairment, can you arrange for me to have documents printed in braille?
Yes. However, there will be a charge, which may not necessarily be our own charges. As we will have to use another external company, the charges for producing the document increase our costs.
How will you look after my confidential information?
We do not share your personal details with third parties unless we have your express permission in writing. We comply with the Data Protection Act 2018.
If you need any further information please contact our office by email at: [email protected]
ADVICE RESOLUTIONS DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES –
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Do you take deposits as well as charge fees?
No. we only charge hourly rates, because we are transparent about the costs of using our services.
Do you support people with mental health, learning difficulties and learning disabilities?
Yes. We support people with a range of poor mental health, long-term and short-term depression, dyslexia, a variety of Autism including Aspergers Syndrome, and who might benefit from positive behaviour support.
Can you work alongside my main service provider to deliver your services?
Yes. We are flexible in ensuring that you maintain contact with existing service providers, and can also deliver our services through the support of your family and support staff.
Can I take part in the writing of my person-centred support plan and review?
Yes. All the time we encourage and support you to tell us what your unmet needs are, what could prevent you from achieving your dreams, what you need to maintain well-being, and who you want to be involved in your life to achieve your many dreams and aspirations.
Will you help support me at appointments with the psychiatrist, psychologist, GP, Occupational Therapist or other health professional?
Yes. If we are available on the date and time of appointment.
Can you help me to get a supporting letter from the psychiatrist, psychologist, GP, Occupational Therapist or other health professional about my health?
Yes. We are very experienced in this area of work.
Do you attend Department for Work and Pensions medical meetings in cases of welfare Benefits?
Yes. we can take notes throughout the meeting and support you in the meeting with the Doctor, Nurse, or health representative.
Can you act as an independent support advocate in meetings with health professionals when I have a complaint?
Yes, we can help you to express your feelings, your concerns and your expected outcomes.
Can you undertake welfare benefit appeals for me and attend hearings with me?
Yes we can. We can support you by writing letters appealing welfare benefits decisions and by attending meetings.
Can you help me to make applications for welfare benefits?
Yes. Not only do we help clients to claim welfare benefits but we also help clients to secure backdate awards for unclaimed benefit periods.
Can I make payments in instalments ?
Our fees are upfront charges and we do not offer any form of instalment credit time to pay. We keep our costs low for you as a potential person we may support/existing person we support because we offer an affordable service.
Do you offer help with confidence building and low esteem?
Yes. We can hold 1-2-1 discussions with you to build up your confidence to look for work, volunteer or return to education, even after supporting you through a difficult employment period.
How long are the confidence and low esteem meeting sessions for?
Sessions are a minimum charge of 2 hours. Hourly charges are £100.00
If I receive a backdate of welfare benefit money, do I need to pay you a
percentage of the award?
No. You can get to keep all your backdated welfare benefits payments. We only expect to receive the hourly rates for our services from you.
How successful are you at re-claiming welfare benefit payments owed to clients and removing the right of the public authority to ask for an overpayment?
We have a successful track record of re-claiming £thousands from the local authorities for our clients and can successfully reduce or have the overpayment reduced to nil.
How can I make payment?
Payment to us is by:
direct bank transfer in advance
Do I have to pay VAT on the charges you make?
No. As we are not VAT registered. Therefore we save you even more money over a period of time..
Do you need my permission to act on my behalf with third parties.
Yes. We will require you to sign and complete a data protection consent form so that we can approach third party organisations.
Can you print documents for me in large print?
Yes. We can arrange large print for our clients at their request.
If I have a sight impairment, can you arrange for me to have documents printed in braille?
Yes. However, there will be a charge, which may not necessarily be our own charges. As we will have to use another external company, the charges for producing the document increase our costs. We can provide you with a price on request.
How will you look after my confidential information?
We do not share your personal details with third parties unless we have your express permission in writing. We comply with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulations 2018.
What is the minimum amount of hours I have to take as a service from you?
We can only provide a minimum of 2 hours support service as it is not cost effective for us not to do so.
What is your hourly charging rate?
£45.00 per hour for our support practitioner services
£150.00 per hour for our legal services
Do I have to pay your travel, meal, entrance to venue costs, and any other costs incurred in providing me with a service?
Yes. You will have to pay for our travel if it extends beyond our usual place of attendance to provide you with a service. Our minimum travel expense is £25.
Whilst at the events/appointments our staff’s meals are chargeable at a minimum of £15 for dinner, £15 for lunch and £15 for breakfast. Any other costs incurred that are not included in the hourly rate, for example costs we incur from third parties, we have to charge the person we support/represent, directly.
Do you hold meetings in places which are accessible by disabled people?
Yes, we can use venues which can be accessed by disabled people. We, therefore , are able to make reasonable adjustments?
What age group do you work with?
We work with clients of all ages?
Do you work with clients from a variety of diverse and ethnic backgrounds?
Yes. We do. As we do not discriminate in any way in the provision of our services.
Can you refuse to take on a service?
Yes. We can. If we do not have the time, availability nor the expertise to undertake the role.
If you need any further information please contact our office by email at: [email protected] or call us on mobile: 07425 308142