REASONABLE ADJUSTMENT STATEMENT

Introduction

The Simply Conveyancing Group of companies (hereafter 'Simply Conveyancing') strives to be the first choice for quality conveyancing services delivered by a trusted team of property experts who care about giving our customers a stress free experience and peace of mind. Occasionally, in order to do this, we will need to look at making reasonable adjustments to our service. This statement sets out what a reasonable adjustment is, how to make a reasonable adjustment request to us, our duties and responsibilities and what considerations we will consider when reviewing your request. We must take reasonable steps to ensure we are compliant with Equality & Diversity legislation and regulations.

This statement does not seek to explain how we will approach every situation, it is intended as a general statement of our intention and:

  • confirms our commitment to improving accessibility for everybody that we deal with;
  • sets out some of the basic principles of our legal duty to provide reasonable adjustments; and
  • sets out the factors that we will consider when dealing with requests for reasonable adjustments.
Our legal duty.

The Equality Act 2010 requires us to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled people, defined by the Act as those who have a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on that person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. This will, in some circumstances, mean that disabled people receive more favourable treatment than non-disabled people, which is lawful in the context of disability.

Duty to make reasonable adjustments as a service provider.

As a service provider, Simply Conveyancing has a duty to make adjustments if the way that we carry out these functions, the absence of an auxiliary aid, or any physical feature places the disabled person at a “substantial disadvantage” compared to someone who is not disabled. The duty requires Simply Conveyancing to consider what can be done to overcome any such disadvantage, and whether an adjustment can be made which is reasonable in all the circumstances of the case.

What is a reasonable adjustment?

A reasonable adjustment involves making a change to the way that we usually do things to ensure that we are fair to our clients. This may involve:

  • departing from our usual practice in the way we do things if we find that the current position places that person at a substantial disadvantage, for instance by allowing more time than we usually would for someone to respond or provide information.
  • providing additional support, such as using a text relay service or video-calling.
  • making sure our buildings do not present obstacles for people with impairments, for instance by providing ground level meeting rooms.

We will not make assumptions about whether a disabled person requires any adjustments or about what those adjustments should be. We will discuss the requirements with the person concerned and seek to reach agreement on what may be reasonable in the circumstances.

Requesting reasonable adjustments

To request a reasonable adjustment, a client should contact the Property Lawyer assigned to their case. We will let clients know that we are able to offer reasonable adjustments in certain circumstances, for example in the following ways:

  • by asking whether an adjustment might be required.
  • by publishing this statement on our website.
  • by referring to and providing this statement if a client asks whether we can make reasonable adjustments.
Types of reasonable adjustment we can offer

We will consider each request for reasonable adjustments individually as any reasonable adjustments will be unique to the circumstances of that individual or transaction. The adjustments will always be agreed with the person concerned to avoid making incorrect assumptions about specific needs.

Some examples of the simple reasonable adjustments that staff can make may include:

  • providing documents or correspondence in a larger font size.
  • using email or the telephone in preference to hard copy letters where appropriate, which may assist those with a vision impairment.
  • speaking clearly and offering additional time to cover issues which need to be discussed - this will help everyone understand our processes and procedures.
  • using plain English appropriate to the person we are dealing with and avoiding jargon.
  • using text relay services to hold calls.
  • communicating with people through their representative or advocate, if requested and approved by them.
  • using a sign language interpreter for the hard of hearing. We would normally expect a client to source the interpreter although, if this is not possible, Simply Conveyancing will make reasonable efforts to locate a suitable person.

This is not an exhaustive list and other adjustments will be considered on a case-by-case basis. It is important to note that not all the adjustments (as listed above) will be reasonable, permissible or practical in particular situations. A minority of requests may require more detailed consideration.

Our response to requests for reasonable adjustment

In the majority of cases we will be able to agree and deliver the required reasonable adjustments with a minimum of delay. In some cases, we may need to consider in more detail how best to overcome the difficulty a disabled person may be experiencing. For example, where the adjustment requested may be difficult to provide or where it may interfere with our statutory or regulatory obligations.

How do we decide what is "reasonable"?

The Equality Act does not define what is "reasonable" but guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission suggests that whether an adjustment will be considered reasonable will depend on several factors, which may include:

  • the needs of the disabled client.
  • the effectiveness of the adjustment.
  • the cost of the adjustment.
  • how practical it is for us to make the adjustment.
  • whether your request would affect our responsibilities towards other people.

An adjustment will not be deemed to reasonable if it involves unreasonable cost to Simply Conveyancing.

Monitoring

Information about your disability is deemed 'sensitive personal data' and will be processed in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.

Simply Conveyancing will record and monitor the reasonable adjustments that have been requested and made. This will allow us to review the services we provide and help us identify whether there are any wider steps that we can take to improve our business.

Simply Conveyancing is the trading name of a group of companies which includes the Council for Licensed Conveyancers regulated practice Simply Conveyancing Property Lawyers Limited (Licence 11381) Companies House No. 06903831. For more information, see Privacy Notice