Terms and Conditions for Video Consultations
Real Life Architecture. Please read these terms before you book. When you book, they form the contract between you and RLA Media Ltd.
Version 1.1, 25 September 2026.
1. Who you are dealing with
1.1 Your consultation is a contract between you ("you") and RLA Media Ltd, trading as Real Life Architecture. RLA Media Ltd is registered in Scotland, company number SC768354. Its registered office is 18-20 North Street, Glenrothes, Scotland, KY7 5NA, and it trades from 14 Albany Street, Edinburgh EH1 3QB.
1.2 In these terms, "I", "me" and "my" mean Níall Hedderman, a director of RLA Media Ltd, acting on its behalf. I give every consultation myself. I am the architect in control and management of the architectural work, registered with the Architects Registration Board (ARB), registration number 075242H, and I am regulated by ARB and subject to the Architects Code.
1.3 You book through www.RealLifeArchitecture.co.uk, which RLA Media Ltd owns. You can contact me at project@RealLifeArchitecture.co.uk.
2. What the consultation is
2.1 A consultation is a video call with me on Zoom, followed by a written summary sent by email. Most consultations cover one property. Choosing Between Two Properties covers two, so that you can compare them before deciding which to buy. The consultations I offer are listed on my website with their length and fee, and include Consultation Before Buying a House, Choosing Between Two Properties, Consultation Before Altering Your Home, Consultation Before Building a House, Consultation Before Buying Land and Consultation Before Converting a Property.
2.2 The call lasts for the time shown when you book. If more time is needed, that is at my discretion.
2.3 Before the call, I read what you have sent. On the call I give my view on whether your plans are realistic for your budget, the planning and building regulations issues likely to arise, and what to do next. Where two properties are booked, I do this for each and compare them.
2.4 After the call I email you a written summary of the main points discussed. It lists the statutory approvals your project is likely to need, and gives guidance on approaching local architects with a clear description of the works you want. It is a summary of a conversation. It is not a formal report or a specification.
2.5 The consultation does not include drawings, design work, specifications or detailed estimates of construction costs or professional fees. Any costs or fees I mention are broad estimates only and exclude VAT.
2.6 I have no continuing responsibility for your project once the written summary has been sent to you.
3. Properties and projects I do and do not cover
3.1 The property must be in the United Kingdom.
3.2 Each consultation covers a single dwelling (a house or a flat), except Choosing Between Two Properties, which covers two dwellings, two plots of land, or one of each. I do not advise on commercial property.
3.3 I advise on converting a non-domestic building into a single home. I do not advise on houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), mixed use projects, dividing a property into flats, or developing a site into several separate homes.
3.4 I do not advise on projects involving alterations to, conversion of, or waterproofing of a basement. A property that already has a basement can be discussed, as long as no such work to the basement is proposed.
3.5 You must not book a consultation if you have already appointed another architect for the property.
3.6 If a booking falls outside this section, clause 7 explains what happens to your fee.
4. The fee
4.1 The fee for your consultation is the fee shown when you book. You pay in full at booking. Fees may differ between times, for example where a same-day time is available, and I review them from time to time. A change never affects a booking already made.
4.2 The fee covers reading what you send, the call, and the written summary. Nothing else is charged unless you agree to it in writing first.
5. What you must do
5.1 After you book, you must reply to the confirmation email with the postal address of the property, photographs and any drawings you have. If some of these are not available, I will discuss what is needed with you before the call.
5.2 Before the call you must give me your construction budget, meaning the sum you do not wish to exceed, so that I can judge whether the project is feasible.
5.3 You must give accurate information. My advice depends on what you tell me and show me.
5.4 You must join the call on time from a device and connection that can run Zoom.
5.5 You must not record the call.
5.6 The final design, construction costs, professional fees and timescales of your project are your responsibility, together with your own design team and building contractors.
5.7 If you are thinking of buying a property, advice about how it might be developed must be considered alongside advice from other professionals, such as solicitors, engineers and surveyors. I will tell you which professionals to consult and on what issues. Arranging that advice, and weighing it all together before you buy, is your responsibility.
6. What I will do, and its limits
6.1 I will give the consultation with reasonable skill and care.
6.2 If your budget is below the minimum your project needs, I will tell you and discuss any feasible alternative.
6.3 I do not guarantee that any statutory approval will be granted, including planning permission, listed building consent and building regulations approval. After the call, you must confirm what approvals are required with your own design team.
6.4 I am not appointed as Principal Designer under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 or any other legislation, and I do not advise on compliance with health and safety legislation.
7. Cancelling, moving the call, and refunds
7.1 You may cancel at any time before the call starts and your fee will be refunded in full. No charge is deducted. To cancel, email project@RealLifeArchitecture.co.uk or use the cancellation link in your booking confirmation.
7.2 You may move your call to another available time once, free of charge, at any time before it starts.
7.3 Your right to cancel. As a consumer, you have the right to cancel within 14 days of booking without giving a reason. Most calls take place within those 14 days, so when you book you are asked to request that the consultation goes ahead within them. Once the consultation has been fully given, you no longer have a right to cancel. Clause 7.1 gives you more than the law requires, because it lets you cancel for a full refund at any time before the call, even after the 14 days.
7.4 If you do not join within 10 minutes of the start time and have not cancelled, the consultation is treated as having been given and no refund is due. If you join late, the call ends at my discretion.
7.5 If I have to cancel, or the call fails because of a problem on my side, I will offer you a new time or a full refund, whichever you prefer.
7.6 If I find out before the call that your booking falls outside section 3, I will cancel it and your fee will be refunded in full. If it only becomes clear during the call, I will end the call and your fee will be refunded less the payment processing charge the booking system made on your booking.
7.7 No refund is due if it emerges during the call that you have already appointed another architect for the property, in which case the call will end. No refund is due because your project turns out to be unaffordable for your budget, or because you are unhappy with an alternative I suggest.
7.8 If I suspect that you are trying to evade tax, avoid health and safety duties, or carry out work without the proper statutory approvals, I will end the call and no refund is due.
7.9 Refunds are paid within 14 days, to the payment method you used.
8. Liability
8.1 The total liability of RLA Media Ltd to you arising from a consultation, whether in contract, negligence or otherwise, is limited to the fee you paid for it.
8.2 RLA Media Ltd is not liable for a decision you make, such as buying a property or proceeding with a project, that you did not check with the other professionals named in clause 5.7 or with your own design team.
8.3 Nothing in these terms limits or excludes liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for anything else the law does not allow to be limited or excluded. Nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights as a consumer.
9. Insurance
9.1 RLA Media Ltd holds professional indemnity insurance, as required by ARB.
10. Your information
10.1 RLA Media Ltd is the controller of the personal information you give. I collect your name, email address, phone number, home address, the address of the property, your budget, the photographs, drawings and other material you send, and the written summary of your call.
10.2 I use this information to give your consultation, to deal with any question or complaint about it, and to keep the records the law and ARB require. The lawful bases are the performance of the contract with you, legal obligations, and the legitimate interest in keeping a record of the advice given.
10.3 It is shared only with the services used to run the consultation (my website and booking system, Zoom and my email provider), my accountant, and, if a claim or complaint arises, insurers and legal advisers. Some of these services store data outside the UK, under the safeguards UK data protection law requires. Your information is never sold and is not used for marketing without your consent.
10.4 Consultation records are kept for six years after the call, then deleted.
10.5 You may ask to see, correct or delete your information, or object to how it is used, by emailing project@RealLifeArchitecture.co.uk. If you are unhappy with how your information is handled, you may complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.
11. Complaints
11.1 If you are unhappy with any part of your consultation, email me at project@RealLifeArchitecture.co.uk with your full name, the date of your consultation and the address of the property.
11.2 I will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days, and send you a full response, or an update on progress, within 20 working days. My written complaints-handling procedure is available on request.
11.3 If your complaint is about the conduct or competence of an architect, you may bring it to the Architects Registration Board. Nothing in these terms prevents you from raising concerns with ARB at any time.
11.4 If a dispute under this contract is not resolved, details of approved alternative dispute resolution providers are available through the Trading Standards Institute at www.tradingstandards.uk.
12. General
12.1 The terms that apply to your consultation are the version published on my website when you booked.
12.2 These terms are governed by the law of Scotland. You may bring proceedings in the courts of Scotland or of the part of the UK where you live.
12.3 If a court finds part of these terms unenforceable, the rest continues to apply.
Useful contacts
Architects Registration Board, 5th floor, 70 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8NH. Telephone 020 7580 5861. www.arb.org.uk
Information Commissioner's Office: ico.org.uk
Real Life Architecture is a trading name of RLA Media Ltd, registered in Scotland, SC768354. Terms version 1.1, 25 September 2026.