These Terms & Conditions apply to any work done for the Client by the Freelancer (Lynn Brown, SmartEdit).

The Client is under no obligation to offer the Freelancer work; neither is the Freelancer under any obligation to accept work offered by the Client.

The Freelancer will provide service(s) as mutually agreed, confirmed in writing by the Client.

The work will be carried out unsupervised at such times and places as determined by the Freelancer, using their own equipment.

The Freelancer confirms that they are self-employed, are responsible for their own income tax and National Insurance contributions, and will not claim benefits granted to the Client’s employees.

The Client will reimburse the Freelancer for agreed reasonable expenses over and above usual expenses incurred in the process of editorial work.

The Client will pay the Freelancer a fee per hour OR per 1,000 words in the original document OR per printed page OR an agreed flat fee for the job.

The completed work will be delivered on or before the date agreed, for the agreed fee, which will be based on the description of the work required and the brief, both supplied by the Client.

If, however, on receipt of the item to be worked on, or at an early stage, it becomes apparent that significantly more work is required than had been anticipated in the preliminary discussion/brief, the Freelancer may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline.

Similarly, if, during the term of the Freelancer’s work, additional tasks are requested by the Client, the Freelancer may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline.

If the project is lengthy, the Freelancer may invoice periodically for completed stages.

All content delivered to the Freelancer by the Client for the proofreading/copyediting project is owned by the Client. Any content created by the Freelancer as part of the copyediting/proofreading process will become the copyright of the Client, unless otherwise agreed. In this respect, the Client agrees to hold the Freelancer harmless from and against all claims, liabilities and expenses arising out of any potential or actual copyright or trademark misappropriation or infringement claimed against them.

The nature and content of the work will be kept confidential and not made known to anyone other than the Client and its contractors without prior written permission.

If the Freelancer’s work does not meet the standards outlined in the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading’s Professional Practice Code, the Freelancer will rectify it in their own time and at their own expense.

Unless agreed otherwise at the outset, payment will be made within 14 days of receipt of the Freelancer’s invoice, according to the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 (amended 2002 and 2013).

The corrections remain the copyright of the Freelancer until payment is made. That is, payment must be made before publication.

The information that the Client and the Freelancer may keep on record is covered by the terms of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR, 2018). No more such information will be held than is necessary, at any time, to comply with those terms and with any compliance statement or privacy policy published by the Client and/or the Freelancer. Both the Client and the Freelancer agree that, where consent is required to hold or process such data, such consent has been requested and obtained, and both facts can be demonstrated.

Either the Client or the Freelancer has the right to terminate a contract for services if there is a serious breach of its terms.

The Client may terminate a contract for any reason upon ten days’ written notice and fair compensation for work performed to date. The Freelancer must cease all work immediately upon notification. Any deposit paid is non-refundable.

The Freelancer may terminate a contract for any reason upon the refund of any unearned deposit and delivery of work completed to date.

The Freelancer may use the Client’s name in their promotional material and will first obtain the Client’s permission to do so.

This agreement is subject to the laws of England and Wales, and both Freelancer and Client agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the English and Welsh courts.