Solicitors Specialising in Claims against Architects

When commissioning any building or arranging other building works, it’s essential that any building is fit for the purpose for which it was designed. Architects are highly qualified professionals and their services don’t come cheap. Whilst most architects produce consistent work of a very high standard, there are occasions when architect negligence does occur. It can prove very expensive to remedy any problem in a building designed by a negligent architect – that’s why architects have professional negligence insurance.

If you have suffered financial loss caused by architect negligence, and if you can prove that the work done by the architect is below the standards expected of easily competent architect, you may have grounds for a professional negligence claim.

Looking for the right legal advice advice on a possible claim against a negligent architect? Call our expert professional negligence team on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544  for FREE initial phone advice – with no strings attached.

Architect Negligence Claims – the Need for a Specialist Solicitor

Making professional negligence claims against architects is a complex area of law. As a result you need to ensure that the solicitor you instruct really knows what they’re doing.

You can rest assured that our specialist professional negligence team have that expertise.

We are one of a small number of solicitors nationwide who are members of the Professional Negligence Lawyers Association – the only national organisation for professional negligence specialists.

Not sure whether you’ve got the right solicitor for your case? Just ask them about their professional negligence experience.

Suing Your Architect – Types of Negligence Claims

Common areas of architect professional negligence include:

• Negligent architect advice
• Inadequate plans/designs
• Insufficient project preparation;
• Inadequate project management;
• Failing to keep any project within budget;
• Contractual problems

Proving your architect negligence claim

The key to understanding architect negligence claims is to be aware of what exactly constitutes negligence.  Any new building that is finished will have a series of defects.  These are usually identified as part of the ‘snagging list’ when the architects and the builders go round a building and identify what has not been finished correctly and what isn’t quite right.

The defects are a normal part of any building and certainly if every building that had defects could be subject to a professional negligence claim, the construction industry would soon be non-existent, such would be the legislation.

So a building with defects per se does not qualify as being a building that has been built by a negligent architect.  It depends really on the extent of the defects and whether or not the defects exist to such an extent that the house is not safe, or that the house doesn’t fulfil the brief or that the house is not worth the money it took to build it, because of the defects.  This last point is important.  Often it can take say £500,000 to build a house, but, if there is then an economic slump, the house may only be worth £400,000.  In itself this does not mean that there is a case for a professional negligence compensation claim.  This is because the value of the house has only been brought down by external forces.  If, on the other hand, the value of the house had been brought down because the roof had always leaked, then there could be an argument that someone had been negligent.  If the roof is investigated thoroughly and it is found that the architect didn’t design it properly, then negligence has occurred and the client should be looking for professional negligence solicitors at his or her earliest opportunity.

The main problem with regard to a professional negligence claim against an architect is where the architect didn’t design something very well, but in addition, the engineer didn’t do their part and there can be a culture of trying to reapportion blame.  But if the case is straightforward, then a professional negligence claim against an architect can often be settled quite quickly (in legal terms!)

Suffered Architect Negligence? Contact us first

Wherever you live in the UK, if architect negligence has caused your financial loss, get in touch with our specialist Professional Negligence Solicitors today.

We can take your instructions by phone or e-mail, or by meeting you in our Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset offices.

For a FREE first phone consultation about suing a negligent architect:

• call us on now on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544

• use the contact form below: