If you've had your property dreams dashed by an architect, it’s time to talk to Your Legal Friend.
If you've had your property dreams dashed by an architect, it’s time to talk to Your Legal Friend.
I am very happy and satisfied with the settlement you achieved for me and the service was excellent and thank you very much
Mrs E.Swaffield
Loughborough
If you’ve had your property dreams dashed by an architect’s negligence, you could make a professional negligence claim to recover the cost of rectifying their mistakes, any consequential losses or expenses on your part, and compensation for your trouble.
Architects are commissioned to provide a variety of services, from designing new builds or renovations to overseeing and supervising their construction. But in the world of property design or construction, negligence on the part of an architect can be very costly, and even dangerous. Mistakes in this field are often incredibly expensive and time-consuming to rectify and can leave clients out of pocket.
When you’re involved in some kind of construction project, you expect is to be able to put your faith in your architect. These professionals have trained for many years to ensure they deliver client’s projects successfully – and the vast majority of them perform their duties to a high standard.
Read moreUnfortunately, there are occasions where architects make mistakes as a result of negligence. Poor designs, failure to manage the project appropriately, health and safety breaches and mismanagement of project costs can all lead to catastrophic consequences for the client, who could be left out of pocket, or even without a home.
In these instances, there could be grounds for the client to sue their architect for professional negligence.
Architects are heavily involved with most building projects, collaborating with the client in the early design stages and seeing the project through to its completion. The early stages of an architect’s work include developing a design with the client’s input, establishing a budget for the job and assessing the requirements of the proposed building.
Architects also work closely with engineers and contractors throughout the build, adhering to health and safety standards and helping to ensure that the project is delivered on time and on budget.
Naturally, there is a lot of pressure on architects to succeed in their role – entire building projects are at stake and the consequences for clients can be enormous if the architect gets it wrong.
Read lessOur Financial, Property and Professional Claims team is headed by senior solicitor Claire Critchley who has over 10 years’ experience dealing with complex legal claims against a variety of professionals.
This includes claims against surveyors, architects, estate agents and solicitors, in addition to dealing with financial disputes involving mis-sold mortgages and interest rate swaps.
Read moreClaire also has significant experience in representing large companies and financial institutions in a range of different legal service areas including breach of contract, debt recovery and insolvency litigation.
For an informal, confidential chat about claiming with one of our expert professional negligence solicitors, call us now (calls free from landlines and mobiles). Or just complete the 'Request a Callback’ or ‘Start My Claim Online’ options and we'll call you straight back.
Throughout your claim, Your Legal Friend will help you every step of the way
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This is not about a claims culture. We just want to defend the rights of the people who are suffering because of this.
Head of Professional Negligence
“I found the staff to be friendly, helpful, courteous and they kept me well informed on a regular basis”
Mrs. Vora,
Loughborough
“They acted in a sympathetic and professional manner and resolved my case very efficiently”
Mr Dowse
Leeds
When an architect fails to perform their responsibilities to the standard that the client can reasonably expect, we call this ‘architect negligence’.
In some cases where mistakes are made, you may be able to resolve this amicably between you, so you can keep your project moving while maintaining your working relationship. But where you experience a serious loss, or where your plans are effectively ruined due to sub-standard work on their part (and your architect refuses to acknowledge this or to put it right), then making a professional negligence claim against your architect may be your only option.
Read moreSome examples of architect negligence include:
This isn’t an exhaustive list, and there are many other examples of architect negligence that could also see the client eligible to make a claim. If you’re unsure if you have a case, request a free call back and we’ll discuss your circumstances to see whether this is an option for you.
Read lessFor the client, the consequences of an architect’s negligence can be significant. A client may be left with huge costs (or debt) if an architect’s plans are erroneous, or if they provide incorrect advice. A client wishing to build a home could see that home demolished if the architect doesn’t obtain the relevant planning permission.
If you’ve suffered a financial loss as a result of negligence on the part of your architect, you may be able to make a compensation claim that will see your losses recovered. Our expert professional negligence solicitors will help you determine whether the errors made by your architect can be classed as negligent, as well as considering how best to pursue your claim and recover the compensation you deserve.
So that we can represent you effectively, we’ll need to know the following things:
Once you’ve supplied us with these details, we can start investigating the case and advising you on your next steps. Most architects have professional indemnity insurance which will ensure you recover the full amount from them when you win your case.
If we discover that the architect’s actions don’t qualify as negligence, we can still help you to report them to the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Architects Registration Board.
Read lessIf you want to pursue a professional negligence case against your architect, you’ll need to prove the following:
You might have received incorrect advice from an architect, or their plans may have been inadequate. They might have failed to oversee a project correctly or keep your project within the specific budget. Perhaps they mismanaged materials or were the cause of health and safety breaches on a construction site. Whatever the architect’s failings, our team can help you pursue a professional negligence claim that will see them brought to account while you’re appropriately compensated.
Because the circumstances surrounding every claim and their effects are different, it’s very difficult to give a definitive answer on how long it takes to settle a claim. Often it depends on how quickly our clients provide us with essential information, how quickly we can get your file of papers from the architect in question, and any expert reports required, and whether the insurance companies are willing to provide realistic offers to settle the claims.
Read moreWhilst we aim to settle your claim as quickly as possible, we also want to ensure we secure the maximum compensation for you. This often means we have to do some hard negotiation with the defendants – which takes extra time. Our aim is to balance progressing the claim as fast as possible with getting you the maximum settlement.
We realise that you’ll be keen to know about the progress of your claim so we will send you regular emails and texts to keep you up to date, and also to remind you if there is any information we’re waiting for from you.
Read lessProfessional negligence claims must be brought within six years of the day on which the negligent act occurred. If you haven’t brought a claim by this deadline, you will be unable to do so. Sometimes, claimants aren’t actually aware of the negligence when it first occurs, and so the first rule would be unfair to these people. In this instance, the claimant would have three years from the date of discovering the negligence to bring their claim to court. There is also a ‘long stop’ date of fifteen years from the act of negligence. If this date passes, you will not be able to bring the claim, regardless of when you found out about the negligence.
When an architect fails to perform their responsibilities to the standard that the client can reasonably expect, we call this ‘architect negligence’.
In some cases where mistakes are made, you may be able to resolve this amicably between you, so you can keep your project moving while maintaining your working relationship. But where you experience a serious loss, or where your plans are effectively ruined due to sub-standard work on their part (and your architect refuses to acknowledge this or to put it right), then making a professional negligence claim against your architect may be your only option.
Read moreSome examples of architect negligence include:
This isn’t an exhaustive list, and there are many other examples of architect negligence that could also see the client eligible to make a claim. If you’re unsure if you have a case, request a free call back and we’ll discuss your circumstances to see whether this is an option for you.
Read lessFor the client, the consequences of an architect’s negligence can be significant. A client may be left with huge costs (or debt) if an architect’s plans are erroneous, or if they provide incorrect advice. A client wishing to build a home could see that home demolished if the architect doesn’t obtain the relevant planning permission.
If you’ve suffered a financial loss as a result of negligence on the part of your architect, you may be able to make a compensation claim that will see your losses recovered. Our expert professional negligence solicitors will help you determine whether the errors made by your architect can be classed as negligent, as well as considering how best to pursue your claim and recover the compensation you deserve.
So that we can represent you effectively, we’ll need to know the following things:
Once you’ve supplied us with these details, we can start investigating the case and advising you on your next steps. Most architects have professional indemnity insurance which will ensure you recover the full amount from them when you win your case.
If we discover that the architect’s actions don’t qualify as negligence, we can still help you to report them to the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Architects Registration Board.
Read lessIf you want to pursue a professional negligence case against your architect, you’ll need to prove the following:
You might have received incorrect advice from an architect, or their plans may have been inadequate. They might have failed to oversee a project correctly or keep your project within the specific budget. Perhaps they mismanaged materials or were the cause of health and safety breaches on a construction site. Whatever the architect’s failings, our team can help you pursue a professional negligence claim that will see them brought to account while you’re appropriately compensated.
Because the circumstances surrounding every claim and their effects are different, it’s very difficult to give a definitive answer on how long it takes to settle a claim. Often it depends on how quickly our clients provide us with essential information, how quickly we can get your file of papers from the architect in question, and any expert reports required, and whether the insurance companies are willing to provide realistic offers to settle the claims.
Read moreWhilst we aim to settle your claim as quickly as possible, we also want to ensure we secure the maximum compensation for you. This often means we have to do some hard negotiation with the defendants – which takes extra time. Our aim is to balance progressing the claim as fast as possible with getting you the maximum settlement.
We realise that you’ll be keen to know about the progress of your claim so we will send you regular emails and texts to keep you up to date, and also to remind you if there is any information we’re waiting for from you.
Read lessProfessional negligence claims must be brought within six years of the day on which the negligent act occurred. If you haven’t brought a claim by this deadline, you will be unable to do so. Sometimes, claimants aren’t actually aware of the negligence when it first occurs, and so the first rule would be unfair to these people. In this instance, the claimant would have three years from the date of discovering the negligence to bring their claim to court. There is also a ‘long stop’ date of fifteen years from the act of negligence. If this date passes, you will not be able to bring the claim, regardless of when you found out about the negligence.
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