Buying or selling your property is a stressful experience at the best of times, so the last thing you need is to be let down by your surveyor or valuer. Surveyors and valuers have a legal duty of care to ensure that the surveys they produce are accurate. This is for good reason, as their reports are often relied on in matters involving large amounts of money.
If things go wrong, you could be left facing an equally large financial loss. Mistakes on the part of surveyors or valuers could deprive a buyer of an opportunity to reduce the purchase price of the property and/or lead to hefty repair bills.
If you believe your surveyor or valuer has acted negligently and you have suffered financially as a result, you may be entitled to compensation. Our experienced team can help if your claim has arisen in the last six years, except in limited cases where there has been latent (hidden) damage.
Case Study
Several months after our clients had purchased their home, part of the roof collapsed. They had obtained all of the appropriate surveys and had asked questions about those surveys as part of the buying process, and so felt comfortable in the knowledge that, although it was a period property, they understood the extent of the works required as well as the associated costs. It was therefore a shock when the roof spontaneously collapsed.
There was a complicated picture as to who was legally liable to compensate the homeowners. Whilst it transpired upon a review of the reports that the surveyor had not properly evaluated the condition of the property, there had been work carried out on the roof a few months before the collapse. There were also questions as to the role of the privately contracted Building Regulation inspectors and those who drew plans for alterations to the house.
In a scenario such as this, identifying the party who is legally liable is key. This involves considering not only whether a professional has breached the duty of care which they owed, but also establishing that the breach of duty caused the loss complained of.
It is always important to be sure that the party at fault has the financial ability to pay compensation. Surveyors and Building Regulation professionals are required to have professional indemnity insurance to practice and hence, successful claims against them will be satisfied by their insurers.
In this case, a report from an expert surveyor experienced in court litigation was obtained to identify the cause of the roof collapse, helping us to identify the correct party to pursue.
