Professional Negligence Claims Against Architects And Building Contractors – An Overview

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Comments Off

Professional Negligence Claims Against Architects And Building Contractors – An Overview
In th UK there are many claims for professional negligence that are bought against architects and building contractors. There are many difficulties that professionals can fall into that will be classed as negligence in the eyes of the law. This article will look at what constitutes as negligence and the way in which you can make a claim if you feel as if you have been subject to a loss because of it.

Construction is a very expensive business to be in, a business where time literally means money. If a project overruns it can cost the developer thousands of pounds in extra fees so it is crucial that deadlines are met. Failure to meet deadlines set out in a contract can amount to professional negligence if it can be proven that the failure to meet the deadline has caused the developer a loss. As construction is so expensive, any small act of negligence that results in more work needing to be done to put the mistake right can end up costing the developer a considerable amount of loss.

Another area that is important is the safety of the structure of the building. It is crucial that a building is fit for use, if the building is unsafe, not only will it cost the developer financially to put right the problems, it may also cause them or a third party a loss to their health. All of these factors constitute a possible claim for professional negligence as they all result in a loss for the person that hired the professional.

You may want to make a negligence claim against an architect if they have made a mistake that has ended up causing you a loss. For example if they arranged for the delivery of a material too late and as a result of this you had to pay your builders to work for longer. If you are unable to come to an agreement with the architect about acceptable compensation, you will have to take your case to court.

More often than not, an architect will have insurance that will cover them in the result of any negligence claims. If you can prove that you have suffered a loss due to negligence, their insurer will normally pay you compensation to cover your losses before the case gets to court in order to minimise bad press and costs.

It is important that you ensure that you hire a recommended builder as there are few regulations surrounding building and it can be quite lax with many builders not even having insurance to cover negligence claims. It is always advisable to hire a builder after you have done some research on them.

The main types of negligence claims that are made against architects and builders include poor planning, inadequate preparation for work, inadequate construction work, poor architectural advice and issues involving breaches of contracts.

I am a legal writer covering advice on topics of law including pre-action protocol for professional negligence, for further text and similar works visit professional negligence or contact a solicitor today.

For more legal advice and information, and for free legal resources I suggest you visit lawontheweb.co.uk.

Clay Matthews , , , , , , ,

Building Homes During Recession

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Comments Off

Building Homes During Recession

English humorist Jerome K Jerome exasperatedly remarked, “I don’t want a house that has got over all its troubles; I don’t want to spend the rest of my life bringing up a young and inexperienced house.”  Since the concessions of the Government on acquiring housing loans and other provisions on energy efficiency subsidies, the efforts generated enough benefits from the public sector as well as the property and business sectors.  It yielded a moderate home-building boom in Australia.  This is thanks to the First-Home Owners Grant which Australian homeowners welcomed and threw themselves in a residential building frenzy.  The first-time owners are even willing to get additional cash loans to add to their construction funds since every dollar helps in providing a modest house.




But before digging the first shovel of dirt for the house, first-time homeowners should seriously think of answers to certain important questions such as these: How much would building a house cost?  Who will draw the plans?  Should I try pre-fabricated houses or build from scratch?  Where do I start fleshing out the details?  All these questions and others can be answered through meticulous research that comes with planning a house.  House building experts advise first-time homeowners to look for and talk to these important persons: the architect, the builder, the plumber, and even the electrician.  Of course it would help if the owner knows something about house building or at least one or two things about it.


For people who were fortunate enough to get grants from the Government or even those without grants but are planning to build their own house, there are major things to consider from start to finish.  Like in establishing a good business, choosing a good location for the house is the number one priority.  The location should match the lifestyle of the owner.  Should the house be near the office or school?  Should it be near the beach or a park for the kids?  It is also wise to look into new development areas because there may be added benefits in living there.


The next important thing to research on is the house developer.  In choosing one, look for developers with years of experience, including the quality of businesses they have built and the land packages they have sold.  House experts recommend first-time homeowners to ask for references from the developers’ clients.  After choosing a suitable location and a good developer, the next thing to do is to look at display homes of the developers or builders, including their plans.  Inspect the quality of the finished houses and make a comparison between several designs and costs.  Most importantly, first-time homeowners should carefully study all the details regarding the materials to be used as well as the services to be rendered.  Still, even if owners exceed their budgets, they could always rely on fast loans to cover unexpected expenses.

Johan Kriegbaum, online marketing manager of Payday Cash Loan,Australia’s preferred short term lender, shares his insights on money matters. Founded in 2005 Payday Cash Loan has helped thousands of Australians with their fast cash loans but that’s just the short term solution. Payday Cash Loans also helps people in the long run by providing budgeting tools, e-books and individually researched articles on money matters and financial tips. The aim is to assist people in achieving instant and long term financial freedom.

Clay Matthews , , ,