Buying a house is one of the most substantial and important transactions a person can make in life. As such, when the professional negligence of a surveyor or valuer leaves you with a defective or uninhabitable property, or perhaps one that you would not otherwise have purchased, it may be possible for you to claim compensation for your financial losses.

Simply.Law’s member professional negligence lawyers can help you make a full assessment of your circumstances so that you can decide whether or not to proceed with a claim for compensation. Some of the more common claims against surveyors and valuers are for the following:

• Undervaluation of a property
• Failure to identify a defect
• Failure to properly inspect
• Failure to identify dry rot, woodworm, cracking or subsidence
• Failure to produce an adequate report
• Failure to advise of the need for further investigation

Call Simply.Law today or click through to the lawyer profiles on the right-hand-side of this page to find the legal professional you wish to make contact with.

We understand that everyone’s circumstances are different, so we will help you find the Simply.Law member lawyer who is right for you, thus empowering you to make intelligent choices regarding your legal advice and representation.

Full structural surveys

There is an onerous duty of care for surveyors who have been instructed by a client to perform a full structural survey.

Such surveys are a considerable undertaking and require a large amount of detail and accuracy. They require the surveyor to look at every aspect of a property, including the materials used in the construction, the condition of the roof, the integrity of its structures, and the condition of its foundations.

The findings of a full structural survey should be comprehensive and should include the estimated costs of any necessary rebuilding work. They should make clear all defects found in the property.

Mortgage valuation surveys

Mortgage valuation surveys are predominantly for the protection of the mortgage lender to ensure the property is not overpriced and are much less detailed than full structural surveys. They typically reveal only limited information outlining the structure and condition of a property. As a consequence, surveyors carrying out this type of report owe a less onerous duty of care to the buyer, meaning that should something go wrong there is likely to be less scope for a professional negligence claim against a mortgage valuer.

Despite this, mortgage valuations can be substandard (generally under or over valuing a property against presiding market values) and this can cause the kind of financial loss which might give rise to a successful claim for compensation.

Professional negligence claims with Simply.Law

Whether you are looking to begin a new claim or are looking to further an existing claim due to unsatisfactory legal representation so far, Simply.Law can make sure you are put in contact with the professional negligence lawyer who is right for you and your circumstances.

Our member solicitors are specialists in this complex field and can bring their expertise to your benefit whether you are making a claim against a solicitor, financial advisor, surveyor or other professional. Our priority is to ensure you are represented by the solicitor best-suited to your needs, with suitability depending on such factors as case complexity, value and personal circumstances.

Get in touch with us today using any of the means provided on this page.