Auctioneers normally have a duty of care to both seller and buyer, and although auctioneer negligence claims are a highly specialised area of law which require expert knowledge, in cases where there has been a breach of this duty of care and financial loss has arisen as a result, a professional negligence lawyer may be able to help secure appropriate financial redress. Continue reading →

Aside from the aesthetic value of owning an artwork, purchasing art can also be a way of making a financial investment or securing wealth. Similarly, selling a work of art, whether a painting, sculpture or piece of furniture, can be a way of raising funds.

However, in order ensure a wise and informed purchase or sale of an artwork it may be necessary to obtain a professional valuation in order to proceed with confidence. A professional valuation should be carried out with a proper degree of care and skill – where this is not the case and financial loss is sustained as a result, it may be worth talking to a specialist in art valuation negligence claims.

The process of establishing negligence in art valuation cases can be very difficult. An incorrect valuation is not necessarily a negligent one. After all, an artwork is worth only as much as someone is prepared to pay for it and sometimes it can be impossible to predict market forces. Determining what constitutes ‘negligence’ in valuation negligence cases will invariably require expert legal help. Continue reading →

A quantity surveyor is essential to almost any well-managed building project –  by providing detailed analysis and estimates of building and engineering-related costs quantity surveyors can keep costs low and projects in-hand, ensuring both tight schedules and value for money.

However, in the event that quantity surveyors act careless or negligent projects may run over time and costs can spiral over budget, and in such circumstances it may be advisable to proceed with a quantity surveyor professional negligence claim.

Quantity surveyors are sometimes also referred to as construction costs managers, project managers or commercial managers – however, these differences in title are unlikely to have any impact on a professional’s potential liability. Continue reading →

In making a professional negligence claim for negligent valuation services , a number of key issues will need to be addressed.

Among these are the issues of proof relating to duty of care owed by the valuer, breach of that duty and consequent financial loss. Continue reading →

If you are looking to make a claim for professional negligence against a surveyor it is worth remembering that there are three different types of survey report and that for each of these different reports there is a different duty of care. Continue reading →

If you are dissatisfied with some aspect of the service provided by your surveyor, it is important to remember that making formal complaints against these professionals is often relatively straightforward.

In fact, all firms in Brighton and the rest of the UK are obliged to have in-house measures to deal with complaints. Furthermore, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has rules of conduct in place to ensure that firms deal with a grievance in a just and timely manner. Continue reading →

There is no doubt that the chief reason for pursuing a claim for surveyor and property-related professional negligence is significant financial loss incurred by the claimant.

Although the ultimate test of this is always going to be an individual matter, it is also true that times of generalised economic hardship make it more incumbent on claimants to seek damages – during recessions, economic depressions, and periods of austerity, claiming compensation for monetary loss caused by financial negligence is, understandably, a priority.

For example, during the fallout from the recessionary periods hitting Britain during the first two decades of this century, it became clear that record numbers of house buyers, lenders, and property developers were all seeking to make surveyor and property-related professional negligence claims for the losses they’d suffered as a result of poor financial and investment advice provided during the new millennium’s initial “boom” period. Continue reading →

Any claim for a negligent survey or valuation should proceed on the grounds that the professional was negligent in performing his duty to a client.

There are many possible grounds to claim for a negligent survey or valuation. However, the most common reason clients proceed with claims is because of a surveyor’s failure to identify or notify of a severe defect that has a significant impact on the value of a property.

All surveyors and valuers have professional indemnity insurance to guard against this possibility – as such, if you sustained financial loss or loss of opportunity as a result of a negligently performed survey, it may be possible to secure compensation for your losses. Continue reading →

If you have received a survey report from a professional surveyor which has failed to take into account structural damage such as that caused by Regent Street Disease, it may be possible to make a negligence claim against the surveyor responsible. Continue reading →

Buying a property or investing in a business premises is a major commitment and often requires the services of professionals to help you ensure you are making the wisest investment possible. If that advice falls short of a reasonable level of competence and you suffer financial loss as a result you may be able to make a claim for damages.   At Healys, we offer free initial advice regarding your claim and if you do wish to proceed we offer a “No Win No Fee” service in the form of a Conditional Fee Agreement.

Making a successful negligence claim against a valuer or surveyor can a be complex process and will require the advice of a suitably qualified and experienced professional negligence solicitor. Continue reading →