Unprofessional Surveyor (Deeply Worried) :(

[SurveyorProblems]

Hi lovely Mumsnetters,
First-time poster, but long-term lurker :)

Sorry to bother you all just before Christmas, but I am desperate for some wisdom and advice and I thought AIBU might be the best place for support. :(

A few weeks ago, we asked a surveyor to do a Level 3 Building Survey for a property we would like to purchase. We have just received the completed report from him and the quality of the report is shocking.

As first-time buyers we didn't know what to expect really. So we spoke to friends and looked at examples of Level 3 surveys online.
Unfortunately, the quality of the report he has sent to us is shocking.

For example, he has misspelt our names (not a big issue in itself), but also there are numerous spelling errors across the whole report (including sections/descriptions which do not make any grammatical sense at all).

More concerningly, he boasted of taking lots of photographs.
However, the attached photos are of very low quality. The images are extremely blurry and sometimes it is impossible to determine what exact issue is being highlighted here. (Think taking a picture of the boiler from a weird angle and in bad lighting - so bad it is impossible to read the model).

He has requested that we pay him £700 for this report.
We are not sure if we are being unreasonable with our concerns. So any advice is really appreciated.

I would be happy to attach some sections which highlight the poor quality.

Standard reports generally seem to recommend specialist reports on everything.
You're effectively paying for someone to say what they see. I'm sure you'd have noticed the thermostat too.

A RICS member (I am one myself) wouldn't want their profession being brought into disrepute, even indirectly by someone implying they are chartered/qualified/capable when they aren't.

I think the point is, he never said he was any of those...hence asking what it was that was advertised and agreed in the first place.

To be honest OP I think your relative is the one that has messed up here.

They obviously have no idea what a L3 survey involves and didn't do any due diligence on the person they were employing.

You need a new survey and maybe you could ask your new surveyor their opinion on the report you have received and proceed from there in terms of coming to an agreement on payment.

I think you need to pay your 'report writer' something, but not £700. He has done some work, but not the work you expected.

If you didn't instruct him to do this and have no written contract don't pay. If you did instruct him and have some sort of contract then time for a formal complaint at a minimum before you hand over the cash

@Shedmistress

A RICS member (I am one myself) wouldn't want their profession being brought into disrepute, even indirectly by someone implying they are chartered/qualified/capable when they aren't.

I think the point is, he never said he was any of those...hence asking what it was that was advertised and agreed in the first place.

Very true, but people who aren’t conversant with the difference between self-styled surveyors and chartered surveyors group them together. Hence this chancer getting appointed in the first place by someone who inferred he was qualified.

A RICS person might be happy to provide evidence to differentiate the level of service and expertise and typical fees to give the OP ammunition for a reduced payment or as a defence should he sue her.

This isn’t a surprise. It’s quite common!

Always always employ someone who is a member of a professional body in their industry. No ifs no buts.

Supplying the wrong Location Plan is ridiculous.

Unfortunately OP I recommend a proper survey. And now you’ve learnt a valuable lesson too! We all make mistakes.

I made a similar mistake a few years ago and I’m a bloody architect!

We need to know what the relative said and what the guy said.

Of the relative said it was to be used for the purpose of xyz and this guys survey is not fit for that purpose then that’s one thing. If the relative said ‘can you do a survey’ and that was all then you can’t really quibble as he did that. However due to the errors and lack of professionalism even if he did do what he said he would, it’s been done so shoddily that I don’t think I would be paying much if anything.

I don’t know about the whole sake of goods act re goods must be fit for the purpose for which they are intended, as this is like a service rather than a good. Although the actual paper report is a good. Not sure how that stands.

Sale of goods act

The point is, no matter what the agreement between whom, he has provided something that is not worth the paper it has been printed on. It's not a survey. It's an observation, or even just a record of what the house looks like. This is utterly useless information and this con merchant should not be given a penny. He knows this, hence the sob story / emotional blackmail. Con man loud and clear. An architect of 35 years usually would not be short of a few hundred quid...

@Elieza @SummerWhisper @Shedmistress
@SturminsterNewton
@CrappyXmasMarket

Hi lovely mumsnetters - I hope you all had a fantastic festive season. :)
Unfortunately, mine has been ruined by this ongoing saga. :(

I thought I send a brief update as this will sound like a nightmare to you all...
I emailed this gentleman asking for clarification regarding his professional expertise and I expressed dismay at the quality of work provided.

The response to my email has literally left me speechless.

I am yet to meet someone with such little self-awareness and
understanding of professional standards.
He doesn't even seem to know the actual law surrounding the profession he claims to be a part of...
He will have a hard time arguing that he has not misrepresented his expertise/survey and his qualifications.

For example, I asked for this guy's RIBA registration number as he includes the word RIBA in his email signature and paperwork.
He explained that his RIBA registration has run out.
However, apparently he holds the appropriate qualifications and he is therefore qualified to complete a survey. I am not sure how he can use the term RIBA in his correspondence when he no longer has an active registration. I certainly would not be able to do this in my field.

More concerningly, in his paperwork refers to himself as an "Architect". However, I cannot find any record of him on the Architects Registration Board.arb.org.uk/
The title 'architect' is protected by law in the UK, so I am not sure why he calls himself one if he is not on the register.
I have emailed ARB for clarification.
Most importantly, my relative employedthis guy because the paperwork and information provided referredto him as being registered with RIBA and specifically identifiedhim as an architect.I suppose this is what they call misrepresentation.

Did he actually put any of this in writing to your relative ? What was the exact wording of your relatives ad ?

Because of the bank holiday weekend, I cannot get legal advice until tomorrow, but I was just wondering if anyone has any words of wisdom regarding this:

I have read online that under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, I can ask for either a price reduction or ask for the guy to fix the problem.

However, I am not sure how this would apply in our case because
(a) he misrepresented his qualifications in order to gain our business. E.g. He omitted the fact that he does not hold the professional registration that he claims to have.

(b) He is NOT qualified to RECTIFY the mistakes he has made.
He has promised a Building Survey (which according to the job AD, he answered should be at least the equivalent of a RICS Level 3). He CANNOT provide this service, so how can he FIX his existing work?

I am sorry for adding to everyone's stress during his festive period. :(

[quote SurveyorProblems]@DynamiteFilledRadish
@SummerWhisper

Thanks so much for your messages, guys.
He is an independent surveyor so not attached to any company (works as a sole trader), but he does have an RICS no.
I have arranged to speak to him on Monday regarding some of the issues I have had with his report.
I explained the issue with the photos and he has emailed back a sob story about how he needs the money as Christmas has been cancelled now at his house and he has recently spent a lot of money on electrical repairs...
Attached is an example of the quality of the photographs we have received.[/quote]
that isnt a boiler! its the room thermostat

@notapizzaeater
Thanks for your message!
The job AD was posted on an online platform which asked submitters to fill in a multiple-choice type of form.

• The online request was submitted for a surveyor to complete a "FULL BUILDING SURVEY". This is why all OTHER professionals who also replied to the AD were chartered surveyors with RICS registrations.

• Now what is important is that the actual website (platform) states this definition of a "FULL BUILDING SURVEY" - "usually carried out by a Chartered Surveyor who is a member of RICS". It also states that the report needs to be a very detailed.

I have asked for the platform to send us a copy of our JOB request. I believe it includes a comment section where we have specifically asked for a RICS Level 3 Survey.

I think he has blatantly misrepresented himself and you shouldn’t pay him a penny!

I’m fairly sure RIBA will want to know if someone is describing himself as an architect and is not.

@takenforgrantednana
I attached that picture as an example of the quality of the photographs.
I didn't want to include a picture of the boiler to respect the privacy of everyone involved. The boiler picture has some identifying objects included in the photo.

That is awful op - definitely report to RIBA if he's using their membership but is no longer a member!

Worth checking if he has any CCJs - the chancer we came across had several once we looked into it - and a swift email linking to them all and a 'see you in court' sent him swiftly packing. I'm trying to recall his name as he was also elderly, had had neighbour issues and was using RICS when he a was a no longer a member.

What was asked for on the ad placed by your relative? What did he offer? What did he actually provide? Did he misrepresent his qualifications?
If these don’t match, then he hadn’t got a leg to stand on.

I’m glad you’ve contacted the ARB. They take this sort of thing very seriously.

@Yuledo

What was asked for on the ad placed by your relative? What did he offer? What did he actually provide? Did he misrepresent his qualifications? If these don’t match, then he hadn’t got a leg to stand on.

Agree this is what is key here

@Frazzled2207
The sad part is that he has no clue how serious this is. :(
He calls himself an architect and isn't one :(
Another problem is that he is stating that he has being doing the reports for almost 40 years and so this means that he is fully qualified to complete building surveys...

I actually had the audacity to ask me what exactly was missing from the report. His actual words were "what expectations have I not met?"

Erm...your report is not a L3 Building Survey...

@AnneElliott
How would I able to check this information?
I have PM-ed just to see if he is the same person....

It looks like this person who has done this L3 Report for you is a bit on the dodgy side. I hope you get to the bottom of this situation quickly.

I read that PP have mentioned RICS. I had a survey done on a property which I own. This surveyor who was part of a large company with offices in various locations asked for payment up front, I dont think that is very professional. He was sent by a well known local estate agent. He sent me the Report and it was awful. There were certain statements made that caused me alarm. What that surveyor did not know as the only person he saw in connection with that house was a woman alone in the premises. He was not aware that there were other members of the family who were experts on the subject he made false statements about. He was not aware that a workman who carried out certain jobs on the property was inspected by his professions governing body.

I took this up with his company and brought it to the attention of the senior complaints partner. All to no avail. I then referred it to the RICS who would not investigate. This surveyor had claimed there was a life threatening situation on the property but that was not important enough for RICS. (I had a group of experts come to check out his statements and they said there was no such danger and asked to see the Report which I showed them)