Blog
Making a complaint against a chartered builder or Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors
Thursday 4th February 2021
Carl O'Boyle BSc MRICS FCIOB MFPWS
Carl O'Boyle currently sits on the Chartered Institute of Building and Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors disciplinary boards which I partake in assessing complaints against the Institute or Faculty members from fellow members of the public.
It's important when carrying out your duties as a Chartered Builder or Faculty Party Wall Surveyor, that you are aware of the code of practice that you must abide by for your particular Profession.
We see more often than we like, complaints coming in both to the Institute and the Faculty now on a more regular basis regarding the conduct of Chartered Builders or Faculty Surveyors than we would like to see.
It is important as a Surveyor to have a complaints handling procedure in place as this can sometimes circumvent the need for a member of the public to lodge a complaint about a particular Chartered Builder or Surveyor.
I sit on a disciplinary panel with two other professionals normally this is another Party Wall Surveyor and a qualified legal representative. At the disciplinary panel we assess the evidence that has been sent to us by the defendant and plaintiff to see if there is a prima facie case to be answered. This involves the plaintiff/Surveyor/Chartered Builder carrying out a lot of work in defending their case. Therefore it is best to abide by your code of practice to avoid this happening.
We strive to maintain the high standards that have been set in the code of practice of the Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors.
We are not here to handicap a Chartered Builder or Party Wall Surveyor on his/her normal every day working routine.
Areas where we receive the most complaints are to do with honesty, integrity, high fees and competence of chartered builders or faculty surveyors. My advice is to read your code of practice, this will help you avoid being disciplined and avoid such sanctions as expulsion, temporary suspension and/or fines.
