Professional architectural services and your building project

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1 Professional architectural services and your building project If you are thinking of appointing someone to design your building project and provide other services connected with the project, it is important to make sure you appoint a professional who has the appropriate qualifications and is adequately insured. This will help to protect you throughout the process. A qualified and competent professional will have the required knowledge and training and can provide expert advice on the best way to meet your requirements. In the guide What can a professional do for me? Who should I appoint? What is an Architect, a Chartered Architect, and a Chartered Architectural Technologist? Points to consider What are my rights if things go wrong? Contact details for the regulator and professional bodies Relevant legislation What can a professional do for me? Professionals can act on your behalf from the initial stages of the building project to its completion whether it is: a traditional or contemporary residential or other type of new building maintenance, upgrading, alterations or an extension to an existing building large or small scale, simple or complex Ft36 07/14 1

2 A professional's services can include the design work as well as negotiating and advising on statutory requirements such as planning permission and building regulations approvals. They will be able to inspect and certify the building work and provide guidance on costs. They will also advise if you need to involve other specialists who deal with the design of buildings, such as engineers (structural, civil, mechanical and electrical) and surveyors (building and quantity). They can also help you to find the most appropriate people to carry out the construction work. Who should I appoint? Qualified professionals use the titles Architect, Chartered Architect or Chartered Architectural Technologist. To ensure you are working with someone who is qualified, you need to contact the relevant regulatory body, which for Architects is the Architects Registration Board (ARB) ( You can also contact one of the professional bodies representing Architects (listed below) or for Chartered Architectural Technologists, the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT) ( What is an Architect, a Chartered Architect and a Chartered Architectural Technologist? ARCHITECT An Architect is a person trained in the planning, design and inspection of the construction of buildings. Traditionally the Architect takes the lead role in the design team. Depending on the size and nature of your building project, the Architect may work with other professionals such as engineers and surveyors. The ARB is the UK's statutory regulator of Architects and was established by parliament under the Architects Act it maintains the UK register of Architects - Architects on the public register have met set standards of qualifications and experience it establishes the qualifications needed to become an Architect it sets standards of conduct and competence for Architects it regulates the use of the title 'Architect' - no-one can use the title Architect in connection with their business unless they are registered with the ARB Using the title 'Architect' in business or practice while not on the ARB register could mislead consumers and breach the Consumer Protection 2

3 from Unfair Trading Regulations It is also a criminal offence under the Architects Act You should check the register on the ARB website before making an appointment ( Other than the title Architect, Chartered Architect and Chartered Architectural Technologist there are those who may use other descriptions. These may include 'architecture', 'architectural consultant' and 'architectural designer'. Be careful as these descriptions do not necessarily mean that the person is registered or a member of a professional body. The Association of Consultant Architects (ACA) was founded to promote and support UK architectural practices ( CHARTERED ARCHITECT The title Chartered Architect is used by those Architects who are members of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) ( the Royal Society of Architects in Wales (RSAW) ( ions/wales/rsaw.aspx), or The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) ( Contact details for these professional bodies are at the end of this leaflet. CHARTERED ARCHITECTURAL TECHNOLOGIST A Chartered Architectural Technologist applies the science of architecture and specialises in the technology of building design and construction. The title Chartered Architectural Technologist is used by someone who is a member of the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT) ( Chartered Architectural Technologists hold different qualifications from Architects, are not registered with ARB, and as such may not use the title 'Architect'. Points to consider Architects, Chartered Architects and Chartered Architectural Technologists must adhere to their regulatory or professional body's code of conduct. They must conduct themselves and their business in a proper and ethical way. For your protection, each professional body has disciplinary procedures for dealing with infringements of their codes. 3

4 The codes require members to have professional indemnity insurance to cover services offered to you. When you appoint your professional, ensure that there is adequate and appropriate insurance in place to cover your building project. Note that this insurance is separate to a building warranty, which is the insurance your contractor may offer you to cover building defects. Speak to previous clients to find out their experience of the professional, ask to look at previous work - similar to your project - which they have carried out and take up references. If your project is specialised in any way, ensure they have specialist skills in that area. Ensure that the terms of appointment are given to you in writing and that you understand them. They should clearly state which services your appointed professional will provide and over what time period, their costs including likely expenses and additional costs such as local authority application fees and also whether additional specialists are required and what additional costs this may bring. For Architects check with the regulator (ARB) that the Architect you have chosen is registered, or with the relevant professional body that they are actually a member of that body. For Chartered Architectural Technologists, you should check with CIAT. Think carefully before using someone who is offering architectural services but who is neither registered nor a member of one of the professional bodies. Contact your local authority to see if it runs a good trader scheme - Architects and Chartered Architectural Technologists are professionals but may be part of such a scheme. What are my rights if things go wrong? When you purchase the services of an Architect or a Chartered Architectural Technologist, you are protected by the Supply of Goods and Services Act You can expect the work carried out by the Architect to be done: with reasonable care and skill in a reasonable time (if there is no specific time agreed) for a reasonable charge (if no fixed price was set in advance) 4

5 You can find out more information on your rights in the 'Buying services - your rights' leaflet ( Contact details for the regulator and professional bodies Architects Registration Board (ARB) 8 Weymouth Street, London, W1W 5BU Tel professionalstandards@arb.org.uk Website Association of Consultant Architects (ACA) 60 Godwin Road, Bromley, Kent, BR2 9LQ Tel office@acarchitects.co.uk Website Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) 66 Portland Place, London, W1B 4AD Tel practice@inst.riba.org Website Also: Royal Society of Architects in Wales (RSAW) ( ions/wales/rsaw.aspx) The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland 15 Rutland Square, Edinburgh, EH1 2BE Tel nbaxter@rias.co.uk Website Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT) 397 City Road, London, EC1V 1NH Tel info@ciat.org.uk Website Society of Chief Architects of Local Authorities (SCALA) Hillside, St Mary Church, Cambridge, Vale of Glamorgan, CF71 7LT Tel policy@scala.org.uk Website 5

6 Relevant Legislation Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 ( Architects Act 1997 ( Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 ( For further information please contact the Citizens Advice consumer service, which provides free, confidential and impartial advice on consumer issues. Visit or call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on This leaflet is derived from the original leaflet 'A Guide for Consumers: Who can help with your building project?, which was produced by the bodies mentioned. The original can be downloaded from The Association of Consultant Architects website ( df). Where can I get further help? This leaflet is not an authoritative document on the law and is only intended for guidance. For further details or clarification contact Derbyshire Trading Standards at: Chatsworth Hall Chesterfield Road Matlock Derbyshire DE4 3FW Telephone: Businesses: Call Derbyshire Consumers: Citizens Advice consumer helpline Fax: Website: 6

7 We want everyone to be able to understand us. On request, we will arrange: Language interpreters, including for sign language Translation of written materials into other languages Materials in large print, on tape or in Braille. Trading Standards Institute To ensure that you are looking at the most up-to-date version of this leaflet, please visit our website at ( or telephone us on