Architect fined £2,500 after signing off a London extension whose roof flooded the house
The UK's Architects Registration Board has fined Melanie Schubert, a partner at London's SAM Architects, the maximum £2,500 for poor drawings and for certifying a house extension complete without properly inspecting its roof. Leaks through the roof, drainage and windows left the home uninhabitable.
The board's Professional Conduct Committee found her guilty of unacceptable professional conduct after a hearing held Oct. 19 to 23, according to its published decision. The job was a rear extension and refurbishment of a two-storey Victorian semi-detached house under a JCT Minor Works contract, with SAM as architect and contract administrator. The owners moved in on Jan. 16, 2021. Serious defects in the roof, drainage and windows followed, and the contractor's repairs between June and November 2021 did not fix them.
Schubert admitted the drawings fell short and that she did not inspect the extension roof before it was covered over. The committee said her roof drawings were far below what was needed and one factor in the leaks. It did say some interior drawings were of a high standard. ARB's expert said the roof was built well under a watertight standard and that a diligent inspection would likely have caught it. The panel also found she issued no architect's instructions for design changes and no interim certificates, so there was no paper trail of what had been built and paid for.
She was cleared of the gravest charge. In December 2021, pressed by the contractor's solicitors and by an adviser she believed was the owner's solicitor, she certified practical completion backdated to June 6. ARB alleged she knew the work was not complete. The panel found that unproven and rejected dishonesty. It accepted that she had consulted her indemnity insurer and that this was only her second job as a contract administrator.
The committee set the fine at the £2,500 cap to show the conduct came close to warranting a suspension, the decision says. She must pay by Nov. 30.
Why it matters: A completion certificate carries the administrator's name whether or not anyone inspected the work. Builders under a JCT contract should expect a written instruction for each design change and an interim certificate for each payment, and ask for them when they don't arrive.
Sources
- Ms Melanie SchubertArchitects Registration Board, Oct 28
- Architect fined £2,500 for 'inadequate' drawings and inspection failureTrending Now Facilities Management, Oct 30
- Architect fined £2,500 for 'inadequate' drawings and inspection failureThe Architects' Journal, Oct 30