Architect unreliable - How to proceed?

  • Erstellt am 2022-01-14 08:18:27

Hamdu

2022-01-14 08:18:27
  • #1
Hello,

I don’t want to write an endless novel about everything that has happened so far, I will try to keep it brief.
We have already signed a contract with Hanse Haus (mid-May 2021). According to the contract, the price guarantee is 15 months. Unfortunately, the architect is more than just incompetent and we don’t know if we should already prepare for possible eventualities. You don’t do this every day after all.

- Our plot is not simple, as it is in the old town center and without a development plan.
- It already took ages at the beginning to get an appointment at the building site with the architects. 1-2 months
- After the first visit to the plot, we hired surveyors, that went quite quickly. After one month I inquired about the status from the architect, got no answer for 2 weeks and then on a Friday an email came,

Hello, I will be on vacation for 4 weeks from Monday and will get back to you afterwards.

- I am basically doing the architect’s work, pointing him to the parking space regulation, inquiring about everything possible at the building authority in my municipality, as well as at the responsible building authority in the city, and passing this information on in a bundled manner.
- He wanted to pressure me to submit the building application directly and skip the preliminary building inquiry, at least that was the impression I got.
- At the beginning of November the site plan came, of course completely confusing/wrong (e.g. color arrows in gray, blending into gray areas, windows wrong, it was not my address but a completely wrong one given, parking space regulation not observed etc.)
- At the end of November, the preliminary building inquiry was actually submitted, of course it was promptly returned because it was submitted incorrectly. Response from the building authority: not processable as is
- Resubmitted at the beginning of December, of course returned again, still not processable.
- Mid-December then actually successfully submitted. The worst part was that a certain sentence was missing which I had sent to the architect in advance because I had asked the building authority. So all that could have been avoided.

And all that just for a preliminary building inquiry. I have documented everything in writing always with CC to my advisor from Hanse Haus. I had written to the architect factually that his preliminary building inquiry was faulty (which it was) and not processable, he should please take care of it as quickly as possible. Then he called me and said that this was not the case and that I should watch my tone??, he hadn’t even sent an invoice yet. Unbelievable.

I already feel abandoned by Hanse Haus. The architect could apparently not be changed, only when the 15 months are within near reach would they probably sit down with all parties and possibly extend the price guarantee by a few months. Of course, I have not described everything, this is just the most important in my opinion. Looking forward to advice...
 

MayrCh

2022-01-14 08:26:04
  • #2
Is the architect employed by your contract partner (Hanse), a direct contractor of yours, or a subcontractor of Hanse?
 

Hamdu

2022-01-14 08:28:16
  • #3


I suspect a subcontractor of Hanse, he was assigned to us.
 

WilderSueden

2022-01-14 08:48:20
  • #4
That is an important detail. If the architect is a service provided by Hanse Haus, then it is their fault if you miss the deadline for the price guarantee because of the architect. However, if the architect was commissioned by you (even if possibly referred by them), then they will take the position that it is your problem that you do not meet the deadlines.
 

Hamdu

2022-01-14 09:19:20
  • #5
Good to know, in my opinion he was commissioned by Hanse Haus, the architect's costs are included in the house price. There is no contract with the commissioning of the architect on our part.
 

In der Ruine

2022-01-14 09:41:04
  • #6
Unbelievable. Is there a shortage of architects or why can such "experts" survive in the market? Hanse Haus will never want to work with this man again after the debacle, right? He ruins a company's "good" reputation.
 

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