How much does an expert report on construction defects cost?
When owners of homes affected by construction defects consider making a claim, they know that an expert (a fully qualified architect specialising in building pathology) needs to visit their home, inspect the damage, assess it, propose a repair method and prepare an expert report with a repair or compensation estimate, so that they can claim it from those responsible in court or out of court. The question they often ask is whether the expert report will cost them a lot, and whether it will be worth paying for it in view of the claim they may bring.
Will the report be expensive?
The cost of the report will depend on the amount of damage to be recorded, the number of homes, their location, measurements, the tests required, trials, and whether or not quotes from third-party specialist companies are needed (for underpinning with resin injection, geotechnical firms, authorised installers, etc.), but it will always be cheaper the more people join in the expert assessment. We explain why below.
How to make an expert report on construction defects cheaper.
If a report on one home costs, for example, €1,000, and instead of 1 home several affected owners group together so that 4 homes, or even the whole homeowners’ association, are assessed in that report, the price of the report will not be multiplied arithmetically by the number of people affected. Instead, the main base cost will remain, with the quote naturally rising a little, but not in direct proportion to the number of homes. Once the expert has travelled to the site and is carrying out the relevant tests or surveying the damage, including other homes does not require much extra effort, since they will ultimately have similar defects, with a similar origin and cause, and the same diagnosis and repair items.
So, for example, that €1,000 report will not cost €1,000 x 4 = €4,000 but €1,600, which, shared among 4 owners, works out at €400 each. The more people affected, the cheaper it will be.
In addition, for any subsequent claim it pays to join forces, since claiming for one home is not the same as bringing a collective lawsuit on behalf of 42 owners affected by the same defects. It will always carry more weight before the judge.
If you have any questions or would like to request a quote for an expert report, do not hesitate to contact us.
Any questions?