JCT contract for light renovation: is it common to get legal advice?

SouthLondonUser

Considering buying a property that would need some light renovation; the works would cost in the £50-60k range and would be overseen by an architect (who has already provided a quote).

The architect wants to use some builders he has already worked with in the past; the contract would be a standard JCT contract (one contract between me and the architect, plus another between me and the builders, with the architect overseeing the project).

My question is: is it worth getting a solicitor to look at and comment on the JCT contract, to ensure that everything is fine? Or would it be a total waste of money because JCT contracts are fairly standards and, realistically, solicitors get involved only with massive construction projects costing multiple of mine?

Basically I wouldn’t mind paying £1k or £2k to a solicitor if that gives me a bit more protection with the builders, but of course it wouldn’t make sense to pay £7-10k for some high-profile solicitor that works with Taylow Wimpey, L&Q, the Candy brothers, etc!

I have got a couple of quotes from solicitors: one firm can help with the conveyancing only as their insurance wouldn’t cover advice on a building contract; the other firm is larger and has people that look after conveyancing and another team for construction, but they (understandably) can’t quote on the latter until they see all the details of the project.

Thoughts? Thanks!

G_M

You're paying an architect. If you don't trust the architect, find a different one. If you do, then let him draw up the JCT. It won't be the first one he's done.


More to the point, by all means take on board the architects recommendation ofbuilder, but you should still ask a couple of others to tender for the contract......

SouthLondonUser

So your recommendation is that a solicitor would not add much to an architect wrt the JCT contract?

My doubt is that a solicitor will have more experience than an architect with stuff going wrong and with what (contractually) may make those situations more or less likely...

Doozergirl

The whole purpose of the JCT contract is to be standard, so those working with them are familiar with them.

Really, your due diligence has to be done way before signing that contract. The contract only comes into play once everything has already gone wrong, and that's what you're trying to avoid in the first place.

Due diligence doesn't involve solicitors. It involves recommendations, seeing previous work, talking to previous clients. Correct contract administration means paying out for what has been spent on a regular basis, not on fixed stage payments.

Frankly, I find the more people involved in a small contract, the greater potential for trouble and chinese whispers. The architect as a go-between is in the perfect place to use builder/client as a scapegoat and are capable of complicating what should be a fairly simple relationship. £60-70k is a lot of money, but it isn't a complicated project for an experienced builder.