England & Wales · Professional negligence
A professional you relied on got it wrong — and you paid for it.
Claims against surveyors, conveyancers, solicitors, architects, accountants and other professionals whose careless advice or work caused you financial loss. CasePoint does not cover personal injury, clinical negligence, or mis-sold financial products.
Typical situations
- A surveyor missed a defect that has since cost thousands to repair
- A conveyancing solicitor failed to spot a right of way, restriction or planning issue
- A solicitor missed a limitation deadline or mishandled your case
- An architect or engineer's design or supervision was defective
- An accountant's error led to penalties or a lost opportunity
Frequently asked
What can I claim from a negligent surveyor or conveyancer?
Usually the financial difference their mistake made — for a property, the drop in value with the defect or title problem, rather than the cost of repair. Consequential losses and modest damages for inconvenience may be added.
How long do I have?
Six years from the negligent act, or three years from when you first knew or could reasonably have known the material facts, whichever is later — subject to a fifteen-year longstop (Limitation Act 1980, ss.2, 14A and 14B).
Does CasePoint cover clinical negligence or personal injury?
No. CasePoint covers professional negligence causing financial loss — surveyors, conveyancers, solicitors, architects, accountants — and does not cover personal injury, clinical negligence or mis-sold financial products.
Guides
Professional Negligence — the guides
My surveyor missed a defect. Can I claim, and what is the claim actually worth?
What a RICS survey has to do, why damages are measured by the drop in value rather than the repair bill, what evidence you need, and how the professional negligence pre-action protocol works.
Time limits for professional negligence claims: six years, three years, and the fifteen-year longstop
How the Limitation Act 1980 sets the deadline for claims against surveyors, solicitors, architects and accountants, when the clock starts, what 'date of knowledge' really means, and how a standstill agreement buys time.
The professional negligence pre-action protocol: what happens before a claim is issued
The step-by-step process a claim against a surveyor, solicitor, architect or accountant follows before court — preliminary notice, letter of claim, the three-month response, and why most claims settle inside it.
Conveyancing negligence: my solicitor missed a right of way, restriction or planning problem
The most common conveyancing failures, the difference between a service complaint to the Legal Ombudsman and a negligence claim, and what you need to prove that the mistake caused your loss.