ᐅ Experiences with Building Inspectors / Surveyors

Created on: 18 Feb 2015 10:37
P
Polle 1967
Hello forum community,
What experiences have you had with your building inspector?
We have a construction supervisor from the very beginning.
He does come when we need him, talks to the tradespeople in a very friendly way when something goes wrong,
burns through hours.
We don’t get any written reports at all, otherwise he keeps out of everything.
We are then expected to handle the rest. Afterwards, he sends hefty invoices.
Is this normal?

Regards
Fantamoax18 Feb 2015 13:08
Hello Polle 1967,

that doesn't sound good.
This is exactly why the construction supervisor is there. In our case, the expert specifically pointed out that, as far as we wanted, they would handle the discussions with the respective tradespeople.
So that we, as clients, are not the ones who get the blame. If the expert refuses to document their findings, I would contact the association. You have already given them a chance to respond.

Simply withholding payment is not enough… I think the defect should ideally be fixed!

Good luck

Fanta
P
Polle 1967
18 Feb 2015 13:25
Hello Fantamoax,
That is exactly what we want as well—the tradesperson should fix their own mistakes.
In our case, it was the plasterers with the base coat. Since they refuse to correct their faults for whatever reason, we have no choice but to look for another plasterer.
The sad part is that this burden falls on us.
Then there is no point in having a building supervisor if they leave us out in the rain.

Regards
T
toxicmolotof
18 Feb 2015 14:39
Hello Polle,

it certainly isn’t exactly ideal. What kind of contractual relationship do you have with the respective tradespeople? Who is responsible for site supervision?

Good luck
P
Polle 1967
18 Feb 2015 15:37
Hello

The construction management is handled by the building company, which also arranged for the plasterer. We have separate contracts for each trade, but the building company coordinates everything. The building company is only responsible for the shell construction, and since the final payment was made, no one really wants to take responsibility anymore.

Regards
B
Bauexperte
18 Feb 2015 15:49
Hello,
Polle 1967 schrieb:

The site management is handled by the construction company, which also arranged the plasterer for us.
We have separate contracts for each trade, but the construction company coordinates them.
The construction company is only responsible for the shell construction, and since the last payment was made, no one really wants to take responsibility anymore.

You probably won’t like to hear this, but these are the typical problems when—what I simply assume—such providers like “all trades are tendered, and you get the best price” were chosen as temporary construction partners.

Apart from that, the hired expert has obligations and duties to fulfill, as does the shell builder who provides the site management. As a first step, I would contact the Association of Private Homeowners; after all, you booked your expert through them. I could well imagine that the association is interested in an amicable solution and will act as a kind of mediator. If that doesn’t help, a lawyer will have to review your contracts and initiate the appropriate measures according to the VOB (German Construction Contract Procedures).

I am not allowed to provide further advice, as legal counseling in Germany is exclusively reserved for licensed professionals.

Best regards,
Bauexperte
P
Polle 1967
18 Feb 2015 16:00
Thank you for the many responses.


Best regards