Problems with surveyor

[spurs1]

Just wondering if anyone has any advise on the following. Had a survey done on a house that we subsequently purchased, which showed up no major issues we were not expecting.
When we started to renovate the house, the first day our electrician was starting the rewire, I got a phonecall to say that he could not drill through the upstairs ceiling in the house because they were made from asbestos. (which was never mentioned in the survey).
I got 2 companies out to inspect the ceilings who confirmed it was asbestos and said that cost to remove the ceiling would be around €8000, and my builder confirmed that the price for putting up a new ceiling was €1800. The builder then discovered that there was no manhole in the garden, and the extension was built on top of it. This again cost up around €1000 to recify.
In the end, ended up just putting up a new ceiling below the existing ceiling as we just did not have the money to remove the asbestos.We tried to contact the surveyor for weeks but he did not return any of our calls. I subsequently contacted the society of chartered surveyors (of which he is a member) and made an offical complaint through writing against the surveyor.
This was 3 months ago, and every time I contact them they say that the case is proceeding through the normal channels. Am I wasting my time with the society complaints procedure or does anyone have any advise? Thanks

 

[mathepac]

You might help yourself by reformatting your post in to a more readable form with complete sentences and paragraphs.

 

[Padraigb]

First, you need to establish if the surveyor was truly negligent. That depends on what he was engaged to do. There is a big difference between a valuation survey and a full building survey. Even if it was a full survey, you would need to read his report carefully, as it might set out that certain things were not done (some things might be excluded from the survey on the grounds that checking them might involve destruction).

If, when you have considered things carefully, you believe that the surveyor was negligent, then I think you should tell the society that you require an urgent response, failing which you will ask your solicitor to commence proceedings against the surveyor. I rather suspect that you will have to go down that road.

Or you could phone Joe Duffy.

 

[spurs1]

As much I enjoy listenig to Joe, dont think ringing him up is something I could bring myself to do!!
Thanks for the advise, yes the survey was a full building survey, and it did say that no element of the building structure was opened. But both asbestos companies confirmed that the asbestos was visable to the eye without opening any element of the structure.
To be honest the whole thing has been so stressful, dont think I could take legal proceedings. Some things I suppose you just have to put down to a bad experience, for your own sanity.

 

[Padraigb]

To be honest the whole thing has been so stressful, dont think I could take legal proceedings. Some things I suppose you just have to put down to a bad experience, for your own sanity.

I understand how you feel, and I hope that you get over it.

I also hope that you don't let the matter go. Perhaps you should let your complaint to the professional body run its apparently leisurely course, and see what comes of it. Maybe send a reminder letter once a month in the meantime, just to show that you are still interested.

It might be that in six or twelve months' time you will be more psychologically ready to take stronger action.