Success in the Courts for ARB

Success in the Courts for ARB (03/06/2004)

On 24 May 2004, South East Essex Magistrates found Building Design Associates (BDA) of 16/18 West Street, Rochford, Essex, guilty on two counts of title abuse.

The case had been referred to ARB by the South Essex Chapter of the RIBA. BDA had been drawn to their attention following an advert in the local paper, in which BDA described themselves as “Council approved architects”.

Because of the number of individuals involved with the firm, and the lack of positive identification as to who exactly made the representation that the company could trade using the title “architects”, the prosecution was brought against BDA.

BDA entered a guilty plea, and the Magistrates imposed a fine of £1,500 on each of the two counts. Costs were awarded to ARB in the sum of £1,002.27, making a total sum of £4,002.27 that the firm must pay.

Commenting on the outcome, ARB’s Regulation Department said:

“After the recent low level of fines imposed for title abuse, the result in this case is a far more accurate reflection of the seriousness of the offence, and the harm that title abuse does both to the public and the profession. It is probably the largest cumulative fine that has been incurred, and sends a message to those unlawfully using the title “architect” that they run the risk of finding themselves in a similar position to BDA.”

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