A Professional Consultants Certificate (PCC) formerly known as an “Architects Certificate”, is granted by architects, surveyors, or other consultants on a property. This document is essential for property owners intending to secure mortgages on the building and is valid for six years.
Builders with smaller budgets prefer PCC’s over NHBC warranties since they can be up to thirty to fifty percent cheaper. These certificates are now widely accepted by mortgage lenders and building societies and are promoted by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).
The primary purpose of PCC’s is to provide comfort to property owners and mortgage providers against structural defects in the building. Although it does not function as a warranty, it confirms that the property appears to have been built to a satisfactory standard on visual inspection. Additionally, it indicates that the property was built in accordance with approved plans and building regulations. While the certificate is backed by the consultant's professional indemnity insurance, it is not a latent defects policy.
Any consultant who belongs to a body listed in the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook can issue a PCC certificate, and they will be liable to the current and future owners of the property for six years. Consultants must also take out professional indemnity insurance that will pay out if the homeowner sues them successfully. They typically keep thorough records of what they inspected and why some areas were not inspected.
PCC’s only give homeowners the right to sue the consultant if they negligently issued the certificate, which can be challenging to prove. They also have a short validity period compared to new build warranties, which last for ten to twelve years and cover the cost of structural damage and repairs. With warranties, compensation does not require proof of blame.
Although architect’s certificates are cheaper than structural warranties, one must consider the level of coverage they provide. When damage occurs in the home, the homeowner must successfully prove negligence on the part of the consultant. In contrast, warranties cover the full cost of repairing defects in the property and can even cover the cost of rebuilding the structure if necessary. Unlike architects certificates, these warranties pay out immediately, and homeowners do not need to prove negligence in court.
Architects certificates only cover structural design issues in the building, while warranties have a more comprehensive scope of coverage that includes structural and construction defects. Additionally, architects are not required to fix any issues found during inspections, and the certificate does not state that there are no defects in the property.
PCC’s provide property owners with some peace of mind by ensuring that their building is built in compliance with approved plans and building regulations. Although architects issuing the certificate must maintain professional indemnity insurance, it is essential to remember that these certificates do not function as warranties and do not guarantee that the building is defect-free. Compensation for defects requires homeowners to prove negligence on the part of the architect.
