Cases - Theodore Goddard v Fletcher King Services Ltd

Record details

Name

Theodore Goddard v Fletcher King Services Ltd

Date

[1997]

Citation

2 EGLR 131

Keywords

Negligence in valuations and surveys

Summary

Solicitors, in drafting a lease on behalf of the landlords of commercial property, were instructed to ensure that it provided for upwards only rent reviews; however, they negligently failed to do so. The landlords' managing surveyors, to whom the lease was sent for approval, failed to notice the error. It was held that the surveyors were guilty of negligence, although the solicitors had to bear the greater share of responsibility to their clients for this error. It must be said that this seems a somewhat harsh decision, since it suggests that a non-lawyer may have a duty to check on the legal work carried out by someone who is a qualified lawyer.