You can complain to the Architects Registration Board (ARB) when a registered individual architect may have committed unacceptable professional conduct, serious professional incompetence or a relevant criminal offence. Your complaint should be written, identify the architect, explain specific allegations, normally concern events within six years and include credible supporting evidence.
ARB is a professional regulator, not a compensation or contract-dispute service. It cannot order remedial work, award damages, decide negligence or settle fee disagreements. Use the route that matches the result you need, and prepare your ARB complaint around public protection and professional standards.
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What the ARB can investigate
The Architects Registration Board regulates people who are registered as architects in the UK. It does not regulate every architectural designer, building consultant or architectural practice as an organisation. A complaint about a company, an unregistered designer or an employee who is not personally registered may therefore fall outside ARB’s jurisdiction.
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Search the ARB Architects Register before drafting your complaint. Record the architect’s full name, registration details and business address as they appear there. If the person is not on the Register, say so when seeking advice from the relevant body rather than presenting the matter as an ARB disciplinary complaint.
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The conduct threshold
ARB screens for matters that could amount to unacceptable professional conduct, serious professional incompetence or a relevant criminal conviction. A delayed response, a minor drawing error or generally disappointing service does not automatically meet that threshold. Explain why the conduct was serious, what professional duty or competence issue it raises and how the evidence supports that conclusion.
Complaint versus allegation
Your submission is a complaint: a concern referred to ARB. ARB decides after screening whether to frame an allegation for investigation. It can close a complaint that does not satisfy its criteria and says it will give written reasons and information about requesting a review. Do not describe your own account as an ARB finding.
Decide what outcome you need before choosing a route
ARB action is about regulation and public protection. It is not a substitute for a claim seeking money, correction of defective work or a ruling on a contract. The table below separates the main routes.
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| Route | Who or what it covers | Potential result | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARB complaint | An individual on the Architects Register | Investigation, professional advice, dismissal or disciplinary sanction | Cannot award compensation, order repairs or decide a contract |
| Architect’s internal complaints process | The service supplied under your appointment | Explanation, negotiated correction or settlement | Depends on the practice’s procedure and contract |
| Mediation or arbitration | A contractual or service dispute where the parties agree to the process | Negotiated outcome or an arbitral decision, according to the agreement | May require consent, a contract clause and fees |
| Court claim | Contract, negligence or other legal cause of action | Binding judgment, which can include compensation | Strict limitation rules, evidence requirements and costs apply |
| Citizens Advice or a solicitor | Consumer, contract or legal questions | Guidance on the appropriate remedy and procedure | They do not replace ARB’s regulatory decision |
If your immediate need is to have unsafe or defective work corrected, or to recover money, start with the contract and obtain appropriately qualified legal or technical advice. You can pursue a regulatory complaint separately when the conduct also appears to meet ARB’s threshold.
Try the architect’s complaints process first
ARB’s guidance says raising the problem with the architect is often the quickest way to resolve it while records, people and project information are available. Check your terms of engagement for the named complaints contact, escalation stages, response times and any mediation or adjudication clause.
Put the concerns in writing
Send a calm, dated letter or email that describes each issue separately. Number the allegations, identify the relevant project and explain the practical effect. Ask for a specific response, such as an explanation, correction of a document or confirmation of the next step. Keep the original message and the complete reply chain.
Use the agreed roles and responsibilities
Review the appointment, scope, fee schedule, programme, drawings and change instructions. Many disputes arise because the architect, contractor, client and specialist consultants had different responsibilities. Distinguish a failure to perform an agreed task from work that was outside the architect’s appointment.
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Allow the internal process to run
ARB’s complaints guidance describes five- and 20-working-day handling stages for an architect’s own complaints procedure. The exact stage covered by each period depends on the current guidance and the practice’s policy. If the practice does not respond, records that failure and explain it in your ARB submission rather than assuming silence proves the substantive allegation.
Check ARB’s acceptance criteria
ARB describes its criteria as flexible, but your complaint should address each one directly. Use this checklist before submitting.
| Criterion | What to provide | How to handle uncertainty |
|---|---|---|
| Identifiable registered architect | Full name, Register details and address or practice contact | Explain any discrepancy in names or addresses |
| Written and understandable complaint | A concise account with numbered allegations | Ask ARB for communication support if writing is difficult |
| Usually within six years | Dates for each event and the date you discovered a problem | Explain an exceptional reason for delay |
| Credible evidence | Contemporaneous emails, notes, contracts, drawings or expert material | Separate what you know from what you infer |
| Serious regulatory issue | Facts showing possible unacceptable conduct, serious incompetence or relevant conviction | Explain the public or professional significance, not just dissatisfaction |
The six-year period is not absolute
ARB says events should ordinarily be no more than six years old. It may consider exceptional circumstances, including a serious matter where the public interest supports an investigation, a problem that could not reasonably have been raised earlier, or evidence whose reliability has not been weakened by time. A building defect discovered years after completion can be relevant if you explain when and how it came to light and why an earlier complaint was not reasonably possible.
What “credible evidence” means
Credibility does not require you to prove the allegation at the outset. ARB’s Screening new complaints: ARB’s acceptance criteria explains: “The requirement that evidence is ‘credible’ does not require that you prove at the outset that it is true.” In practical terms, give a coherent account supported by dated emails, meeting notes, documents, photographs, drawings, invoices or reliable witness information. If reasonable enquiries still leave no sufficient evidence, ARB may not take the case further.
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Build an evidence file that an investigator can follow
Organise the material by allegation rather than sending an unindexed bundle. Use a short chronology and label every attachment consistently.
Core documents
- The signed appointment, terms of engagement, scope, fee proposal and amendments.
- Relevant drawings, specifications, schedules, certificates, inspection notes and revisions, with revision dates.
- Emails, letters, texts and meeting minutes showing what was requested, advised, agreed or missed.
- Invoices, payment records and notices that establish timing or the financial effect of an event.
- Photographs or site records with dates and a short description of what each image shows.
- Independent expert reports where technical competence is in issue; identify the expert’s qualifications and the documents reviewed.
- Witness statements or contact details for people with first-hand knowledge, subject to privacy considerations.
Make the chronology precise
For each event, record the date, who acted, what was said or produced, the document proving it and the consequence. Avoid conclusions such as “the architect was reckless” unless the underlying facts are set out. A reviewer should be able to move from an allegation to the exact page or file supporting it.
Protect the original record
Keep an unchanged copy of the complete evidence set, including attachments and file metadata where available. Submit readable copies and retain proof of delivery. Do not edit photographs, alter email chains or remove inconvenient material; explain gaps instead.
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How to write the complaint
ARB asks for your name, address and contact details; the architect’s name and address; your relationship to the architect; specific allegations; and supporting material. A clear structure helps ARB decide whether the matter is within its remit.
Recommended structure
- Your details and relationship. State whether you are the client, homeowner, contractor, colleague, trainee or another person with relevant knowledge.
- Architect identification. Give the registered architect’s name, practice and address, and any Register information you checked.
- Project and appointment. Identify the property or project, the appointment date, the services agreed and the relevant jurisdiction.
- Numbered allegations. Give one allegation per number, with dates, actions, professional significance and the evidence reference.
- Impact and public-interest context. Explain safety, compliance, client protection or confidence issues without exaggerating losses.
- Steps already taken. Summarise the architect’s complaints process, responses and any unresolved points.
- Outcome sought. Ask ARB to assess the conduct under its statutory remit. Do not ask ARB to order compensation or building work.
- Index and attachments. List each document, its date and the allegation it supports.
Plain-text outline you can adapt
Complainant: [name, address, email and telephone number]
Architect: [full name, practice and address]
Relationship: [client, contractor, colleague or other]
Project: [address or project reference]
Allegation 1 — [short description]
Date(s):
What happened:
Why this may raise unacceptable professional conduct or serious professional incompetence:
Evidence: Documents 1, 3 and 5
Allegation 2 — [short description]
Date(s):
What happened:
Why this may fall within ARB's remit:
Evidence: Documents 2 and 4
Steps taken with the architect:
Outcome requested from ARB:
Attachment index:The bracketed labels above are drafting prompts, not text to leave in a submitted complaint. Replace them with your details and remove any section that does not apply.
Submit the complaint to ARB
ARB accepts complaints through its online complaints form or in writing by email or post. Use the current form and contact details published by ARB, because addresses and portal labels can change.
- Complete the online form, or prepare a signed letter or email using the structure above.
- Attach the indexed evidence in readable files. If the files are too large, ask ARB how it wants them supplied rather than splitting the chronology across unexplained messages.
- State clearly that you are making a complaint about a registered architect and identify the allegations you want screened.
- Keep a copy of the submission, attachments and confirmation of receipt.
- Respond promptly if ARB asks for clarification or further documents, and tell it if your contact details change.
When writing is difficult
ARB’s screening guidance says a telephone concern will normally be followed by a request to put the matter in writing. Its process guide also says that someone who finds writing difficult can telephone ARB, give an oral statement and have it sent back for checking and signature. A phone call alone is not the ordinary completed complaint route; use the assistance to create and confirm the written account.
What happens after you submit
The process has distinct stages. A complaint can end at screening, so referral to a hearing is not automatic.
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ARB first considers whether the concern concerns a registered architect and falls within its regulatory remit. It applies the written, clarity, timing, evidence and seriousness criteria described above. If the criteria are not met, ARB may close the complaint, give reasons in writing and explain how to request a review.
2. Investigation and the architect’s response
Where the matter is within remit, ARB raises an allegation and invites the architect to comment. It may seek further comments from either side before referral to the Investigations Panel. Answer factual questions directly and identify any new evidence rather than sending repeated copies of the original bundle.
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3. Investigations Panel
ARB’s guide describes a three-person panel comprising one architect and two lay members. It considers the allegation and material from both parties. The panel may dismiss the allegation, give the architect advice about future conduct or practice, or refer the case to the Professional Conduct Committee (PCC). It gives reasons for its findings.
4. Professional Conduct Committee hearing
Only cases referred to the PCC proceed to a public hearing. ARB says a complainant may be asked for a witness statement and may need to attend to give evidence under oath. The PCC can dismiss the case or find unacceptable professional conduct and/or serious professional incompetence and impose a sanction.
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Possible sanctions
The procedural guide cited by ARB lists a reprimand, a fine of up to £5,000 payable to HM Treasury, suspension from the Register for up to two years or permanent erasure. These figures and process details are guidance that can change; check the current Architects Act rules and ARB procedure before relying on them. A sanction is disciplinary action against the architect, not a payment to you and not an order to rebuild or repair.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How long the process takes and what remains confidential
ARB says a complaint can take many months, especially when the issues are technical or complicated. It says it will communicate estimated timings for stages and tell parties about significant changes. Preserve project records throughout the process and notify ARB about material developments without turning every correspondence exchange into a new allegation.
ARB states that it seeks to protect the confidentiality and reputation of both parties and makes a complaint public only if it reaches a PCC hearing. It asks the complainant and architect to respect confidentiality. Because confidentiality policies can be revised, read the current notice supplied with the form and avoid publishing allegations or personal data while the case is being considered.
What ARB cannot decide
Understanding the limits prevents a complaint from being rejected for seeking the wrong remedy.
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- Repairs or remedial work: ARB cannot order an architect or contractor to correct a building or redraw documents.
- Contract and fee disputes: it cannot determine whether an invoice is payable or interpret every term of an appointment.
- Negligence: a professional-conduct decision is not a court finding of civil liability.
- Planning decisions: ARB cannot overturn a planning authority’s decision or act as a planning appeal body.
- Employment, criminal and copyright matters: these may be governed by other legal regimes and should be reported to the appropriate authority.
- Unregistered people and practices as entities: ARB’s jurisdiction is centred on the registered individual, not every organisation or designer involved in a project.
A serious contract, negligence, fee or compensation dispute may justify optional advice from a solicitor or another appropriately qualified adviser. Mediation or arbitration may be available under the contract, while Citizens Advice can help identify a suitable consumer route. None of these alternatives changes ARB’s separate regulatory role.
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Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Complaining about the wrong person
A practice may have several architects, technicians and consultants. Identify the registered individual whose conduct you allege and distinguish their actions from those of the contractor, engineer, surveyor or planning authority.
Sending a narrative without allegations
A long chronology is not enough if ARB cannot tell what professional failing is alleged. Number each allegation, state the relevant dates and connect it to evidence.
Using “incompetent” as a conclusion
Describe the technical act or omission, the agreed duty, the information available at the time and the foreseeable professional consequence. Leave the regulatory classification for ARB.
Expecting a private settlement from a regulator
State the regulatory concern and pursue compensation, repair or contract relief through the route designed to provide it. Do not make acceptance of a payment your only requested outcome from ARB.
Ignoring delay
Give a date for every event and explain late discovery, continuing concealment or another exceptional circumstance. Time alone does not establish seriousness, and seriousness alone does not remove the need to explain delay.
Overloading ARB with irrelevant material
Include documents that prove identity, duty, event, impact or credibility. An indexed, focused bundle is easier to assess than thousands of pages with no explanation.
Quick Recap
Final submission checklist
- The architect is identified and appears on the ARB Register.
- Your name, address, contact details and relationship to the architect are included.
- The project, appointment and relevant dates are clear.
- Each allegation is numbered and written so the architect can understand it.
- You explain why the facts may indicate unacceptable professional conduct, serious professional incompetence or a relevant conviction.
- The events are ordinarily within six years, or you explain the exceptional circumstances.
- Evidence is indexed, readable and linked to each allegation.
- You have checked the architect’s complaints process and retained all correspondence.
- You have chosen ARB for professional accountability, not as a substitute for a compensation or repair claim.
- You submit through ARB’s current online form, email or postal method and keep proof of delivery.
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