Eric Erikson has been found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct by the Arb and fined ￡1,500.

The London-based architect faced charges relating to the conversion of medical consulting rooms into a residential flat to let.

Erikson agreed a completion date of May 2008 with the client and Danvic (UK) was appointed as contractor.

The project was completed in June 2009, when Erikson wrote to the client to advise that the contractor had been unable to pay its debts and work since February 2009 had been carried out by an individual director of Danvic (UK).

Erikson advised his client to pay this individual director. The client later found out that the contractor had been placed in liquidation in June 2009.

The Arb was told that Erikson recommended to his client that he make payments to an individual who was not party to the contract and advised him to pay money to a third party before issues including building regulation approval and contractors’ receipts were dealt with.

A series of other allegations against Erikson included that he failed to act in his client’s best interests, failed to carry out his work conscientiously, lacked impartiality, failed to obtain building regulation approval and failed to carry out his work without undue delay.

Erikson accepted that he had failed to obtain building regulation approval but denied the remaining allegations and denied that his actions amounted to unacceptable professional conduct.

The committee did not find the allegation that Erikson failed to carry out his professional work without undue delay proved. 

A statement from the board said: “The committee found that Mr Erikson had acted with a lack of integrity and was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.

“After considering mitigating factors, including his previous good conduct, it determined that the appropriate sanction was a penalty order in the sum of ￡1,500.”