What Are the Financial and Safety Risks of Ignoring Byggfel

Ignoring byggfel (construction defects) comes with many financial and safety risks in Sweden, a country where property development and ownership hold utmost value. The inability to address and correctly identify byggfel results in safety hazards, legal disputes, rejected insurance claims, and decreased property values.

This article explores the different safety and financial risks of ignoring byggfel, and the dire need to take quick action on it.

The Financial Risks of Ignoring Byggfel

Ignoring byggfel doesn’t only impact your home maintenance. It can lead to grave financial repercussions, too. Legal disputes, rejected insurance claims, and decreased property value are only a few of the economic implications of overlooking byggfel.

Let’s discuss the different financial risks of disregarding the byggfel in a property.

Decrease in Property Value

Arguably, the most obvious and immediate financial repercussion of byggfel is a decrease in a property’s value. That happens primarily due to the following reasons:

• Swedish homebuyers walk away from defective properties
• Buyers negotiate more on the property price in the case of byggfel
• Minor defects impact property price and buyers’ confidence in Malmö, Gothenburg, and Stockholm

High Insurance Premiums

Swedish insurers carry out comprehensive risk assessments before renewing or issuing insurance policies. In case of the presence of any construction defects in a property, the following are likely to happen:

• Insurers can raise the insurance premiums due to the risk of future claims
• Insurers may cancel the respective policy in case of a hidden byggfel 
• Insurers can deny insurance claims in case of concealed byggfel
• Co-insurance clauses can even penalize properties without insurance 

As a result, homeowners often have to pay more for far less protection.

Retrofitting and Expensive Repairs

One of the biggest financial implications of overlooking byggfel is the aggravating and expensive cost of repairs. Ignoring byggfel only worsens it with time. For instance:

• Minor leaks in the roof can result in massive mold infestations
• Structural misalignments can lead to total foundation restoration
• Inadequate waterproofing can require demolition of the building
• In case of demolition, the walls and floors may need to be reconstructed

Issues that could have been resolved early and successfully without spending much blow into an enormous renovation project that drains your budget.

Influence on Financing and Mortgage

Mortgage lenders and banks in Sweden check a property’s integrity and value before approving any loan. Any property with construction defects is likely to experience the following:

• May require third-party verification or extra inspections
• May get quite low appraisal values, resulting in decreased financing
• May be at high risk, which can lead to quite high interest rates

All these issues make it quite tough for potential buyers to refinance their properties and secure loans, particularly when defects surface post-purchase.

Additional Legal Expenses

Often, byggfel paves the way for disputes. Whether the conflicts involve insurers, previous homeowners, or contractors, the legal costs increase. Typically, the disputes include the following:

• Homeowners challenge the insurance companies for rejecting their claims
• Buyers sue sellers for not disclosing byggfel at the right time
• Buyers drag developers to court for breaching the construction codes

Legal proceedings come with costs, whether short or spread over a long timeframe. They involve expensive inspections, timelines that barely end, and additional fees. As a result, the buyers, sellers, and other parties involved undergo intense financial and emotional stress.

Legal proceedings involve fees, expert inspections, and prolonged timelines, resulting in emotional and financial strain.

The Safety Risks of Ignoring Byggfel

Neglecting byggfel results in many safety risks and hazards as well. Turning a blind eye to the construction defects can compromise the property’s air quality, fire protection, and structural integrity. If you don’t address these problems promptly, they can lead to legal liabilities, irreversible property damage, and even life-altering situations.

Let’s discuss the different safety risks of disregarding byggfel.

Fire Hazards

Old fuse boxes, inefficient installation of HVAC systems, and defective wiring can ignite fires. Construction codes regarding fire prevention are quite strict in Sweden. Byggfel in older and ancient buildings, or those constructed in haste, tends to bypass the important assessments.

Prospective risks of fire hazards include:

• Overheating of fuse boxes and/ or cables
• Short circuits in the electrical wiring
• System overload resulting in fire outbreaks

It is critical not to ignore such issues, which can lead to life-threatening situations. Moreover, fire hazards also increase the legal liability for property managers, landlords and homeowners. 

Risk of Building Collapse

Structural construction defects such as misaligned beams, poor foundations, or even defective walls and pillars can lead to a complete or partial building collapse. The high-risk situations can involve:

• Shifting or cracked building foundations
• Collapsing staircases and/ or balconies
• Sagging roof, or roof separating from the structural joints

Problems of this kind are extremely dangerous, especially in commercial buildings and multi-unit constructions. They can lead to lawsuits and criminal investigations.

Health-Related Consequences

Defects in the ventilation systems, insulation, and waterproofing create an environment conducive for mold infestation. In addition, it also deteriorates the air quality indoors. Commonly experienced health problems due to overlooking byggfel include the following:

• Skin irritations and allergies
• Aggravation of asthma
• Severe respiratory issues
• Brain fog, fatigue, and headaches

Mold and poor air quality are dangerous for everyone, but their risks increase for senior citizens, children, and those with weak immune systems. Landlords in Sweden can face legal repercussions if tenants complain of mold-related problems due to an ignored byggfel.

Injuries Caused by Routine Use

Minor byggfel like unstable staircases or uneven floors pose an ongoing risk of experiencing an injury when doing routine chores and tasks. The injury-related risks usually include, but are not limited to:

• Long-term disability and fractures
• Falls and slips due to uneven surfaces or broken tiles
• Head injuries due to unsecured stair railings or ceiling fixtures

Whether you manage a facility, or have your own home, ensure not to neglect byggfel. Ignoring byggfel leads to injuries that can tarnish your reputation, increase insurance claims, and result in personal injury lawsuits. 

How to Identify and Fix Byggfel At The Right Time

Detecting early byggfel is crucial to fixing it at the right time and resolving the issue before it aggravates. Here’s how you can detect and resolve early byggfel.

• Hire an expert inspector: Hire a qualified besiktningsman (Swedish home inspector) before buying a property. Ensure he checks the building’s structure, plumbing, electrical systems and other aspects.
• Analyze the construction documents: When buying new buildings, request inspection reports, building permits and byggfelsforsakring certificates.
• Maintain repair records: If you get any repairs and maintenance work done on the building, document all the renovations, and keep the proof for insurance or legal purposes.
• Conduct routine checks: Regularly, check the building for flickering lights, sloping floors, cracks and damp spots.

Taking care of these aspects helps you detect and fix byggfel at an early stage.

What Should You Do If You Detect Byggfel

It is natural to feel overwhelmed if you discover byggfel in a building, particularly one you live in or have just bought. However, acting strategically can help you escape legal headaches and financial losses. Observe the following measures to safeguard yourself if you detect byggfel.

Document Everything In Detail

Thorough documentation should be your first defensive measure. Keep written and visual proof to support legal action and/ or insurance claims.

Here’s what you should do:

• Record the time, date and location of the fault you located
• Take good-quality videos and photos of the defect from various angles
• Keep a note of every event that exposed that defect, or caused it
• Store and secure all the documents in an organized folder, online and offline

Inform Your Insurance Provider

Get in touch with your insurer when you detect a byggfel, and report the issue to him/ her. Find out if your policy covers that particular problem, and ways to avoid claim refusal.

Here’s what you should do:

• Email, message or call your insurer the instant you detect a byggfel
• Provide all the documentation you have maintained to your insurer
• Request for a written note of the claim to confirm the submission
• Review all the aspects that your insurance policy does and doesn’t cover

Consult an Expert Property Litigation Lawyer

An expert in property law can help you massively with identifying the liability, clarifying your rights, and navigating disputes pertinent to byggfel or byggfelsforsakring.

Here’s what you should do:

• Contact property law experts such as Advantage Law Firm in Sweden
• Share your entire communication with the insurer
• Provide your lawyer with all the documents you have maintained
• Ask for their legal advice on how to proceed with the matter
• Discuss whether you should opt for legal action or mediation

Contact Licensed Specialists for Repairs

To repair any construction defect, ensure that you hire only a certified expert. Experts provide quality repairs, comply with the construction protocols in Sweden, and safeguard you against denied claims or liabilities.

Here’s what you should do:

• Verify the licenses and credentials of the contractors or repair agencies you are considering hiring
• Ask them for a written scope of work and quote
• Ask if they provide warranties on all the repair work
• Save all the receipts of the maintenance and repair work you get done
• Avoid getting any unlicensed or even DIY work, as it can nullify your insurance

Consulting the experts and taking immediate action helps keep a minor issue from blowing into a huge and expensive crisis.

How Advantage Law Firm Can Help You?

At Advantage Law Firm, we have the best legal experts to assist you with byggfel-related issues and disputes. Whether you are a homeowner who purchased a property with byggfel, a homeowner struggling with rejected insurance claims, a builder experiencing liability, or a landlord handlign tenant safety issues, our advocates and lawyers can assist you.

We help clients understand all their legal rights and obligations, review warranties and contracts, and even provide them with full representation in court. Get in touch with our experts today by filling out the form below or giving us a call.