Architects in Smethwick West Midlands

What to check when hiring architects in Smethwick West Midlands

MyTrustedTraders ranks on independent public evidence — no ads, no paid placement. Use these checks alongside the evidence on each profile before you decide who to contact.

• Only someone on the Architects Registration Board (ARB) register may legally call themselves an 'architect' in the UK — ask for their ARB number and check it free at arb.org.uk. An 'architectural designer' or 'technologist' is a different, unregistered role (often capable, but not the same protection).
• Agree how they charge before any work starts — a percentage of the build cost, a fixed fee, or an hourly rate — and exactly which stages it covers (concept design, planning application, building-regulations drawings, work on site), so there are no surprises later.
• Confirm what they will actually handle versus what is excluded — the planning application, the building-control drawings, and whether they will administer the builder's contract on site — and get it, and a portfolio of similar projects, in writing.
• Ask to see a portfolio of completed work like yours, plus recent references you can contact.
• Check the credentials and registrations that matter for this work — and that they are current.