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TCC (England and Wales) enforces DPA 1972 historic defects adjudication; DPA claims fall within 'under the contract' clause; Fiona Trust applies; fairness and crystallisation challenges rejected (BDW v Ardmore)

Published on: 18 December 2024

Published by a LexisNexis Construction expert
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BDW Trading Ltd v Ardmore Construction Ltd [2024] [EWHC 3235 (TCC)

What are the practical implications of this case?

This judgment offers useful guidance on the way claims concerning historic defects under the DPA 1972—revived by amendments to the Limitation Act 1980 made through the Building Safety Act 2022, which extended the applicable period to 30 years—are expected to be addressed in adjudication and before the courts. In this instance, the judge showed little patience with the defendant contractor’s position about the passage of time, despite some 20 years elapsing between completion of the works and the bringing of the claim.

The court also rejected submissions questioning the adjudicator’s remit to decide DPA 1972 claims on the footing that they were not disputes arising ‘under the contract’. It confirmed that the Fiona Trust principle applies to adjudication provisions: parties are presumed to have intended that a single tribunal should resolve all disputes that arise out of their relationship. Accordingly, arguments aimed at carving out statutory claims from the agreed dispute resolution mechanism found no favour, and adjudication remains available in such cases...

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