Architect ‘overcharged clients then used cash on own homes’

AN ARCHITECT overcharged his clients by £1million and used the money to fund his own renovation, a court has heard.

Simon Whitehead was hired by doctors Stephen and Priti Pereira to redesign their south London house in 2018.

The project, which included a basement covering the entire footprint of their £5 million home, overran by a year and ended up costing them £3.2million to complete, they claimed – £1million more than the original quote.

They are now suing Mr Whitehead, his company, and his solicitor wife, Victoria, claiming that the project only overran because they enlisted the Pereiras’ builder to work on their own properties – using the Pereiras’ money – at the same time.

The doctors say payments they made towards their own building project were diverted by the builder to fund works at the Whiteheads’ homes in East

Dulwich and Kent, and their company’s headquarters near London Bridge.

Mr and Mrs Whitehead say the claims are “scandalous” and deny all wrongdoing, blaming “expensive and luxurious” extras added to the Pereiras’ project, along with failings by the builder and

the effect of Covid, for the extra cost and time spent.

They insist they paid the builder themselves for the work on their properties and that the allegations are a bid to get the Whiteheads to pay for the over-budget work at the Pereiras’ home.

According to documents filed at the High Court, the Pereiras enlisted Simon

Whitehead Architects Ltd to provide architectural services and contract administration on the “major” works at their home, which they bought in 2005 for nearly £2 million, but is now valued online at more than £5million.

But they say that, throughout the project, the contractor who did the work was also instructed to carry out works at properties owned by the Whiteheads and their company, including general maintenance at their East Dulwich home and an extension, new roof, doors and a bungalow “granny annexe” at their home in Chainhurst, near Tonbridge, Kent.

The Pereiras say that at the same time that the work on their home was suffering “severe time and cost overruns”, their architect was pushing the builder to complete his own projects on time.

They say they were told that the builder was suffering cashflow problems and were “advised” by their architect to make upfront payments to allow the work to be progressed.