Legal proceedings are to be avoided whenever possible however
there will always be disagreements and some matters will always end
up in the hands of solicitors and most of these will go to
court.
The courts require expert evidence and where it involves
property related matters, most frequently valuation matters but
also boundary disputes and defective building work, we can
assist.
Reports are required to be compliant with the Lord Chancellor's Civil Procedures Rules
(CPR 35) the latest amendment to which came in to force on 1st
October 2011. We prepare reports for both claimants and
defendants either as single joint expert or party appointed
expert. Reports are required to be impartial; our first duty
is to court. From time to time we attend court and give
evidence but on many occasions, after thorough review of the
situation, we are able to provide advice which results in a
settlement being negotiated between the parties.
If the matter goes to court the court will want to know the
relevant qualifications and
experience of the expert so that it can weigh up their
authority. It is of false economy to
choose an expert solely on the basis of cost, since the evidence
of the poorly qualified
and/or experienced surveyor may easily be given less weight than
that of his opponent.