Expert Witness Reports
Property Surveying Reports for Court Proceedings & Property Disputes
What is an Expert Witness Report?
Property disputes can quickly become stressful, expensive and difficult to resolve without clear evidence. Whether the issue relates to defective building work, damp, cracking, water ingress, Party Wall damage, disrepair or property condition, a professional Expert Witness Report can help set out the facts in a clear and structured way.
A Part 35 Expert Witness Report is prepared for use in legal proceedings or formal dispute resolution and must be written independently, with the expert’s duty being to the court rather than to the person instructing or paying them.
What Does a Property Expert Witness Surveyor Do?
This may include assessing the visible condition of a property, reviewing photographs or other information, considering previous reports, commenting on workmanship, identifying
likely causes of defects and setting out what further investigations or remedial works may be required.
The role of the Expert Witness is to provide objective, unbiased expert evidence that assists the court, solicitors and the parties in understanding the technical property issues.
Our Approach
Our robust approach to property inspection and lease review ensures our Schedule of Dilapidations Reports are comprehensive and thorough, ensuring Landlords or Tenants are fully informed and can ensure the property meets the lease’s requirements.
This approach ensures our clients are fully aware of the Schedule of Dilapidations of the property as the tenant’s end of lease term approaches.
Stokemont’s Expert Witness Reports
Our Expert Witness Reports are designed to give homeowners, landlords, leaseholders, freeholders, developers, managing agents and solicitors a clear, independent and court-compliant assessment of the property matters in dispute.
Each report is prepared around the specific instructions received, evidence available and the issues that need to be addressed and provides an expert court compliant professional opinion on the matter.
Stokemont can assist with Expert Witness Reports relating to:
- Building defects
- Damp and water ingress
- Defective workmanship
- Cracking and structural movement
- Disrepair claims
- Roof, wall, floor and drainage defects
- Poorly completed extensions or refurbishments
- Leasehold and freehold property disputes
- Damage caused by neighbouring construction works
- Party Wall damage
- Property condition disputes
- Insurance-related property claims
- Dilapidations and reinstatement matters
The final report will likely include inspection findings, photographs, professional opinion, costings, conclusions and, where appropriate, recommendations for remedial works or further investigations.
Why Have an Independent Part 35 Expert Witness Report?
An independent Expert Witness Report gives the parties a clear understanding of the property issue and helps ensure the relevant defects, causes and likely next steps are properly recorded from the outset.
A well-prepared report provides a structured professional view, supported by inspection findings and evidence.
This can help with:
- Clarifying the technical issues in dispute
- Supporting pre-action correspondence
- Assisting settlement discussions
- Helping solicitors understand the property evidence
- Narrowing the issues before court
- Providing the court with independent expert opinion
Why Choose Stokemont as Your Expert Witness Surveyor
No generic report creator tools
This is particularly important in legal matters, where assumptions, vague wording or unsupported conclusions can weaken the usefulness of the report.
Attention to detail
Our aim is to ensure that clients, solicitors and the court can understand the property issues without unnecessary confusion or overly technical language.
We don’t rush the inspection
The purpose of the inspection is not simply to produce a list of defects. It is to understand the dispute, the property and the likely technical cause of the issues being reported.
Court-focused reporting
Expert Witness Surveying Costs
Here at Stokemont, we believe that Expert Witness Surveying Surveying costs should be transparent and clear. As a guide our prices are as below, in order to obtain a fixed cost, please get in touch with our Surveying team who will be happy to advise.
Expert Witness Reports
From £1,500 + VAT
Court Attendance
From £1,500 + VAT (half day)
Arrange Your Expert Witness Report
If you are involved in a property dispute, or your solicitor has advised you to obtain expert evidence, Stokemont can help.
We can review the issue, confirm whether it falls within our surveying expertise and provide a clear quotation for the inspection and report. Where proceedings are already underway, we would usually recommend that instructions are provided through your solicitor to ensure the report addresses the correct issues and complies with any court directions.
Get in touch to discuss your property dispute or to arrange an Expert Witness inspection.
Expert Witness Report FAQs
Closed
What is a Part 35 Expert Witness Report?
For property disputes, this may include defects, damp, damage, workmanship, disrepair, Party Wall damage or the general condition of a building.
Is this the same as a Building Survey?
A Part 35 Expert Witness Report is prepared for use in a dispute or legal proceedings. It must be independent, properly reasoned and compliant with the court rules governing expert evidence.
When should I arrange an Expert Witness Report?
It is usually better to obtain advice early, before positions become fixed or important evidence is lost.
What does the inspection cover?
The surveyor will inspect the visible areas relevant to the instructions and may recommend further investigations if concealed defects or specialist testing are required.
What should a Part 35 Report include?
It should also include the required expert declarations and statement of truth where the report is being prepared for court proceedings.
Can Stokemont act as a Single Joint Expert?
This can help reduce cost and avoid two separate experts reporting on the same issue. Stokemont can act as a Single Joint Expert subject to conflict checks, agreed instructions and confirmation that the matter falls within our expertise.
Do I need a solicitor to instruct Stokemont?
However, where court proceedings have already started, or where a solicitor is acting for you, it is usually best for the solicitor to provide the formal instructions so the report is aligned with the legal issues and any court directions.
Can the report be used in court?
Can the expert attend court?
Team Qualifications
Our team of surveyors are not only highly experienced but importantly they are also qualified.
We’re proud to confirm our surveyors hold membership status and accreditation to some of the world’s leading professional governing bodies including; the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), The Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE) and the Pyramus and Thisbe Club (P&T).
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