Partly as a result of the Woolfe reforms in the late 90s, the drive toward limiting the cost of civil litigation gave birth to “the single joint expert” (SJE).

Over the last 10-15 years, property disputes involving matrimonial disputes, have been sorted through the Solicitors acting for each party whereby each side together agrees the name of three Surveyors to quote for advising the Court on the value of the property, for both litigants.

The SJE is involved with instructions both on an individual property basis but may also be instructed to advise on a substantial portfolio of 20 - 40 properties.

Where there is an instruction regarding multiple properties, the economies of scale in processing the case will often mean quoting a lower figure per property, thereby enabling a lower overall cost to the client.

Experienced surveyors who are SJEs will also know the Court protocol in following procedures, so adding proficiency to the job and keeping costs down that way too.

Lastly, there is still the need for expert witnesses to act for a single party in cases such as setting Capital Tax Claims with the Inland Revenue or in Commercial Lease settlements.

(John Roe, Senior Surveyor, ICIOB FNAEA MA, Expert Witness)