LIBRARY
Expert Witness
Guidance and resources for valuers acting as expert witnesses in litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution.
The Expert Witness Role
When a valuation is disputed — in court, arbitration, or before a tribunal — the valuer’s primary duty shifts from serving the client to serving the court. An expert witness gives independent, impartial opinion evidence, even where that opinion is unfavourable to the party who instructed them.
Duties & Independence
An expert witness’s overriding duty is to the court or tribunal, not to the instructing party. Opinions must be independent, objective, and unaffected by the pressures of litigation.
Report Standards
Expert reports must set out the facts, assumptions, methodology, and reasoning behind the opinion clearly enough for a non-specialist to follow and test the conclusion.
Giving Evidence
Preparation for cross-examination, handling joint expert meetings, and presenting valuation evidence clearly and consistently under scrutiny.
Related Resources
Expert witness work sits alongside the professional and regulatory standards every valuer is bound by.
New — RICS professional standard
Surveyors acting as Expert Witnesses, 5th edition
Published 30 July 2026 and taking effect on 30 November 2026, after a four-month transition period. It applies globally to all RICS members and is mandatory, superseding the 4th edition of February 2023.