Chris Scott

Expertise

Chris is an experienced Chartered Building Surveyor with broad experience in property, insurance and construction industries, particularly on domestic property defects, repair and legal disputes. He has completed the Advanced Professional Award in Expert Witness Evidence training with Legal Experience Training Ltd. He is an experienced Party Wall Surveyor and a member of the Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors.

Chris has experience of preparing CPR 35 court compliant reports and has acted as a single and jointly appointed expert witness on several domestic legal disputes. He has acted as a Party Wall Surveyor involving complex domestic and commercial party wall matters and prepared Party Wall Awards when disputes have arisen.

Within Gateley Smithers Purslow, Chris takes on appointments in the following areas:

• Expert witness in the field of building surveying. Preparation of advisory and CPR 35 compliant reports for domestic and commercial legal disputes associated with construction work and contractual matters.
• Acting as agent, Party Wall Surveyor/ Agreed Surveyor in respect of domestic and commercial party wall disputes, including the preparation of condition surveys and Party Wall Awards.
• Acting as contract administrator and preparing designs for commercial and domestic projects, including Principal Designer duties in accordance with the CDM 2015 Regulations.
• Undertake specific defect inspections and diagnosis, structural inspections and condition survey reports.
• Offer technical advice to a range of clients, including insurance companies, loss adjusters, solicitors, private individuals, local authorities, housing associations and house builders.
• Undertake insurance inspections for the purposes of assessing damage caused by perils, completing value and risk calculations and advising insurers in respect of liability disputes.

How do you help clients?

I help clients by providing them with technical advice specific to their needs and always act impartially when appointed as an expert witness.

I provide a broad range of expert services including:

• expert witness services;
• party wall issues;
• defect diagnosis, structural surveys and condition reports;
• design and contract administration services, project management and Principal Designer duties (CDM);
• insurance surveying services.

Experience

1. Acting as adjoining owner’s party surveyor in respect of building works associated with a high profile and complex legal dispute.
2. Acting as single joint expert witness regarding a complex, domestic property dispute, including detailed inspection, pricing defective works and preparation of CPR 35 compliant report.
3. Acting as expert and undertaking inspection and intrusive investigations relating to water ingress at a residential block of flats on behalf of leaseholders.
4. Acting as expert for an insurance client in respect of liability regarding a claim for damages caused by vibration damage to a neighbouring property.
5. Acting as expert witness for a house builder client regarding a claim for defective building works, structural issues and thermal insulation detailing, including meeting with the Claimant’s expert to prepare a joint statement ahead of Court proceedings.