A possible disadvantage to the Access to Neighbouring Land Act is that access is only available after following the court procedure to obtain an Access Order from the courts. This can take weeks if not months and can be a particular frustration if access is needed within a shorter time period.
This is a template for an informal agreement that could be worked towards outside of the courts.
Published April 2014
Effective from 2 July 2014
Reissued February 2023
Surveyors acting as expert witnesses, 4th edition, applies to surveyors when providing expert evidence, whether oral or written, before a range of courts and tribunals in the UK,
The practice statement sets out the mandatory duties of a surveyor in providing evidence, while the guidance note provides further information on good practice, including: the need for clear instructions and terms of engagement; fees; guidance on what to do in situations of conflict of interest; an outline of the written report format; clarification of the differences between the roles of expert witness and advocate; and the immunity of the expert witness.
A stand-alone electronic version of this practice statement (without the guidance note) is also available for potential use with clients in connection with the particular requirement of PS 3.3.
Published February 2021
Effective from 1 May 2021
Reissued October 2022
Disputes about boundaries, and related neighbour disputes, are never far from the news and have been increasing steadily during the COVID-19 period in England and Wales. Boundary disputes can be costly, traumatic and time-consuming for all concerned; they can end up in expensive legal cases, leave a lingering mistrust and ill-feeling between neighbours, result in delayed development and additional costs, and cause confusion between professionals. They never fail to light up the letter pages of the tabloids, and the constituency postbags of MPs.
It is critical that RICS members, and other professionals working within this sector, are up to date with the latest best practice advice and guidance. This new 4th edition encompasses all that was best from the seminal 3rd edition, with a new emphasis on mediation, and has been reformatted and edited to include several new and expanded sections.