Cases - Abbey National Mortgages plc v Key Surveyors Nationwide Ltd
Record details
- Name
- Abbey National Mortgages plc v Key Surveyors Nationwide Ltd
- Date
- [1995] [1996]
- Citation
- 75 BLR 124 OR; 1 WLR 1534, CA
- Legislation
- Keywords
- Expert witness - negligence in valuations and surveys
- Summary
-
The claimant sued the defendant valuers for 29 property valuations in different parts of the country. The defendants argued that a separate expert would be needed for each of the 29 properties, because of the need for personal knowledge and experience of local market conditions. The claimants argued for a single court expert to be appointed.
The court held that there should be no presumption either for or against the appointment of a court expert. (Note: this decision was pre-CPR.) The crucial deciding factor was whether it would assist in the just, expeditious and economical disposal of the action. The court
'is concerned with doing justice, not with achieving a state of expensive and unnecessary perfection'.
In the result, it would not be necessary to have a separate expert for each property; the necessary market knowledge could be obtained through proper preparation.