Chartered Building Surveyor (MRICS/FRICS) – Expert Witness Consultancy
C7 Surveyors is seeking experienced MRICS or FRICS Chartered Building Surveyors to join our established team of independent expert witnesses undertaking residential housing condition and disrepair work across England and Wales. We welcome applications nationally, with particular current demand in the Midlands, London and the North West of England.
England & Wales | Self-Employed / Sub-Consultant | Flexible Workload
Develop a Specialism in Expert Witness Consultancy
Previous expert witness experience is not required.
If you are an experienced Chartered Building Surveyor with strong residential inspection and building pathology skills, we will provide the training, shadowing, structured processes and ongoing professional support required to develop into expert witness work.
The opportunity can be undertaken alongside an existing surveying practice, employment or other professional commitments, or as a more substantial part of your working week. You determine the level of availability you wish to provide.
The Role
You will inspect residential properties and prepare expert witness reports concerning housing condition, building defects and disrepair.
The work particularly suits experienced Chartered Building Surveyors who enjoy building pathology, defect diagnosis, analytical problem solving and clear technical writing.
C7 reports are designed to be concise, evidence-led and well reasoned, with a strong emphasis on proportionality and clearly explaining the relationship between defect, cause and appropriate remedial action.
Our in-house operations team provides comprehensive support, allowing our experts to concentrate on inspection, analysis and forming clear, independent professional opinions.
Candidate Requirements
- MRICS or FRICS Chartered Building Surveyor status
- A minimum of three years’ post-qualification experience
- Experience inspecting residential property and diagnosing building defects
- A sound understanding of building pathology
- Strong written communication and analytical skills
- Good IT skills, particularly Microsoft Word and Excel
- A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle
- Existing knowledge of housing disrepair or expert witness work is advantageous but not essential.
Relevant professional backgrounds may include:
- Residential Building Surveys
- Level 2 and Level 3 Surveys
- Building pathology and defect diagnosis
- Residential maintenance and repair
- Housing condition surveying
- Landlord and tenant matters
- Expert witness or dispute-related work
Earnings and Flexibility
Experts are engaged as independent sub-consultants and are principally paid on a fixed-fee basis per instruction.
The workload is designed to be flexible. Many of our established experts undertake C7 instructions alongside other surveying and professional commitments, with weekly professional fees of around £2,200–£2,500 being typical when undertaking a regular allocation of C7 work, depending on the number and type of instructions undertaken.
There is no requirement to work exclusively for C7, and experts determine the level of availability they wish to provide.
For Chartered Building Surveyors wishing to make expert witness work a larger part of their practice, there is scope to undertake a greater volume of instructions, subject to availability of work and geographical demand.
Training and Professional Support
We recognise that experienced Chartered Building Surveyors may have excellent building pathology skills without previously having worked as expert witnesses.
New experts therefore receive structured support including:
- Initial shadowing with an experienced C7 expert
- Training in housing condition and disrepair matters
- Guidance on expert witness duties and report preparation
- Established inspection and reporting processes
- Supporting technical resources
- In-house quality assurance processes
- Ongoing access to experienced colleagues for technical discussion
- Continuing professional development as your expert witness practice develops
Our work commonly involves consideration of repairing obligations and housing condition legislation, including Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Sections 9A and 10 concerning fitness for human habitation, and Section 4 of the Defective Premises Act 1972. Previous experience in these areas is useful but is not a prerequisite.
The Chartered Building Surveyors Who Tend to Enjoy This Work
Expert witness work requires more than identifying building defects. It involves explaining technical issues clearly, distinguishing evidence from assumption and being prepared to justify professional conclusions.
Chartered Building Surveyors who thrive within C7 tend to be:
- Careful and methodical in their inspection of buildings
- Interested in building pathology and defect diagnosis
- Clear and concise technical writers
- Comfortable forming independent and balanced professional opinions
- Open to constructive technical discussion with other Chartered Building Surveyors
- Organised and reliable in meeting agreed deadlines
We encourage professional discussion and constructive debate between our experts. Independence of professional opinion is fundamental to the work.
About C7 Surveyors
C7 Surveyors is an RICS-regulated business specialising in expert witness services concerning residential housing condition and disrepair.
We undertake instructions across England and Wales for solicitors and other professional clients and have developed structured systems covering instruction, inspection, reporting, proofreading and quality assurance.
Our aim is to produce expert evidence that is independent, proportionate, technically sound and clearly reasoned.
Join Our Expert Team
This is an opportunity for an experienced Chartered Building Surveyor to develop an additional professional specialism without having to leave an existing role or practice.
Whether you wish to receive a modest number of instructions each month or make expert witness work a more substantial part of your professional workload, we are interested in speaking with suitable MRICS and FRICS Chartered Building Surveyors across England and Wales.
We welcome applications nationally, with particular current demand in the Midlands, London and the North West of England.
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