Expert Witness Statements - Disrepair Survey

A Residential Disrepair Report is a survey that records and evaluates problems in a home, usually for repair requests or legal claims. It includes basic property and inspection details, identifies defects (like damp, leaks, electrical issues, or structural damage), provides photos, rates the severity of each problem, explains possible causes, and recommends necessary repairs. The report helps show how the issues affect the occupants and whether the landlord is meeting legal housing standards.

An expert witness disrepair survey is a detailed, independent property inspection carried out to provide professional evidence in legal disputes about housing disrepair. It is typically used in cases involving damp, mould, structural defects, leaks, poor maintenance, or breaches of a landlord’s repairing obligations. The surveyor inspects the property, takes photographs and measurements, records moisture and environmental readings where relevant, and identifies defects, their causes, and how long they are likely to have been present. They then produce a formal report that complies with court rules (such as the Civil Procedure Rules), setting out their findings, professional opinions, recommended remedial works, timescales for repair, and sometimes estimated costs. This report can be relied upon in court or during negotiations to help establish liability, the seriousness of the disrepair, and the impact on the occupants’ health, safety, and living conditions.