Expert reports, evidence recording and expert opinions
When there is a dispute or something must be proven
When a situation is disputed later, what counts is what was measured and documented before. We record what is there, assess it as experts and document it so that others can follow it too.
No obligation · quote in advance
- Publicly appointed surveying engineers
- Measuring technology down to the millimetre
- Documentation that others can check
What is your case?
Four situations in which clients come to us.
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Your neighbour disputes the boundary
The fence, hedge or garage is said to be in the wrong place. Before this becomes a lawsuit, an expert assessment helps: what do the cadastre and the site really show?
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Building work next door, and now there is a crack
Was it there before? Without a record made before construction started, nobody can tell. With a record, you can.
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A court or authority needs an assessment
An expert opinion on boundaries, areas, heights or structures is needed, and it must stand up to review.
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A place must be recorded with exact dimensions
Crime scene or accident scene: the situation must be recorded completely and to scale before it is cleared.
Boundary disputes
What the records say and what is on site
In a dispute about a boundary, there are usually two truths side by side: the records of the real estate cadastre (Liegenschaftskataster) and what has stood on site for decades. We evaluate the records, measure the site and show where and how far the two differ.
Only an official boundary survey (Grenzfeststellung) fixes a boundary with binding effect. This is an official procedure in which the parties take part. But often the matter is settled by a factual presentation alone, without any further procedure.
- Evaluation of the cadastral records and measurement on site
- The difference shown with dimensions, not with opinions
- A clear answer on what an expert report can do and when you need a boundary survey
Is there a dispute about your boundary?
Request an assessment
Evidence recording
Document first, then build
Vibrations, lowering of the groundwater, deep excavations: construction work has effects beyond the building plot. If someone claims damage afterwards, the key question is what things looked like before. Without a record, nobody can answer it.
We record the condition before construction starts: buildings and structures in position and height, visible damage with photos and dimensions. During the work, repeated measurements show any movement. After the work is finished, we compare the results.
- Record before construction starts, with photos, dimensions and heights
- Settlement and tilt measurements during construction
- Comparison after completion, with figures you can follow
- Also for neighbouring buildings, not only for your own project
Is there building work near you, and do you want to record the condition?
Request evidence recording
When authorities or courts are involved
Two areas in which our measurements are needed as evidence.
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Expert opinions
Expert opinions on boundaries, areas, heights and structures for courts, authorities, insurers and the parties involved. As publicly appointed surveying engineers (ÖbVI) we hold a public office. Our findings are documented accordingly and can be checked.
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Crime and accident scenes
Forensic recording and analysis of crime scenes and accident scenes: the situation is recorded completely and to scale before anything changes. Later, distances, lines of sight and sequences of events can be reconstructed from the data.
How we work in disputed cases
Clear and traceable from the first measurement.
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Clarify the facts
What is it about, who is involved, which question needs an answer? This decides what we measure and document.
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Evaluate the records
Cadastral records, building plans, earlier surveys and existing records. What is already documented, we use.
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Record on site
Measurement with the right method, photos with a scale, a written record. Every step states the accuracy achieved.
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Assess and hand over
You receive the documentation with our expert assessment, in a form that others can check too.
Costs
What does an expert report cost?
Expert reports, evidence recording and expert opinions are freelance services, usually charged by effort. You receive a quote in advance. It shows the likely range that follows from your question.
From experience: evidence recording before construction starts costs a small part of what a later dispute about the cause of damage costs. This is especially true where building work is close to existing buildings.
Good to know
- Quote before we start, first estimate free of charge
- The cost depends on the question, not on the amount in dispute
- Official surveys in the same case according to the state fee regulation (VermKostVO M-V)
Frequently asked questions
Boundaries and expert reports
My neighbour disputes the boundary. Is an expert report enough?
That depends on what you want to achieve. Only an official boundary survey (Grenzfeststellung) fixes a boundary with binding effect. This is an official procedure in which the parties take part.
An expert report, on the other hand, gives an assessment: what do the records of the real estate cadastre say, what is really on site, and how should the difference be judged? Often this settles the dispute without any further steps.
What do I receive at the end of an expert report?
A documentation you can follow: measured values with the method and the accuracy achieved, photos, plans and our assessment. It is important that every step can be checked later, also by others.
Evidence recording
What is evidence recording?
In evidence recording we document the state of a building, structure or object at a certain time, precisely and in a way others can follow. This usually happens before construction work starts, so that it can later be clearly shown whether damage already existed or was caused by the work.
When is evidence recording useful?
Evidence recording is recommended above all for construction work right next to existing buildings, for example demolition, civil engineering, pile driving or excavation pits. For bridges, structures in areas with settlement or before conversions, documenting the state can also prevent disputes later.
Timing matters: before the work starts, not afterwards. Only what was documented before can be assigned later. A second recording after the work is useful, so that both states can be compared.
How do you carry out evidence recording?
We capture the object with modern 3D measuring equipment, above all with 3D laser scanners that record surfaces without contact and with millimetre accuracy. An integrated HDR camera shows the scans in true colour, so the visual condition is documented as well as the geometry.
What are the advantages of 3D laser scanning over photos alone?
Photos only show single sections, while a 3D scan captures the whole object completely and to scale. Later changes such as deformation, settlement or tilting can then be proven by comparing it with a follow-up survey.
Can changes also be monitored during construction?
Yes. Repeated measurements as part of structural monitoring record and document movement and deformation over time, for example for bridges or buildings in areas with settlement.
Related services
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Boundary survey and dividing a plot
The official boundary survey fixes the course of the boundary, with the parties taking part.
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3D laser scanning and as-built surveys
A complete record of a condition, also as a basis for evidence recording.
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Industrial metrology
Comparing actual and target and monitoring deformation to a hundredth of a millimetre.
Does something need to be recorded as evidence?
Describe the facts. We will tell you what can be measured and what a documentation can achieve.