Single Joint Expert Classic Car Divorce Valuations
I provide independent classic and specialist vehicle valuations for use in financial remedy proceedings, supporting solicitors, the courts and separating parties. This work forms a significant part of my practice. My reports are based on inspection in person other than in very extenuating circumstances.
I am regularly instructed as both a Single Joint Expert and party-appointed expert. My reports are prepared in accordance with Family Procedure Rules Part 25 and are designed to be clear, proportionate and defensible under scrutiny. Instructions range from single-vehicle matters to complex, multi-vehicle collections involving high-value and specialist assets.
Classic Car Divorce Valuations: Inspection-Based Court Reports
Most of my classic car divorce valuation work is instructed as Single Joint Expert. I provide detailed inspection-based reports, covering vehicles of all types including classic and vintage cars, modified vehicles, competition cars, motorcycles, motorhomes and specialist commercial vehicles.
Where access, location, unauthorised disposal or relational factors prevent inspection, I can prepare desktop valuation reports based on documentary evidence, market data and specialist analysis, but my preferred approach is to inspect all vehicles in person.
My divorce valuation reports are regularly relied upon for negotiation, Financial Dispute Resolution hearings and interim decisions, and can be supported by court testimony where appropriate. I also provide valuation reports for modification of financial orders or to vary an existing spousal maintenance order.
Approach & Conflict Management
My role is to provide independent valuation evidence to assist the court. I am experienced in working with challenging interpersonal dynamics. All reports are evidence-led and grounded in real-world market behaviour, taking account of condition, specification, provenance and current market conditions.
I am frequently instructed in cases involving incomplete or conflicting information, including hidden assets, retrospective valuations and disputes over restoration or presentation. This work often involves reconstructing value from limited evidence using market history, comparable vehicles and specialist knowledge. I am highly experienced in these scenarios.
About the Single Joint Expert Process
Disagreements about the value of classic cars or other specialist vehicles in divorce can delay financial negotiations. The Single Joint Expert (SJE) procedure provides a straightforward way of resolving those disagreements using one independent expert rather than two competing valuations.
SJE instruction is particularly well suited to divorce because it replaces competing opinions with one independent assessment. Instead of each party commissioning their own valuation and arguing about whose figure is correct, both receive the same evidence.
The approach developed through the civil justice reforms of the late 1990s, with Single Joint Experts recognised in the Civil Procedure Rules introduced in 1999. The Family Procedure Rules 2010 subsequently established a unified framework for family proceedings, with Part 25 substantially revised in 2013. The detailed process for financial remedy proceedings is set out in Part 25 and Practice Direction 25D.
Under Part 25 of the Family Procedure Rules, both sides agree on a suitably qualified expert, usually through their solicitors, and provide a joint letter of instruction setting out what needs to be valued. Where agreement cannot be reached, the court can select the expert. The cost is normally shared equally between the parties, although other arrangements can be agreed or directed by the court.
Once instructed, I inspect the vehicles, review the available evidence and prepare an independent report explaining my valuation conclusions and the reasons behind them in detail. Not all reports are as detailed; some valuers just put a number – I do not. Both parties receive the same report. Neither party has control over my conclusions, and my overriding duty is to the court.
Once the report has been sent, each party has ten days to submit written questions. These must be to clarify areas a party is unsure of. Typically I do not receive questions, but the window exists. My answers become part of the expert evidence.
The prime advantages of SJE are transparency and simplicity. Instead of spending expensive solicitor time and money arguing over competing valuation figures, the parties have a single, independently researched assessment from which negotiations can proceed. The process provides a common evidential starting point and removes a significant obstacle to reaching a financial settlement.
Costs and Instructions
I am available to act as a Single Joint Expert or party-appointed expert. Fees are agreed in advance, with Single Joint Expert costs typically shared between the parties. I act across the UK and internationally and can work from limited information where necessary. I also undertake work funded through Legal Aid.
Contact me to discuss your divorce case in confidence. I am also well known as a valuer of classic and vintage motorcycles and am a highly respected expert on classic Porsche cars.
What my customers say about my online Classic Car Valuations:
john@classic-car-valuations.com
Phone - Initial Enquiry Line
0333 996 7238
HQ
Woodford Halse
Northants NN11 3RN
Hours:
Mon-Fri: 8AM - 5PM
Weekends by Appointment
Valuations EXPERT
Classic Car Valuations is part of Specialist Car Valuations Limited: UK company 07983578. VAT No. GB 526 0583 96.