Henrietta Hammonds FRICS FCIArb MTPI

Henrietta Hammonds FRICS is a London-based Chartered Valuation Surveyor and RICS Registered Valuer, with over a decade of experience as an expert witness. She specialises in leasehold enfranchisement valuation, diminution in value claims (including section 18 dilapidations valuation), professional negligence valuation disputes, acting for tenants, intermediate landlords and freeholders across residential and commercial property.  

Expert evidence 

She has given written and oral evidence in the County Court and First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), and written evidence in the High Court and private arbitration proceedings. She has been involved in cases in the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber), and is experienced in providing CPR Part 35-compliant expert reports.  

She has had specialist expert witness training from Assurety, and is aware of her obligations under the RICS Practice Statement “Surveyors Acting as Expert Witnesses”.  

Her cases include: 

  •  Azam v Violet Developments LLP [2025] (oral evidence in the County Court): a complex relief from forfeiture claim about a development in East London. The issues included loss of rent from commercial units and loss of ground rent following the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rents) Act 2022.  
  • Vneshprombank LLC v Bedzhamov [2022] (written evidence in the High Court):  assessment of the market value of a property in Belgrave Square, both in its unimproved condition and a hypothetical refurbished state (£76.5 million). 

Henrietta also regularly advises clients who are parties in mediation or arbitration proceedings. This is a distinct role from acting as a mediator or arbitrator. 

Leasehold reform 

Henrietta acts for tenants, intermediate landlords and freeholders nationally, with a focus on high-value or particularly complex disputes. She has over a decade of experience of valuations under Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993, including collective enfranchisement and lease extension valuation. She is very familiar with the reforms in this sector (particularly the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024), including sitting on various committees and steering groups. Her experience includes appearances at the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) in relation to collective enfranchisement claims.  

In 2024, Henrietta was awarded Valuer of the Year at the Enfranchisement and Right to Manage Awards. She was elected as a Valuer Committee member for the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (“ALEP”) for six years before becoming a non-executive director in 2025. 

She regularly writes articles on the topic, including publications in the Estates Gazette and This Is Money. She speaks at many conferences and lectures on the topic of leasehold reform and has appeared on various podcasts including the RICS podcast.  

Valuation in dilapidations claims 

Henrietta regularly acts for landlords or tenants in respect of diminution in value in terminal dilapidations claims. This work is sometimes called a “section 18 valuation”, or a diminution valuation under section 18(1) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1927 – the statutory cap on a landlord’s recovery calculated by reference to the damage to the landlord’s reversion – and often involves the concepts of supersession or dilution. She has spoken at the RICS Dilapidations Conference and RICS Valuation Conference.  

Her previous dilapidations work is national and has involved high-value disputes in respect of both commercial and residential property, including large estates of houses and unusual assets such as a former railway station. 

Professional negligence 

Henrietta regularly advises both claimants and defendants in cases involving alleged solicitor, surveyor, or other professional negligence. This includes cases involving large residential developments, matrimonial disputes, and loan security valuation. 

Alternative dispute resolution 

Henrietta has a particular interest in dispute resolution for valuation disputes. She is an RICS-qualified Arbitrator and Mediator. She accepts appointments as a mediator including for dilapidations claims, professional negligence, or any property-related dispute. Her mediation experience includes inheritance tax disputes and neighbour boundary disputes. She is also a volunteer mediator for a community mediation scheme.  

Qualifications and education 

  • Chartered Valuation Surveyor (qualified 2015) 
  • Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (“RICS”) (since 2020) 
  • Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb) (since 2019) 
  • RICS Registered Valuer (since 2015) 
  • RICS-Accredited Evaluative Mediator (qualified 2023) 
  • RICS Diploma in Arbitration (qualified 2019) 
  • Non-Executive Director of the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (“ALEP”) since 2025 
  • Member of The Property Institute (MTPI) 
  • Real Estate Post-Graduate Diploma with Distinction 
  • Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of St Andrews 

Personal Details 

Lives in south-east London with her husband, son, and their Labrador. Sings with the London Philharmonic Choir, and is learning British Sign Language.