Experts
The term „expert“ or “appraiser” is not protected by law in Germany.
As a result, anyone can call himself an expert and operate on the market
under this heading even if he is not adequately qualified for the job.
The German legislature provides for public certification as a way of distinguishing
between the real experts and the rest.
Public certification attests that an expert is exceptionally qualified
in a particular field.
Publicly certified experts are also sworn to act independently and impartially.
This means that their expert opinions can be relied upon.
Courts are legally obliged to favour publicly certified experts over
other surveyors if a certain question falls into the field of expertise
of a surveyor.
Qualifications
Only experts with outstanding qualifications are publicly certified.
In order to obtain public certification they are required to undergo an
extensive examination procedure. Even after this their work is constantly
subject to supervision by the state-appointed award bodies which keep
a constantly updated list of publicly certified experts. The competence
to grant public certification lies primarily in the hands of the Chambers
of Commerce and Industry (and, to a lesser extent, also in the hands of
the Chambers of Trade and the Architectural Associations).
This also means that experts who have already received public certification
can lose this status if they no longer meet current standards. The
trustworthiness and personal integrity of publicly certified experts also
comes under scrutiny. Only then may they bear the much coveted seal
of quality.
Legislation
An opinion from a publicly certified expert will lend certainty to entrepreneurial,
court and private decisions. This is precisely what motivated the German
legislature to introduce public certification. The fact that the state
recognises the special qualification of a particular expert and the special
quality of his work makes it easier for companies, courts and consumers
to make their choice and guarantees that an expert opinion will meet the
high requirements placed on it.
(information taken from a leaflet of the IfS institute (Institut für Sachverständigenwesen);
see
www.ifsforum.de
|
