ABSTRACT
To many professionals involved in the property industry plant and machinery valuers remain practitioners of a black art, not least because they are often perceived as oily, bearded, beer-swilling monsters. The reality is that they are rarely oily, seldom monstrous, and most shave occasionally In professional practice, the level of expertise needed is at least equal to that required of those employed in the valuation of real estate. The subject-matter necessitates modification of the techniques employed, but in essence plant and machinery valuation requires the same processes of analytical comparison. However, although the discipline is viewed as a niche, the sphere in which the plant and machinery valuer operates is a wide one, since it encompasses every item of equipment used in any industry. In addition, there is also a large range of purposes for which a valuation might be required.
