Justin Sullivan has referred himself to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’s (RICS) standards and regulation board and has been temporarily replaced in the latest blow for the professional body.

It comes after his involvement as an expertise in a High Court case relating to a moth-infested mansion where his responses were criticised by the judge.

RICS announced today that Nick Maclean has, temporarily, become acting president of RICS. 

A statement said: “It follows the involvement of Justin Sullivan as an expert witness in High Court proceedings in the case of Iya Patarkatsishvili & Anor v William Woodward-Fisher, about which he has referred the matter to the Standards and Regulation Board’s regulatory team.

“Nick will bring his 30 years of experience at CBRE including being Chair of CBRE Middle East and North Africa Region and seven years as a Scottish Trade Envoy. He has also been an active member of RICS for over 20 years having served on and chaired Governing Council. 

“We will provide more information on this matter to our members as soon as possible.”

RICS said Sullivan requested an independent regulatory review following media coverage and commentary on the judgment issued on 10 February 2025. 

In addition, RICS has received several inquiries from members regarding the judgment.

The statement said: “As the matter is subject to RICS’ independent regulatory processes, we are unable to comment further until these processes are completed. However, we can confirm that the regulatory team has already begun its independent assessment, following standard procedures.”

Sullivan was only appointed to the senior presidential role in January and had signalled plans to attract more talent to the profession.