Our Team

Mark Atherton BSc MRICS leads our Building Surveying section. Mark graduated from Liverpool Polytechnic, and was elected Associate of the RICS building surveying division in 1989. Over a varied career he has worked in both professional consultancy and client side surveying roles and also as an insurance loss adjuster. Mark has first-hand experience in all aspects of construction consultancy including defect analysis and reporting, landlord and tenant professional work, party wall and neighbourly issues, building contract administration, insurance assessment and claims plus expert witness work. He is able to provide a client focussed commercially aware approach in achieving prompt and pragmatic solutions to often complicated and contentious building issues.

In Mark’s spare time he is an avid football supporter.

Hannah Baker was born and bred in Cheshire and has extensive knowledge of the local area.

Hannah studied Studied Geography at University of Reading before joining Denton Clark Rentals dealing with high end residential rentals and property management.  Hannah is ARLA qualified and is a dedicated committee member of the Chester Association of Property Professionals and is currently the Chair.

When not in work you will find Hannah enjoying all sport, particularly Tennis and Skiing.

Cameron joined Legat Owen in May 2022 as an Apprentice Building Surveyor.  He is currently studying as a Building Surveying Degree Apprentice at the University of Salford.  Since joining the Legat Owen team, Cameron has gained valuable experience from working alongside his colleagues on instructions covering all aspects of building surveying.

Outside of work Cameron is a keen footballer, and also enjoys playing golf.

Andy Butler has 30 years as a Commercial Property Consultant with specific expertise in the Management, Professional and Agency sectors.

The first 10 years of his career were spent in London, Bristol and Birmingham for Donaldson Chartered Surveyors before moving up to the North West in 1994.

Since then he has been based in Nantwich as a General Practice Surveyor dealing with a wide range of Management, Professional and Agency work for individual and corporate clients throughout the North West.

Rupert joined the practice in 2017 as a placement student. He has since completed his Real Estate degree at Northumbria University Newcastle and re-joined Legat Owen in Summer 2019 as a Surveyor in the business space team, specialising in the disposal and acquisition of industrial land and buildings.

Rupert acts for a number of private and institutional clients including:

• Cheshire West and Chester Council
• Peel Property and Investments
• Dean Property Group
• Mileway
• Indurent
• WUKPG
• Schroders Investment Management
• Threadneedle Pensions

Recent deals include:

• Disposal of 110,000 sq ft in Llangefni on behalf of 2 Sisters Food Group
• Disposal of 125,000 sq ft in Wallasey on behalf of Survitec
• Letting of 80,000 sq ft in Ellesmere Port on behalf of a private client
• Disposal of 25,000 sq ft in Ellesmere Port on behalf of CWAC
• Investment sale of 40,000 sq ft in Winsford on behalf of a private individual
• Letting of 40,000 sq ft in Bromborough on behalf of Mileway
• Letting of 90,000 sq ft in Wallasey on behalf of Dean Property Group
• Disposal of 15,000 sq ft in Rhyl on behalf of a Welsh charity

In his spare time, Rupert is a keen athlete with a passion for skiing, tennis and football.

Harriet joined Legat Owen in June 2023 and has been working in commercial property for over 8 years after completing her Real Estate Degree in Birmingham.

Harriet splits her time between the Chester and Nantwich offices specialising in commercial agency and professional work across industrial, office and retail properties. She is a qualified RICS Surveyor.

During Harriet’s free time she enjoys playing tennis in a Cheshire ladies league, skiing, walking her dogs and cooking.

Tom has worked in private practice in Chester since 2002.  He has extensive knowledge of the North Wales and North West Commercial Property sectors having advised clients on a diverse range of assets over many years. Currently he advises clients with national portfolios including assets from Aberdeen to Southampton.

His areas of focus include retail agency, private and corporate client, strategic portfolio/asset management across all sectors. He is able to provide a comprehensive service including disposal and acquisition advice, landlord & tenant and valuations.

Tom, who was brought up on the Wirral, now lives in Chester with his wife and two young sons. He is an RICS registered valuer and past Chairman of the Chester Association of Estate Agents, Auctioneers and Surveyors. In his spare time he enjoys skiing, swimming, cooking and spending time with his family.

Sam graduated from Liverpool John Moore’s University in 2012 with a first-class honour’s degree.

Following University, Sam gained valuable experience working on a national level with a north west building surveying consultancy and qualified P402 for asbestos management.

Sam joined Legat Owen in April 2016 and qualified as a Chartered Building Surveyor in 2019.

At home, Sam enjoys most sports and is a member of local golf and fishing clubs. Sam is a big Everton fan and is known for an occasional flutter on the horse racing.

Mark has over 22 years’ experience working in the Industrial Agency Team within the Business Space Department as a Director, joining the company after a successful Sandwich Placement from Nottingham Trent University.

Specialising in the acquisition and disposal of industrial premises, investments, land and development, Mark acts for clients from Individuals to Prop Co’s and Funds including Columbia Threadneedle, Warehouse REIT, FI-REM, Legal & General, Peel L&P and Local Authorities.

Mark is a committee member of the Chester Association of Property Professionals.

Socially he enjoys a variety of sports including rugby, football, cricket and squash along with the more cultural aspects of life.

Mark is a registered valuer and is a surveyor at Legat Owen who provides valuation and professional services.  He has worked in the commercial property market in Manchester, Liverpool and throughout the North West for over 15 years encompassing valuation and corporate advisory roles.

Mark’s experience is in secure lending, accounts, pension and portfolio valuation markets with experience across a number of property sectors including specialisms in retail, offices, industrial and residential sectors.

Mark is a keen golfer and a member of Caldy Golf Club and is the Junior Golf Organiser for Caldy.  He spends the rest of his spare time taking his children to golf, football or hockey events around the country.

Jon joined Legat Owen in 2011 and qualified as a Chartered Building Surveyor in 2012. He graduated from Sheffield Hallam University in 2008 and then gained valuable experience working in the Building Surveying department of a multinational consultancy.

Jon is experienced in all Building Surveying services and provides pragmatic and focused advice to a wide range of clients.

Outside of work, Jon enjoys running, circuit training and spending time with his young family.

Mark has worked at Legat Owen since January 2000. He became an Associate Director in 2004 and was made a Director in 2010.

He is Head of the company’s strong Property & Asset Management department which deals with a diverse range of properties. Clients include institutions, pension funds, property companies and private investors.

Mark deals with all aspects of property, facilities & asset management including inspections, dilapidations, rent reviews, lease renewals, refurbishment, rent collection, service charge reconciliation and all aspects of landlord and tenant liaison.

Robert is a Chartered Surveyor and Registered RICS valuer with over 40 years experience in the Legat Owen area of influence, Cheshire, Chester and North Wales.

He has a wealth of experience in the sale of all types of residential property and new development land. He was a partner in two of the leading estate agency firms in Chester before providing consultancy advice to Legat Owen.

He has experience in the latest ‘state of the art’ marketing of high-end residential property and in addition to marketing such properties, prides himself on his ability to progress sales to completion. With his in-depth knowledge of property matters and the latest legislation, no sale problem is too difficult to resolve. He is regularly titled ‘Mr Chester’ in the estate agency world.

As an addition to his expertise in Estate agency, he conducts RICS Redbook valuations for inheritance tax, family law and capital gains purposes on instructions from solicitors and private clients and by direction of the County Court.

He is a past chairman of the Chester Association of Property Professionals. His ‘passion for cricket’ does not deflect from his ‘passion for property’.

James is a Director and joined the company as a placement student in 2005 and now covers a broad range of disciplines including acquisitions/disposals, development consultancy and asset management allowing a holistic view of the property market.

His clients include plc retailers, institutions, public sector bodies, property companies and private individuals.

Outside of work James is a rugby coach at Chester RUFC and school governor at a local primary school.

Heather joined Legat Owen in 2007 following the completion of her Estate Management course at Oxford Brookes University.

She qualified as a RICS Chartered Surveyor in 2011. Heather is now a Senior Chartered Surveyor of the Company. 

When not at work, Heather enjoys spending time with her husband and young family, riding her motorbike, attending to her allotment and socialising with friends.

Chris joined Legat Owen’s Building Surveying team in 2018, since then he has continued to support clients across all commercial and industrial sectors. He qualified as a Chartered Building Surveyor in 2015 whist growing his professional experience in the West Midlands. Chris delivers high quality professional advice on all Building Surveying disciplines from Project Management to diagnosis of building defects.

Outside of work Chris is a keen golfer, and he also enjoys following football and rugby league.

Laura Bell joined Legat Owen in February 2022 after moving back to her homeland of north Wales after 12 years of living in Scotland, where she qualified as a Chartered Surveyor.

Laura Bell is a RICS Registered Valuer and her background is in commercial valuation, however her work at Legat Owen covers a broader range of disciplines including acquisitions (in particular for her primary client Tesco), disposals, Landlord & Tenant/lease advisory work and valuation. Her clients range from large corporates to public sector bodies, property companies and private individuals.

With an interest in education and as a former member of the Board of Trustees at the University College of Estate Management (UCEM), where she herself studied, Laura Bell is also a RICS APC Assessor and is a mentor to Legat Owen’s graduates, apprentices and placement students.

Outside of work, Laura Bell is mum to her daughter Maisie and enjoys spending time with family, walking her 2 dogs, cooking for friends, playing tennis and skiing.

Matthew is a Director of the Company and specialises in industrial buildings, development and investment work.

Matthew has worked in North West market since 1994 and is an RICS Registered Valuer. Prior to joining Legat Owen, Mathew worked at Lamont’s where he gained the title of Industrial Agent of the Year on three separate occasions reflecting his proactive approach to agency and development work.

Matt’s clients include; Total Developments, Panattoni, Jolivet, Warehouse REIT, Redsun along with an eclectic mix of clients gathered together over the last three decades.

Recent transactions include the letting of 600,000 sq ft of new high bay distribution space in Rotherham and a £21m industrial multi-let investment sale and lettings of 2,000 sq ft units in Middlewich, Cheshire.  He is happy to help with transactions of any size, value and nature.

Will is a Chartered Surveyor with over 25 years expertise and experience in the North West and North Wales markets.

He has an intimate understanding of the residential development marketplace from strategic land promotion to oven-ready site disposal, end unit sales appraisal, valuation and viability. He advises on residential development land sales, valuation and strategic consultancy on schemes ranging from bespoke refurbishments to 1,000+ units.

He has a reputation for providing objective, measured, market-driven advice on residential development land sales and valuation across the North West and North Wales. He executes significant regional development land acquisitions and disposals and negotiates on complex land promotion, option and conditional contract matters.

He is also recognised as an expert witness and independent expert in residential development land valuation disputes and holds the Legal Experience Training Advanced Professional Award in Expert Witness Evidence (APAEWE).

He acts as a jointly appointed independent expert, provides expert evidence under Part 35 CPR as a party appointed expert and single joint expert, as well as representing landowners and national house builders as their appointed expert in contractual valuation disputes.

Will’s personable approach has built lasting relationships with his clients. He is a trusted advisor to a number of plc, private client, property company and pension fund clients.

External professional activities include:

• RICS North West Awards – Former Chairman of Judging Panel (2015 – 2020)
• Past RICS North West Regional Board Member
• Chairman Chester Association of Property Professionals (2019 – 2020)

Will joined Legat Owen in 2002 having previously worked for a national agent in London. Will is a director of the practice.

He specialises in the letting, acquisition, sale and valuation of office premises throughout the North West and North Wales and provides considered advice on a range of schemes including Chester Business Park, Cheshire Oaks Business Park, St Davids’s Park, St Asaph Business Park, North Wales Business Park in addition to a number of town and city centre developments.

Clients include private individuals, developers and property companies as well as institutional investors.

Will is an RICS registered valuer and past Chairman of the Chester Association of Estate Agents, Auctioneers and Surveyors.

Samantha joined Legat Owen as a property manager in 2018.

She has 11 years’ experience of all aspects of commercial property management having worked at MAG Property, CBRE and for private landlords in Auckland, New Zealand.  Samantha joined the property management team at Legat Owen to provide a full range of asset management services to existing clients.

Samantha grew up in Shropshire and after 8 years abroad now lives in Chester with her partner and children.  In her spare time she enjoys pilates, cooking and spending time with family.

Natalie, a Director at Legat Owen, joined the Company in 2003, qualifying as a Chartered Surveyor in 2006 and has over twenty years’ experience working within the Management and Professional departments.

Natalie advises clients on all aspects of property management, looking after a range of property portfolios across the North West of England and North Wales, including shopping centres, retail parades multi-occupied offices and industrial estates, on behalf of clients such as The Atmore Group, Pochin Limited, off-shore trusts and private individuals.

Natalie also advises clients on Rent Review, Lease Renewals and undertakes Valuations for a variety of purposes.

Natalie is an RICS Registered Valuer.

Sam is a Director in the commercial team working in a strategic role for key clients on a nationwide portfolio.

Sam is an experienced commercial surveyor having worked in lease consultancy and valuation across the North West, West Midlands and the London and South East market. Sam is an RICS Registered Valuer and member of the Industrial Agents Society.

Sam’s key clients include Culina Great Bear, University of Chester and banks such as Barclays, Lloyds and Handelsbanken.

Sam is originally from Greenwich in London and has lived in Chester since 2012. In his spare time, Sam enjoys hill walking in Wales, mountain biking as often as possible and watching international rugby.

Jess joined Legat Owen in 2015 and provides secretarial support to the agency department.  She worked in the Chester office for 5 years and is now based in our Nantwich office.

In her spare time Jess enjoys being outdoors spending quality time with her family and dog Sidney.

Sue came to Chester with Nick Legat and Peter Owen when the practice was originally founded in 1986.

She is a Director of the Company and looks after all office management and financial matters including company accounts, purchasing, support staff and IT.