About Landsmith Appraisals
An independent residential appraisal practice serving Ottawa and the National Capital Region.
An independent residential appraisal practice in Ottawa
Landsmith Appraisals is an independent residential appraisal firm providing valuation services in Ottawa and the broader National Capital Region. Assignments include lender and Appraisal Management Company (AMC) valuations, appraisals prepared for legal professionals and estate purposes, relocation appraisals, and private appraisals for homeowners. Appraisal work is carried out by members of the Appraisal Institute of Canada in good standing.
The firm’s lead appraiser is Hamza Darar, a residential specialist with over a decade of experience in the real estate industry, moving from certified home inspector to AIC-designated residential appraiser. That background informs the assessment of building systems, condition, and effective age recorded in each report.
Report formats include full-form, drive-by, and desktop reports, selected to suit the intended use of the assignment. Reports are prepared for mortgage financing, private lending, estate and date-of-death valuations, separation and divorce proceedings, capital gains reporting, and pre-listing purposes.
Each report sets out the evidence and reasoning supporting the value conclusion, so that clients and intended users can rely on it in reaching decisions about a property.
Professional standing
Landsmith Appraisals was founded and is operated by Hamza Darar, an AIC member in good standing in the residential space (CRA – Canadian Residential Appraiser).
The CRA space covers the appraisal of single-family homes, semi-detached houses, townhouses of up to four units, condominiums, and residential vacant land. Assignments outside that scope are completed or co-signed by a team member holding the AACI (Accredited Appraiser Canadian Institute) designation.
Standards of practice
Appraisal assignments are completed in accordance with the Canadian Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (CUSPAP). CUSPAP sets the ethical and performance requirements that apply to the appraiser, including competency for the assignment, the scope of work undertaken, disclosure obligations, and the retention of a work file supporting each report.
Independence and objectivity
The appraiser acts as an independent third party. Assignments are not accepted on a contingent basis, and fees are never tied to a predetermined value, a direction of value, the approval of a loan, or the outcome of a dispute. Where a prior interest or relationship exists in relation to a property or a party, it is disclosed before the assignment is accepted.
Where the appraiser lacks the knowledge or experience required for a particular property or assignment, that limitation is disclosed and addressed, or the assignment is declined.
Working with a local appraiser
Residential values in the National Capital Region vary between municipalities, neighbourhoods, and individual streets. Sale prices reflect local factors such as lot configuration, zoning and permitted use, proximity to transit corridors and employment centres, and servicing arrangements in rural areas, where private wells and septic systems are common.
An appraiser working in the region regularly has direct familiarity with these differences, access to local sales evidence, and the ability to inspect a property in person rather than relying on remote data alone.
Request a quote
Assignments are quoted individually based on property type, location, report format, and required timing.