Exactly what is a Chartered Surveyor?

A Chartered Surveyor is really a building surveyor who assesses properties for defects, future issues or problems. They can also work out the value of a property. Surveyors produce a report so you can see if the property is an excellent investment, or if you can find any issues that might create problems down the road. These could include things like damp, structural issues and Japanese knotweed.

To become 'Chartered Surveyor', a surveyor could have taken extra qualifications and had a certain level of experience, that is approved by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Some surveyors may not have gone on to get these extra levels of education to become chartered, but will still be regulated by RICS, and be fully qualified. Look at more info can be known as Assoc RICS, associates, or simply building surveyors.

You don't need to necessarily work with a Chartered Surveyor for the survey, but we always recommend using RICS accredited experts, and only feature RICS surveyors on our site.

What do Chartered Surveyors do?

As with all building surveyors, a Chartered Surveyor will visit the property, assessing different areas and identifying any problems. They'll then put everything into a report for you personally, and you will decide if you wish to go ahead with the purchase, as well as renegotiate in line with the findings in the report.

For example, if the report lets you know that you will need to spend �5000 on repairs later on, you could negotiate the cost of the house down by that amount. Which is why a survey is a great investment.

When do I need a Chartered Surveyor?

You get in touch with a Chartered Surveyor when you have made an initial offer on the property and had it accepted. If the survey reveals something that stops you buying the property, it has saved you plenty of money. Most offers are made 'subject to survey', so the seller knows that when something unexpected is revealed, you may back out or expect a reduction in price.