Exactly what is a Chartered Surveyor?

A Chartered Surveyor is really a type of building surveyor that may carry out your property survey - but what do they do?
You know you will need a survey, and that they're carried out by a surveyor - but what does 'Chartered Surveyor' mean? What do they do, and how do you pick one?

What is  Valuation Surveyor Thames Ditton ?
A Chartered Surveyor is a building surveyor who assesses properties for defects, future issues or problems. They can also work out the value of a house. Surveyors create a report so you can see if the property is a wonderful investment, or if you can find any conditions that might create problems down the road. These could incorporate damp, structural issues and Japanese knotweed.

To become a 'Chartered Surveyor', a surveyor could have taken extra qualifications and had a particular level of experience, which is approved by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Some surveyors might not have gone to get these extra levels of education to become chartered, but will still be regulated by RICS, and be fully qualified. These can be referred to as Assoc RICS, associates, or simply building surveyors.

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

What do Chartered Surveyors do?
Much like all building surveyors, a Chartered Surveyor will go to 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 would like 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 in the future, you could negotiate the price of the property down by that amount. That is exactly why a survey is a great investment.

When do I need a Chartered Surveyor?
You get touching a Chartered Surveyor once you have made an initial offer on the property and had it accepted. If the survey reveals something that stops you purchasing the property, it will have saved you plenty of money. Most offers are created 'subject to survey', so the seller knows that when something unexpected is revealed, you may back out or expect a reduction in price.

Only book a surveyor once you have had an offer accepted. Otherwise, the seller will be inundated with surveyors visiting their house!