The responsibility of the building inspectors and building surveyor is to ensure that buildings and other structures are livable, safe and energy efficient.

Other professionals involved in construction like builders, architects, engineers interact with surveyors and inspectors to ensure that the building design and construction conforms to the relevant building regulations.

They also provide advice when building related legislation is finalized, influencing the building design. Building surveyors have knowledge of the different aspects of construction, real estate and connect their client to the contractors.

Though the skill sets of the building surveyor are fairly comprehensive, they are also specialised in surveying. Hence the surveyor can provide the right perspective to property owners when they require advice on their real estate assets.

A chartered surveyor for buildings, is professionally qualified to offer advice on construction and property related matters since he is experienced in different aspects of construction.

The surveyor can handle the maintenance, renovation, repair, extension and alteration of all kinds of commercial, industrial and residential properties.

The surveyors will assess the building and report defects and advise builders involved in construction of projects professionally. The surveyor may complete the following:

Finalize specifications for the project and materials

Procure supplies and supervise work which is outsourced to contractors

ensure compliance to building regulations, CDM and planning related statutory laws

Measure the building for survey

Analyze the building defects

Provide advice on the budget or interact with the relevant project professional. This work may be outsourced.

In addition to interacting with the tenants or property owners who are their clients, the building surveyors will also work closely with building different of different capacities, local planning organizations and specialized consultants to ensure that the project is completed as specified.

Additionally the construction project should conform to the relevant safety, sustainability and quality standards, time schedule and also not exceed the planned budget.

Training to become a RICS Surveyor

After getting a degree recognized by RICS, the building surveyor should complete structured training for at least two years to become a qualified building surveyor.

A surveyor works closely with RICS while training as a candidate in surveying buildings. After getting their degree, the candidate can apply for an assessment of his professional competency (APC).

RICS have a long history of providing high quality training, so that their candidates can become members of RICS in the shortest possible time period. The building surveyors handle all sectors of the real estate market like retail, industrial, commercial and residential.

In addition to property consultancies, surveyors are also hired by public sector organizations, contractors and private clients. In addition to having excellent technical skills, they should also have good interpersonal skills, and high integrity levels so that clients can trust them.

Building Surveyor’s Duties

Though many people think that the main role of a building surveyor is finding defects which are hidden in a property, there are many other functions for which the surveyor is trained. Some of the service which the surveyors offer to landlords and their tenants are

– provide advice on dilapidated structures

– conducting a survey of the condition of property like a building before purchasing it

– helping in managing a property, by preparing a plan for preventive maintenance, and budgeting for it

– Completing property renovation

– for insurance claims, the cost assessment for reinstatement of a building will be undertaken, this was earlier called valuation for fire reinstatement

– provide advice and guidance on handling the 1996 Party Wall Act and other laws