A Chartered Surveyor is really a kind of building surveyor which could carry out your premises survey - but what do they do?
You know you 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 a Chartered Surveyor?
A Chartered Surveyor is really a building surveyor who assesses properties for defects, future issues or problems. They can also workout the value of a house. Surveyors produce a report so that you can see if the house is an effective investment, or if you can find any issues that might create problems later on. These could incorporate damp, structural issues and Japanese knotweed.
To become a 'Chartered Surveyor', a surveyor will have taken extra qualifications and had a certain level of experience, which is approved by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). https://pastelink.net/hho1s8oi may not have gone on to get these extra degrees of education to become chartered, but it's still regulated by RICS, and be fully qualified. These can be referred to as Assoc RICS, associates, or just 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 will then put everything into a report for you personally, and you may decide if you wish to go ahead with the purchase, or even renegotiate based on the findings in the report.
For instance, if the report lets you know that you will have to spend �5000 on repairs down the road, you could negotiate the cost of the property down by that amount. That is why a survey is an excellent investment.
When do I want a Chartered Surveyor?
You get in touch with a Chartered Surveyor when you have made an initial offer on the house and had it accepted. If the survey reveals something that stops you purchasing the property, it has saved you a huge amount 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 decrease in price.
Only book a surveyor if you have had an offer accepted. Otherwise, the seller would be inundated with surveyors visiting their home!