The difference between a Surveyor and a Chartered Surveyor

When you are buying a property, the type of surveyor you instruct matters. There are many different surveyor roles across construction, land and property, and not all of them are relevant to a home purchase. Here is what you need to know.

The term surveyor covers a wide range of roles across construction, land, property and the environment.

In construction, there are building surveyors who help develop everything from housing estates to commercial towers, quantity surveyors who verify the financial viability of construction projects, and building control surveyors who ensure any new construction meets current regulations.

When it comes to land, there are surveyors who specialise in how land is used, others who focus on minimising environmental impact, and those who oversee the extraction of natural resources.

In property specifically, surveyors handle the valuation, sale and purchase of residential and commercial buildings, manage financial assessments of properties and businesses, and oversee facilities management.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) lists the principal roles of a surveyor as including:

• verification of compliance with building regulations
• verification of compliance with accessibility and health and safety requirements
• assessing structural issues
• providing environmental and energy efficiency advice
• inspecting buildings for insurance purposes
• researching documentation relating to a property
• advising clients on boundary disputes and planning applications
• managing budgets and overseeing conservation, grade listing or improvement grants
• planning projects for historic building conservation

So what is a chartered surveyor, exactly? According to RICS, it is "a surveyor who has gained and, importantly, consistently demonstrates a high level of skill or competence in their field of work, recognised by the award of formal accreditation from RICS."

When searching for a surveyor, the key thing to look out for is the letters after their name. Only those accredited by RICS can use FRICS or MRICS, and only they can apply the prefix "chartered" to their job title. These letters confirm an internationally recognised standard of excellence in their field.

The accreditation is not a one-off qualification. Chartered surveyors are required to undertake continued professional development to maintain their accreditation, keeping pace with new techniques, updated regulations and changes across the profession. Drawing on years of experience, they bring a depth of knowledge and practical advice that goes well beyond a standard survey.

By comparison, a qualified surveyor holds a degree in their area of surveying and has a level of training for the job, but their expertise is not independently verified to the same standard as a chartered surveyor.

RICS describes the chief work and services of a chartered surveyor as including:

• examining buildings for structural defects
• providing professional assessments on property valuations
• offering expert advice on a property's environmental issues
• measuring and collecting data on specific land
• providing accurate and detailed reports on the potential impact of any development or engineering works
• ensuring accurate financial control of construction projects
• managing contractual relationships between parties

This is a common point of confusion. A quantity surveyor is a type of surveyor who specialises in the financial management of construction projects. They calculate costs, manage budgets and ensure projects are completed within agreed financial parameters. Their work is primarily focused on the building process itself rather than the condition of a finished property.

A chartered surveyor in the property sense, the type you would instruct when buying a home, is concerned with assessing the condition, structure and value of an existing building. They are the ones who carry out RICS Level 2 and Level 3 surveys on residential properties.

Both can hold chartered status through RICS, but their roles are very different. When buying a property, you need a chartered building surveyor, not a quantity surveyor.

Surveyor Local works exclusively with RICS chartered surveyors across England and Wales. All the surveyors on our panel are fully qualified, experienced and local to the area of the property you are buying.

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