What is a Chartered Surveyor?

Chartered Surveyor is the term used to describe a surveyor who is a Member or Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).  The term Chartered originates from the Royal Charter granted to the first professional body of surveyors when twenty surveyors met at the Westminster Palace Hotel, London in 1792 to form the Surveyors Club.

To become a surveyor, students must obtain a degree accredited by the RICS, attaining key work experience across various technical competencies and pass the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC). There are more than 300 courses at UK universities covering land, property and construction that are accredited by RICS.

Surveyors require continual training so that they may offer impartial, specialist advice on a variety of property related issues and services. This includes valuing property, undertaking surveys of buildings and providing advice in construction and environmental issues.

The RICS designed the residential survey reports (Condition, Home Buyer and Building Survey) to ensure that customers receive a high quality document with all the necessary information.

A chartered surveyor may indicate their qualification by using the post-nominal letters, MRICS, after their name.  Surveyors who use the AssocRICS designation are associate members with less experience. Therefore, all Chartered Surveyors can be qualified building surveyors but not all qualified building surveyors are necessarily Chartered Surveyors.

Surveyors work in all fields of property. Their duties include valuing property and undertaking residential surveys. They also provide consultancy advice in property, construction and related environmental issues.

Want to check that your surveyor's qualifications? Use this RICS tool to search through the membership register.

Brickfield Surveyors is a general practice Chartered Surveying firm which has expertise in several areas and can offer a wider spectrum of surveying services.

Please contact us if you have any questions or look at the reviews previous customers have left for us. We want you to be assured that you will receive a professional trustworthy service.