Building surveyors are the people who understand how buildings work, why they fail and what to do about it. They inspect buildings, diagnose defects, advise owners and occupiers, and run the projects that repair, adapt and improve them. This guide covers what the job involves day to day, who employs building surveyors, the skills that matter and how the career and pay develop.
The short answer
A building surveyor advises on the design, construction, condition, maintenance and repair of buildings. Some of the work is inspection and reporting: looking at a building, working out what is wrong and writing it up clearly. The rest is making things happen: specifying and managing repair and refurbishment work, dealing with neighbours and landlords, and making sure the work is done properly and paid for fairly.
What the work looks like
No two weeks are quite the same, but most building surveyors spend their time on a mix of the following:
- Condition surveys and defects: inspecting buildings, recording their condition and diagnosing problems such as damp, cracking, roof failures or poor detailing, then advising on the remedy and the likely cost.
- Pre-acquisition surveys: reporting on a building before a client buys or leases it, so they know what they are taking on.
- Dilapidations: advising landlords or tenants on the repair obligations in a lease, preparing or responding to schedules of dilapidations and negotiating settlements.
- Party wall matters: acting as a party wall surveyor under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 when building work affects a shared wall or a neighbour's property.
- Refurbishment and repair projects: preparing specifications and drawings, getting tenders, administering the building contract, inspecting the work on site and signing it off.
- Planned maintenance: working out what a building, or a whole estate, will need over the next five, ten or thirty years and what it will cost.
- Other specialist work: measured surveys, accessibility audits, work on listed and historic buildings, and advice on fire safety, energy performance and building regulations.
A typical week might include a couple of site inspections, report writing back at the desk, a site meeting on a refurbishment contract and a negotiation over a dilapidations claim. Most building surveyors drive between sites, so a full licence is often asked for.
Who employs building surveyors
Consultancies
Multi-disciplinary and specialist practices, from national firms to small local offices, carry out surveys, dilapidations, party wall work and project work for property owners, investors, occupiers and public bodies. Consultancy offers the widest variety and the clearest route to Associate and Director.
Housing associations and councils
Social landlords employ building surveyors to look after their homes: stock condition surveys, planned maintenance programmes, damp and mould, disrepair claims and major works. Councils also employ them in estates and property services teams.
Public bodies, universities and the NHS
Large estates such as hospitals, universities, schools and government buildings need in-house surveyors to plan maintenance, manage projects and keep buildings safe and usable.
Contractors and property companies
Some contractors, particularly in refurbishment and repairs, employ building surveyors to price and run work. Property owners and managing agents may have in-house surveyors too.
Skills that matter
- Construction technology: a sound understanding of how buildings of every age are put together, from Victorian terraces to modern steel frames and cladding systems.
- Diagnosis: looking past the symptom to the cause, and being honest about what you can and cannot see.
- Report writing: clear, accurate reports that a client can act on. This is a large part of the job.
- Law and contracts: leases, the Party Wall etc. Act, the Building Regulations and the standard building contracts.
- Negotiation and people skills: dilapidations, party wall disputes and contractor claims all involve agreeing things with people who want a different outcome.
- Organisation: juggling several jobs, sites and deadlines at once.
Qualifications and chartership
Most building surveyors have an RICS-accredited degree in building surveying, or a conversion master's after a degree in another subject. Apprenticeships are a growing route in, too. Our guide on how to become a surveyor covers the options.
Chartership comes through the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence on the Building Surveying pathway. See the RICS APC explained for how it works. Some building surveyors also join CIOB or CABE, depending on the work they do.
Career path and pay
The usual ladder runs from Graduate or Trainee Building Surveyor to Building Surveyor, Senior and Principal, then Associate, Associate Director and Director in private practice, or Team Leader and Manager in housing associations and councils. Our guide to surveying job titles explains each level.
- Graduate or trainee: £25,000 to £35,000
- Building surveyor: £31,000 to £46,000
- Senior building surveyor: £40,000 to £64,000
- Principal: £48,000 to £75,000
- Associate: £56,000 to £86,000
- Director: £75,000 to £154,000
Pay varies with the employer, the location and whether you are chartered, which is usually the biggest single step up. Our surveying salary guide has the full picture.
Is it right for you?
Building surveying suits people who like a mix of time on site and time at a desk, enjoy solving practical problems and are happy to explain them in writing. It is a good fit if you are interested in buildings themselves rather than their value or their cost, and it opens doors into project management, building control and asset management later on.
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