Chartered Surveyor is the description (protected by

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

in many countries) of Professional ''Members'' and ''Fellows'' of the

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is a global professional body for those working in the Built Environment, Construction, Land, Property and Real Estate. The RICS was founded in London in 1868. It works at a cross-governmental ...

(RICS) entitled to use the designation (and a number of variations such as " Chartered Building Surveyor" or " Chartered Quantity Surveyor" or "Chartered Civil Engineering Surveyor" depending on their field of expertise) in the (British)

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...

and

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. ''Chartered'' originates from the

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

granted to the world's first professional body of surveyors. Chartered Surveyors are entitled to use "MRICS" or "FRICS" after their names as appropriate. Chartered Surveyors are highly trained and experienced

property Property is a system of rights that gives people legal control of valuable things, and also refers to the valuable things themselves. Depending on the nature of the property, an owner of property may have the right to consume, alter, share, re ...

professionals. Surveyors offer impartial, specialist advice on a variety of property related issues and the services which they provide are diverse. Chartered Surveyors work in all fields of property and building consultancy. At the most basic level, their duties include valuing property and undertaking structural surveys of buildings. They also provide expert consultancy advice in property,

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

, and related environmental issues.

United Kingdom

A Chartered surveyor in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

is a surveyor who is a member of the

("RICS"). Until the end of the 20th century, some members were members of the ISVA ("Incorporated Society of Valuers and Auctioneers"), but this organization merged with the RICS in 1999. In the reforms of the RICS in the 1990s, the former divisional structure of the institution was abolished, and the use of the alternative designations was retained solely for the use of members to retain clarification when informing clients of specialist areas of expertise. Despite the attempt to unify the profession under one title "chartered surveyor", there is very little in common across the whole range of disciplines that are within the grasp of all members. The core membership is based in the construction profession and another large sector deals with property ownership and management. Beyond these cores, there are marine, land, rural, and antiques specialists. Chartered surveyors in the core of the profession may offer mortgage valuations, homebuyer's surveys and valuations, full building surveys, building surveyors' services, quantity surveying, land surveying, auctioneering, estate management, and other forms of survey and building-related advice. It is not usual for an individual member to have expertise in several areas, and hence partnerships or companies are established to create general practices able to offer a wider spectrum of surveying services. Heathrow Before World War II Map

Building surveying

As well as surveying, building surveyors in the UK give advice on design, construction, maintenance and repair. They may also assess damage or dilapidations on behalf of an insurance company. A Chartered Surveyor is one who attains MRICS professional membership via the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) by undergoing rigorous training and attaining key work experience across various technical competencies set out by the RICS who then in turn test, scrutinize, examine and assesses such candidates before awarding them Chartered status (MRICS). It is therefore accurate to say that all chartered surveyors can be qualified building surveyors, but not all qualified building surveyors are necessarily Chartered Surveyors.

Quantity surveying

Quantity surveyors work for private and commercial clients, main contractors and

subcontractor A subcontractor is a person or business which undertakes to perform part or all of the obligations of another's contract, and a subcontract is a contract which assigns part of an existing contract to a subcontractor. A general contractor, prime ...

s in the

industry. Their function is the management of the commercial interfaces of construction: writing, negotiating, awarding, and administering contracts, including variations and claims arising during the performance of a contract; cost control and cost engineering, i.e. to document and estimate costs, progress, and risks. In the UK, not all quantity surveyors are necessarily chartered surveyors; some may be chartered through the Chartered Institute of Building ("CIOB").Salford University
/ref> Albeit, the title of 'Chartered Quantity Surveyor' can only be used by Members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Additional duties may include performing feasibility studies, preparing tenders, procuring materials, managing subcontractors, and even advice on taxation or building management. Surveyors may also be involved in dispute resolution. Quantity surveyors sometimes act as

project manager A project manager is a professional in the field of project management. Project managers have the responsibility of the Project planning, planning, procurement and execution of a project, in any undertaking that has a defined scope, defined star ...

s of a construction site.

Land surveying

Essentially, land surveying is making accurate maps and plans.Our property
website Land surveying encompasses cadastral surveying,

cartography Cartography (; from , 'papyrus, sheet of paper, map'; and , 'write') is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can ...

, engineering surveying, hydrographic surveying and oceanographic surveying. Land surveyors may be accredited by the RICS, the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), or the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES), but only RICS members can call themselves "chartered land surveyors". Members and Fellows of CICES are eligible to attain Chartered Engineer status through the

Engineering Council The Engineering Council (formerly Engineering Council UK; colloquially known as EngC) is the UK's regulatory authority for registration of Chartered and Incorporated engineers and engineering technician. The Engineering Council holds the nat ...

Auctioneering

Firms of chartered surveyors sometimes act in property auctions.

Other aspects of surveying practice

As well as the services mentioned above, UK chartered surveyors may offer advice in boundary disputes, business rates, compulsory purchase matters and

party wall A party wall (occasionally parti-wall or parting wall, shared wall, also known as common wall or as a demising wall) is a wall shared by two adjoining properties. Typically, the builder lays the wall along a property line dividing two terraced h ...

s. ("Party walls" in the UK are walls on your property shared with your neighbors.)

Employers

The largest employer of Chartered Surveyors is Turner & Townsend.

Becoming a Chartered Surveyor

In order to become a Chartered Surveyor, trainees must undertake a degree accredited by the RICS and pass the Assessment of Professional Competence. Occasionally RICS withdraws accreditation of degree courses.

Notable Chartered Surveyors

* Andy Irvine - retired

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

footballer who played for

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

is a Chartered Valuation Surveyor. * Gavin Kerr - retired

footballer who played prop for

is a Chartered Building Surveyor. * Paul Morrell - a Chartered Quantity Surveyor. * Tim Wonnacott is a Chartered Valuation Surveyor and television presenter. * Marianne Suhr - writer, expert on historic buildings and co-presenter of the television series '' Restoration'' is a Chartered Building Surveyor. * Ewen Cameron, Baron Cameron of Dillington - a landowner and

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

who sits as a

crossbench A crossbencher is a minor party or independent politician, independent member of some legislatures, such as the Parliament of Australia. In the British House of Lords the term refers to members of the parliamentary group of non-political peers. ...

member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. * Philip Serrell - Television presenter, chartered valuation surveyor and racing driver.

United Arab Emirates

A Chartered surveyor in the is a professional who provides expert advice on various aspects related to real estate, construction, and property-related matters. Their primary role is to offer specialized services to individuals, businesses, and government entities to help them make informed decisions about property assets. Here are some of the key tasks and responsibilities of chartered surveyors in the UAE:

Property Valuation

Chartered surveyors assess the value of

residential A residential area is a land used in which houses, housing predominates, as opposed to industrial district, industrial and Commercial Area, commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include ...

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

, industrial, and

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

properties. They consider factors such as location, condition, market trends, and other relevant variables to provide accurate and impartial property valuations. They may do this with or without the help of UAE-based automated valuation models (AVMs) such as YallaValue.

Property Management

They manage and oversee real estate properties on behalf of property owners, ensuring that they are well-maintained and generating maximum returns. This may include rent collection, lease negotiations, and property maintenance.

Building Surveys

Chartered surveyors conduct detailed inspections of buildings to assess their condition and identify any structural issues, defects, or potential risks. They provide comprehensive reports to clients, which are crucial for buyers, sellers, and property investors.

Project Management

They may act as project managers for construction and development projects. They oversee the planning, design, and execution of projects, ensuring they are completed on time, within budget, and meeting quality standards.

Feasibility Studies

Chartered surveyors conduct feasibility studies for proposed real estate developments. These studies assess the viability of a project, taking into account factors such as market demand, costs, and regulatory requirements.

References

{{Construction overview Construction industry of the United Kingdom Real estate valuation Mortgage industry of the United Kingdom Property law of the United Kingdom