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RICS KNOWLEDGEBASE

As part of our commitment to promoting and enforcing the highest standards in the residential sector, the RICS Home Survey Standard will become the best practice benchmark – enabling adoptees to demonstrate consistency, deliver the highest quality of service, meet evolving consumer needs and also contribute to delivering trust in the home survey market across the UK. It brings together the views of RICS professionals, cross-industry stakeholders and consumers.

In April 2019, RICS launched an industry and consumer consultation following an extensive review of existing guidance, which identified the need for a professional statement with a set of mandatory requirements for RICS members and regulated firms.

The resulting RICS Home Survey Standard is a fit for purpose standard for RICS members and regulated firms and delivers to current market needs. It is designed to significantly increase consistency, transparency and competency across all residential surveying in the UK and will be the single standard for condition-based home surveys. The concise mandatory requirements establish ‘benchmarks’ around which firms can design and deliver services that not only meet their clients’ needs but that the public can recognise and trust.

The purpose of this professional statement is to:
• establish a clear framework that sets minimum expectations – this to protect and maintain consistent and high-quality standards in residential property survey services that RICS members and regulated firms provide
• provide mandatory requirements for RICS members and regulated firms in the UK who deliver any level of residential property survey
• replace and harmonise previous RICS publications relating to residential surveys.

RICS HOME SURVEY STANDARDS

RICS Professional Standards and Guidance, UK
Home Survey Standard, 1st edition, November 2019: View document

Home Survey Standard, 1st edition, UK RICS professional statement
Terms of Engagement: View document

Home Survey Standard, 1st edition, professional statement, Effective from 1 June 2020
Basis for Conclusions: View document

Level 1
Scope of inspection: Home Survey Level One: View scope
Sample Home Survey Level One: View sample

Level 2
Scope of inspection: Home Survey Level Two: View scope
Sample Home Survey Level Two: View sample

Level 2 with Valuation
Scope of inspection: Home Survey Level Two: View scope
Sample Home Survey Level Two: View sample

Level 3
Scope of inspection: Home Survey Level Three: View scope
Sample Home Survey Level Three: View sample

Health & Safety Guidance: View document

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

adon Maps: Open maps

Flood Zones
CIRIA: Guidance on the code of practice for property flood resilience: View document

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
Find an energy performance certificate (EPC) by postcode: View website

How do I find out if a property is listed?
Contact the local planning authority or visit the British Listed Buildings website: View website
The older a property is, the greater the likelihood that it is listed; every building in England dating from before 1700 that survives in anything like its original condition is listed, whereas a building that is less than 30 years old is unlikely to be listed at all.

How do I find out if my house is listed?
Contact the local planning authority or visit View website

In addition, to check whether a building is listed, visit:
Historic England website: View website
Historic Environment Scotland: View website
Historic Wales: View website

Finally, contact the local planning authority. To check the council area in which the property is located, please visit: View website

RICS SURVEYOR’S CHECKLISTS

Equipment checklist: View checklist
Health and safety checklist: View checklist
Vendors liaison checklist: View checklist