A building surveyor deals with buildings as physical things: how they are put together, why they fail and what to do about it. That is a different discipline from valuation, from quantity surveying and from land surveying, all of which share the word surveyor and almost nothing else. Most of the questions people bring to this site belong to building surveyors.
The core work
Condition surveys and home surveys, defect diagnosis, specification and contract administration of repairs, party wall appointments, schedules of condition and dilapidations, and advice on building regulations and access. The common thread is the fabric of the building.
Building surveyor responsibilities
To inspect competently, to report clearly, to say what was not inspected, and to carry insurance against being wrong. A chartered building surveyor is also bound by professional rules of conduct with a complaints route behind them.
How the chartered part matters
Chartered status means an assessed level of competence, mandatory insurance and a regulator. On any report that might be argued about, that is the difference between a document with weight and an opinion.
How to instruct one well
Say what decision the report is for, give the building's age and alterations, name any specific worry, and agree the scope in writing. Surveyors give better advice when they know what the advice is for.
Other questions people ask
What does a building surveyor do?
Inspects buildings, diagnoses defects, writes reports and specifications, and acts under the Party Wall Act and on dilapidations.
What does a chartered surveyor do?
Chartered surveyor covers several disciplines. The building surveying discipline is the one that inspects and reports on buildings; valuation, quantity surveying and land surveying are separate.
What does a house surveyor do?
House surveyor is the everyday name for a building surveyor carrying out a home survey before a purchase.