Building surveying: Your guide to becoming a building surveyor

From working in the private housing market and helping to restore historical buildings, to advising on large-scale commercial construction projects, to assisting in the sale of residential and commercial properties of all sizes, surveyors are central to the construction and property industries – and building surveyors can play a vital role in every project.

But what is a building surveyor and what do they do? What qualifications do you need to become one and what does the average salary look like?  RICS answers the most-asked questions about the profession in this guide.

What is a building surveyor?

Whether houses, public projects or commercial properties, building surveyors are responsible for assessing the state and condition of buildings, or are involved in the construction and alterations of buildings of all types and sizes.

So what do building surveyors look for? In short, they understand how buildings are put together, typical defects, and how they can be improved. Specifically, they advise on options for repair, maintenance or restoration. Building surveyors will be involved in the development of new buildings, surveying existing buildings, and the maintenance of buildings with historical or architectural importance – and that’s just the start.

What does a building surveyor do?

Building surveyors spend plenty of time on site evaluating buildings and considering sustainability issues. In your career as a building surveyor, you’re likely to help with planning, design, and building control applications, write specifications, and be on hand to manage builders and tradespeople on behalf of your client.

Being a building surveyor is both a varied and rewarding career, and is not entirely desk-based – but what tasks might you be expected to carry out on a regular basis? A building surveyor will typically need to:

• determine the construction type and condition of existing buildings by looking for defects
• advise on those defects, on environmental, sustainability and health and safety issues of buildings
• prepare planning and building regulations applications
• offer advice on property alterations, conversions, improvements and extensions.
• Give advice to lawyers about the state and condition of a building if there is a dispute between, for example, a landlord and their tenant, or between neighbours.
   

Put simply, the building surveyor’s job description isn’t a simple one. Your working hours might be the usual office hours of nine to five, but you’ll often find yourself on site dealing with contractors and advising clients, as well as in the office.

On a day-to-day basis

The building surveyor role requires you to wear many hats. These include safety analyst in the form of carrying out inspections to identify any problems with a building, such as structural movement, fire safety, materials deterioration, damp and mould or fitness for habitation. You’ll also need to understand the history and heritage of older buildings. You’ll develop good project management skills to ensure your client’s projects come in on time and under budget.

As you grow your career, you’ll find different areas you might want to specialise in.  Building surveying can be an excellent background for construction project managers and many other specialist careers such as; historic buildings professional, advising lawyers when disputes arise about buildings, acting as an expert witness, insurance assessments, access audits, fire-related professions, building control, helping neighbours with party wall matters or rights to light obligations, and much, much more.

How to become a building surveyor

There are several routes you can take to become a building surveyor, so don’t be put off if you haven’t yet got a university degree.

Associate and chartered RICS qualifications

There are two types of RICS qualification which offer different routes to becoming an RICS-accredited surveyor.

RICS Associate qualification

This is the entry-level RICS qualification and offers the chance to progress to full chartered status. To be eligible for associate status, you will need either:

• 1 year of relevant experience and a relevant bachelor’s degree
• 2 years of relevant experience and a relevant higher/advanced/foundation qualification, or
• 4 years of relevant experience (no academic qualifications required).

RICS Chartered qualification

This is the most common way to qualify. To be eligible for chartered status, you will need either:

• relevant experience and an RICS-accredited degree
• 5 years of relevant experience and any bachelor’s degree, or
• 10 years of relevant experience operating at an advanced level by seniority, specialisation or in academia.

Essential skills for building surveyors

Of course, qualifications are essential when becoming a building surveyor, but so are personal skills, both those you already possess and those you can build on throughout your career. The following are key skills required of building surveyors:

• strong communication skills (both written and verbal)
• strong maths knowledge – numerical analysis and analytical thinking
• an interest in how things work
• creative approach to problem solving
• strong IT skills
• good project management skills
• the ability to use your initiative
• commercial awareness.
   

It’s also important that you have a reasonable level of fitness and mobility. The job may require working on scaffolding and getting into difficult spaces. However, physically disabled building surveyors are found in the profession, and it is an extremely welcoming profession to all. Diversity, equity and inclusion is embraced by RICS.

Building surveyor salary: How much could you earn?

So what is the average building surveyor salary in the UK? The wage you can hope to earn will depend on your qualifications, skills and experience. Your location, employer and the sector you work in will also be factors.

According to 2025 UK-based research conducted by Macdonald & Company, the median basic salary for a junior/assistant building surveyor was £28,000 (£39,000 in London), rising to a median of £110,000 (£130,000 in London) for the most senior members of the profession.

The MacDonald and Company research also identified that 95% of respondents said they had flexibility in the location or hours they work.

Once you progress your career, it’s also likely you’ll be working to targets to earn bonuses. In addition to your base salary and any bonuses, being qualified as a building surveyor may also entitle you to a car allowance, life insurance policy, pension plan and private healthcare. When you have enough experience and a globally recognised RICS-accredited qualification, you can also start your own business and/or move to another country as a highly sought-after skilled building surveying professional.

For up-to-date surveyor salary information, please visit RICS Recruit.