The Chartered Surveyors' Voluntary Service (CSVS) provides free property advice to people who would otherwise struggle to receive professional assistance.
Chartered surveyors working for CSVS give their advice on a voluntary basis. If you are a chartered surveyor and would like to assist with the service, please fill out the registration form.
We have become aware from some members of the scheme that the Citizens Advice Bureau may no longer provide insurance for the work that our members do for them. Upon review of this, we can now confirm we provide insurance for members opted into the scheme.
The service is available to people living in private rented housing or council/housing association accommodation, and also to home owners. CSVS will also take on cases involving groups of clients, such as a number of tenants on the same estate, although some tenants many not individually qualify for help.
Initial contact is made through the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), who will contact the RICS to obtain details of a CSVS surveyor. The CAB will then contact the surveyor on your behalf. Generally, the service involves a home visit by the CSVS surveyor and a follow-up report to the advice agency. While the service is not means tested, it is up to the agency to decide who should be referred for this free assistance.
Chartered surveyors are trained to deal with all practical aspects of property and construction. Typical areas CSVS can assist in are:
Most areas of the UK are covered by CSVS. The service can be contacted through your local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) and other advice agencies.
Should CSVS be unable to offer you free advice, our contact centre will be able to provide details of local chartered surveyors suited to your case who will charge a fee.