Home survey standard

08/09/2025 Update: With our upcoming webinar on 26 September, we have now extended the closing date of the public consultations to 14 October. We want to ensure everyone has ample time to read through the documentation, reflect on the standard’s changes and proposed regulatory scheme and give feedback.

We have already received a strong response to the consultations so far. This feedback is crucial to help us shape a standard that is clear and effective, where consumers can feel confident to rely on the quality of service they’ll from RICS members. If you haven’t yet shared your thoughts, now is the time to have your say.

Since the Home survey standard 1st edition was first published in 2019 and became effective in 2021, it has set the benchmark for best practice in promoting and enforcing the highest standards in the residential sector.

The standard has successfully established a clear framework that protects and maintains consistent, high-quality standards in residential property survey services across the UK.

Now, as our profession continues to evolve, we are consulting on the 2nd edition. To inform the update, serve public interest and ensure the standard reflects the current market, RICS is holding two public consultations on the future of home surveys, which include:

Updates to the Home survey standard
A proposed home survey regulatory scheme

We welcome all members to take part in the consultations, from those early in their careers to established surveyors, and we encourage individuals and organisations involved in the sale or purchase of a property to share their observations and comments.

You can share your thoughts by taking part in the consultations here.

Please note that while the consultations are running at the same time and concern home surveys, they are fundamentally separate from each other. Insights shared on the regulatory scheme will not impact the updated standard, and vice versa.

iConsult

Take part in our consultations to shape the future of home surveys here.

Members should still use the 1st edition of the Home survey standard until the 2nd edition goes into full effect. Scroll down to read more about it and download it.

Proposed updates for the Home survey standard 2nd edition

As a Royal Charter, we are required to act in the public interest. Our standards documents lay out the ethical, conduct and competence requirements expected for our members and we ensure these standards are upheld by the profession through a system of independently led regulation.

To ensure our standard continues to meet these expectations, we conducted a member survey of 325 respondents and a UK consumer survey of over 1400 homeowners to understand their experiences with home surveys. The results from both surveys have informed the proposed changes now available for public consultation. Scroll down to our Member survey overview section to read more about the results.

This public consultation invites members and firms, including individuals and organisations involved in the sale or purchase of a property, to share their insights on the evolving needs of the residential market and how we can update the standard to meet these needs.

Proposed changes in the consultation include:

Updated information on legislation and regulatory practices
Use of technology and AI
Greater clarity on levels of surveying
Optional valuation for all levels of surveying
Guidance for ‘additional risk’ dwellings
Additional services, from retrofit buildings to drone inspections

After the consultation closes, we will review all feedback with our Expert Group, make necessary updates, complete the formal approval process, and aim to publish the final 2nd edition in late Q1 2026, dependent on the nature and extent of the consultation response.

Home survey regulatory scheme proposal

In addition to the standard consultation, we want your insights on a proposed home survey regulatory scheme and whether you and your clients would benefit from it. 

Working separately from the standard’s consultation, this aims to strengthen trust in the profession and maintain confidence in member expertise among the wider public by assuring consumers that chartered residential surveyors follow the highest of quality surveying standards.

Prior to developing the 2nd edition, RICS surveyed members about creating a home survey regulatory scheme similar to the Valuer Registration Scheme. With 46% supporting the idea, the Standards and Regulation Board directed us to consult on this proposal.

The proposed scheme would require RICS members conducting home surveys in the UK to meet specific regulatory requirements, with dedicated RICS resources ensuring compliance and providing feedback. Members would be subject to additional reporting and audit requirements, giving the public greater assurance of consistently high standards and potentially increasing consumer confidence in RICS surveys.

Following consultation, RICS will consider all responses, potentially conduct further detailed consultation on implementation, and if approved, the scheme could be in place by the end of 2027.

Frequently asked questions

RICS develops and enforces leading international standards to protect consumers and businesses, ensuring the highest level of professionalism is employed across the built and natural environment.

As a Royal Charter, we are required to act in the public interest. Our standards documents lay out the ethical, conduct and competence expected for members of RICS. By working to our standards, professional members and RICS regulated firms deliver confidence. RICS ensures these standards are upheld by the profession through a system of independently led regulation.

We regularly review RICS standards to ensure they meet changing national and international market needs, as has been the case with the residential market since the 1^st edition was implemented. It is vital we ensure our professional standards respond to these needs and maintain credibility. The public consultation, which enables us to consider all stakeholder views, on the updated Home survey standard aims to ensure the standard reflects these changes in the market and maintains its authority as the best practice in home surveys for today and in the coming years.

The public consultation on the home survey regulatory scheme proposal follows initial support shown for a regulatory scheme in a 2024 survey. One of the questions in the survey asked ‘Should RICS consider a standards scheme (similar to the Valuer Registration Scheme) for residential surveyors?’ – 45.6% of respondents said ‘Yes’, 35.23% said ‘No’, and 19.17% said ‘I’m not sure’.

Since members were more likely to support the scheme than not, we are exploring its feasibility in more detail, relying upon feedback from members to inform our next steps.

Please note that although these consultations are running at the same time and concern home surveys, they are fundamentally separate from each other. Insights shared on the regulatory scheme will not impact on the standard, and vice versa.

Yes, they are public consultations, and we encourage individuals and organisations involved in the sale or purchase of a property to share their observations and comments. We do request that responses are relevant to the proposed 2^nd edition of the Home survey standard and to the proposal of a regulatory scheme. All responses will be considered.

We are holding a free-to-all webinar outlining the standard’s changes. The webinar will take place on Friday 26^th September 2025, 10:00 – 11:00am. If you still have questions following the webinar, you can email knowledge@rics.org and an RICS staff member will get back to you.

The consultations will provide valuable further insight and information from members and other stakeholders, which will help shape the updated Home survey standard, as well as better understand the need for a Home survey regulatory scheme.

Once the consultations have completed on 14 October 2025, the next steps for the 2^nd edition of the Home survey standard are:

1) The Expert Group and RICS will review all consultation feedback.

2) Updates as agreed by the Expert Group and RICS will be made to the standard.

3) The final standard to be approved through the RICS governance process, including review by the Knowledge and Practice Committee (KPC), the Standards and Regulation Board (SRB), and their delegated authorities.

4) The standard will be published.

For the regulatory scheme, we will review the responses and provide a report on the consultation to the Standards and Regulation Board. We expect a further update to be available for members in the first quarter of 2026.

All RICS members and regulated firms must ensure they follow the Rules of Conduct wherever they work or practice. The five rules provide a structure for making ethical decisions about how to behave as a professional. Members must use their professional judgement in applying these principles to the situations they face in practice and firms must support individuals working for them to do so and to conduct themselves to the high standards expected by RICS members and firms.

The proposal on the regulatory scheme, explains how we currently regulate home surveys and sets out options for ways that we could change this. We are seeking views on this from members and the public through the consultation.

The consultations will run from 19 August until 14 October 2025.

The purpose of the Home survey standard is to:

Establish a clear framework that sets minimum expectations 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 conduct residential property surveys.

The standard and its RICS template reports offer benefits including:

The ability to highlight your findings in a way that is easily understood by your clients with the traffic light condition ratings system.
Offering a clear report structure.
Providing an impartial property assessment by RICS, updated to adhere to the Home survey standard and ensures that it maintains the benchmark for best practice.

No, this standard only applies to UK-based RICS members, firms and candidates.

The consultation proposes the following changes:

Updated information and guidance on legislation and regulatory requirements for undertaking a home survey, ensuring members provide the highest level of service for today’s housing market.
Expanding valuations so that VRS-regulated surveyors can undertake valuations across all levels, from Home Survey Level 1 to Level 3 and greater clarity on the requirements needed for each level.
Reflect the advancements within professional practice by cross-referencing technological advancements, particularly AI, and offer guidance on cost advice, alterations, insurance reinstatement, drone inspections and new build inspections.
Guidance for ‘additional risk’ dwellings, including a framework and guidance on historic buildings, new-build snagging and retrofit homes.
Updated appendices with more benchmarking of the levels of reporting and inspection, better supporting RICS members in their practice.

The changes that will appear in the 2^nd edition of the Home survey standard will be dependent on the responses received in consultation.

The supporting material and forms will be reviewed to align with the new standard post-consultation.

Yes, our Home Surveys in Practice - 3 Part Series (a 3-part web class) will be updated after the standard has published.

Yes, there is an Author, an Expert Group and a Chair of the Expert Group. The Expert Group comprises of surveyors (from Associate to Fellow) and independent stakeholders. Each member of the Expert Group will contribute towards the standard, working as a collective and also specific sections individually. Please visit the Expert Group section of the Home Survey Standard webpage to learn more about the members and what they work on specifically in the standard.

This consultation is asking members, regulated firms and other stakeholders, such as lenders, technical partners, legal firms and conveyancers, governmental and educational stakeholders, whether they support the idea of a regulatory scheme in principle. If there is positive consensus, we will develop the proposal further, along with an implementation plan.

SRB will consider all the feedback received and we expect a further update to be available for members in the first quarter of 2026.

The consultation considers the costs and benefits of a scheme and asks for views on both. There would need to be a fee for any scheme, just as there is a fee for the Valuers Registration Scheme. If SRB decided to proceed with a scheme then there would be a further consultation on the precise nature and level of any fees, plus the detail of what RICS would propose to do in terms of regulatory activity. This would involve some auditing of members carrying out surveys – the current consultation asks for views on what this should consist of and we will consider feedback carefully and take account of it if the scheme does go ahead.

Review of the standard 2024-5 - expert group and member survey

The Expert Group and the Author are updating the standard as a collective, but specific sections each of them are also working on are detailed in their bios below.

The Expert Group

Chair

Gary Epps MRICS

Chartered Surveyor (retired)

A Chartered GP Surveyor (now retired) having specialised in the residential survey and valuation sector working for major Corporate S&V firms, but more recently as part of an innovative Property Risk Team at the Nationwide Building Society where, as Head Valuer, key responsibilities included risk assessment, valuer guidance, lending Policy, quality and management of Valuers. Working on 'both sides of the fence' as both a supplier and receiver of Professional services proved invaluable in recognising the potential of RICS Members and consumer demands, and this experience will help shape the review of the HSS ensuring it continues to remain fit for purpose in an ever-evolving marketplace.

Author

Larry Russen FRICS

Consultant, Russen & Turner

Larry is a Chartered Building Surveyor, Chartered Building Engineer and Party Wall Surveyor. With more than 40 years’ experience, Larry is a member of the RICS, Allied Surveyors & Valuers and is a trainer with the SAVA Assessment Centre in Milton Keynes. Having served as an expert witness in numerous cases, including at the High Court, and authored articles and books, Larry regularly teaches and trains qualified and trainee surveyors to degree level and founded Russen & Turner in 1981. Larry still works full time as a consultant and when not spending time sailing on the water with his beautiful children, can be found cycling, running or playing 5-a-side football. He recently completed studying for a Masters Degree in German Language, History and Culture at University College London. Larry continues to undertake a range of surveys and inspections.

Louise Avery MRICS

Founder and Managing Director, Avery & Co Chartered Surveyors

Avery & Co Chartered Surveyors specialise in the survey and valuation of residential property throughout the Northwest of England and North Wales. Louise qualified in 1990 and started her residential surveying career as an in-house valuer for Lloyds Banking Group before setting up Avery & Co in 2004. Louise has recently contributed to RICS working groups including the Valuation approach for properties in multi-storey, multi-occupancy residential buildings with cladding, and has also drafted sections for the review of RICS Valuation Global Standards UK Supplement VPGA 12. Louise is a Domestic Energy Assessor and in 2023 presented at an RICS Webinar on energy matters relating to the RICS Home Survey Standard. In her spare time, Louise is a former Special Inspector with Merseyside Police, and is currently secretary of Merseyside & Cheshire Blood Bikes, who transport blood, tissue and breast milk on behalf of the NHS. Louise is an active surveyor and will be focusing on the pre-sale survey framework, Appendix A Definition of the Levels and Appendix C Knowledge of the Location.

John Baguley FRICS

Group Valuations, Together Money

John is a fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and before joining Together Money, held roles at UK Finance, Countrywide Surveyors and RICS. Before that he held the ombudsman position for the surveyors ombudsman scheme which followed several years as a residential surveyor and Technical Services Manager. John is providing support to the expert group in an advisory capacity and was instrumental in the development of the 1st edition of the standard.

Zoe de Boehmler FRICS

Technical Director, Gateway Surveyors

Zoe qualified as a Chartered Building Surveyor in 2001 and started her career as a commercial Building Surveyor based in Central London. She then moved into the residential sector undertaking surveys and valuations and is a Fellow of the RICS. Zoe joined Gateway Surveyors as Technical Director in 2022, having previously held the role of Area Director at Connells for over 7 years. Zoe is a member of the Property Risk Panel for the Building Societies Association and contributes to RICS Working Groups. Zoe is part of the sub-group reviewing Section 3 Carrying out the Service and Section 4 The Report. She is representing the larger corporate surveying firms.

Kate Charrington FRICS

Director, Projekt 3

Kate Charrington is the director of Projekt 3. She supports residential surveyors to deliver improved home survey and valuation reports through enhanced and up-to-date content. Kate is a qualified retrofit coordinator and Climate Reality Leader. She is focused on driving sustainability and improved standards within residential surveying and is a regular contributor to panels and discussions. Kate has twice been shortlisted for RICS Young Surveyor of the Year and has recently been on the Expert Working Group for the RICS Retrofit Standard. She is keen to drive forward the role of the residential surveyor, particularly at a time when we are seeing increased energy costs and the continuous impact of climate change on the homes we live in. Kate is also part of the sub-group reviewing Section 4 The Report, Appendix A Definition of the Levels and providing oversight for retrofit, sustainability and ESG.

Professor Richard Fitton MRICS

Professor Building Performance, Salford University

Richard holds a PhD in Building Physics and is also a chartered building surveyor. He leads a task group for the development of international standards around energy performance. Richard is the Chair of the upcoming British Standard for Retrofit Assessment. He is also active the International Energy Agency studying the use of smart meter data to provide energy efficiency data for dwellings. He holds a place on the SAP Scientific Integrity Group at the Building Research Establishment (BRE) which oversees the domestic energy model used in the UK. Richard is also the technical lead for the new Energy House 2 project, a building physics test lab. Richard undertakes surveys for research purposes and is leading on retrofit and sustainability, along with conservation and heritage reporting.

Scott Jack AssocRICS

Regional Development Director, Walker Fraser Steele Chartered Surveyors

Scott is the Regional Development Director of Walker Fraser Steele, which is the trading name of e.surv Chartered Surveyors in Scotland, specialising in residential survey and valuation. Having spent 10 years in estate agency, Scott studied at the College of Estate Management and took a graduate surveyor position with Walker Fraser Steele in 2014. Shortlisted for the RICS Young Surveyor of the Year Award in 2016, Scott moved into management in 2018 continuing a keen interest in the Scottish Home Report product, training the next generation of surveyors and innovating the production of site notes through the use of new technology. Scott is also a member of the RICS Scotland Residential Forum. Scott is the nominated representative for Scotland and will be leading on Scottish related matters and Appendix C Knowledge of the Location.

Tim Kenny AssocRICS

Tim Kenny Surveying Ltd

Tim first started his property career as a Home Inspector as part of the ill-fated HIPs and then, following a spell in block management, set up Tim Kenny Surveying Ltd in 2014. As well as specialising in Level 2 and 3 Home Surveys, he is also an industry trainer and an Associate Tutor at UCEM. Outside of surveying, Tim is also a Yoga teacher and gives regular Stress Relief and Breathwork webinars for LionHeart. Tim is an active surveyor and will be working with the group on Section 3 Carrying out the Service, Section 4 The Report, along with Appendix B Benchmarking of the Inspection, and investigating a framework for new build snagging.

Steve Lees MRICS

Associate Director of Technical Services, Countrywide Surveying Services

Steve is a Chartered Surveyor. His previous roles ranged from being a residential surveyor, for a small partnership, through to being Head of Technical Surveying for one of the largest residential surveyors in the UK. Steve has also contributed to several RICS publications before joining the organisation in March of 2024. He is also an ambassador for an independent charity – LionHeart who support RICS professionals and their families.

Rob Mead FRICS

Technical Director, Connells Survey and Valuation

Rob has 40 years of residential valuation and survey experience, having worked in various sized private practices, in social housing, for lenders and in the corporate sector. Rob keeps his knowledge fresh and relevant by still undertaking residential inspections. Serving as a member of various RICS working groups, Rob has contributed to published papers and key decision making. With a keen focus on the quality of residential survey and valuation, Rob creates and delivers training and mentors newly qualified Residential Surveyors. Rob has a broad residential knowledge and is the Connells’ SME in a number of areas including cladding and HMOs. As already noted, Rob is an active surveyor and represents the larger corporate surveying firms and will form part of the group to review Section 4 The Report.

Matt Nally

Founder and Director, Survey Booker

Matt is the founder and director of Survey Booker, dedicated to improving efficiencies and customer engagement in the surveying industry through technology. With 15 years of operational expertise, he helps surveyors enhance their interactions with clients and industry partners. Bringing a technology supplier’s perspective to the working group, Matt ensures new surveying standards are practical and beneficial for both surveyors and consumers. His focus on user feedback and process improvement supports the development of standards that equip surveyors with the right tools to deliver high-quality outcomes.

Sam Piplica MRICS

Director and Chartered Building Surveyor, Great North Building Consultancy

Sam has worked as a building surveyor in a private practice consultancy, both as an employee and as a company owner, and has a wide breadth of building surveying experience. He joined RICS in March 2022 and left in March 2025. At RICS, Sam was a senior specialist in the professional practice and development department, responsible for the building surveying and building control disciplines. He was also the staff lead for the Building Conservation Advisory Group and Dilapidations Advisory Group. Now, Sam is back in practice as an independent building surveying consultant. Sam will be supporting on the conservation and heritage assets and new build snagging content as well as supporting on Section 2 Setting up the Service.

Morwenna Slade MRICS

Director, Climate Change, Ingleton Wood

Morwenna is a Chartered Building Surveyor specializing in climate change, adaptation, and energy efficiency. She leads Ingleton Wood's climate adaptation team, focusing on traditional buildings and sustainability. With expertise in policy and technical agendas, she advises on onsite delivery, estate management, and strategic decision-making. Previously, Morwenna was Head of Climate Change Adaptation at Historic England, leading a national advisory team. She also worked for the National Trust and The Churches Conservation. Currently, she serves on various panels, including CIOB Heritage Advisory and IHBC Technical, and is a Trustee for the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. Morwenna actively undertakes surveys currently on a range of property types and will lead on conservation and heritage assets and retrofit, sustainability and ESG.

To support the review, RICS conducted a member survey to gather views and feedback on the current standard. The survey focused on areas that require revisions or additions, as well as establishing where the current standard works well, and received feedback from 325 respondents.

Respondents to the survey spanned all experience levels and designations. The majority were members with more than twenty years of experience, carrying out Level 2 and 3 home surveys, although other survey types and experience levels were also represented.

One question in the survey cut to the core of our research, as we asked for views on the standard as a whole. Most believed it to be appropriate in its current state (58%), although 31% thought the standard should be more prescriptive while, conversely, 11% believed it to be too prescriptive.

Other qualitative feedback and insights were provided through the survey, which will also shape our next steps in improving and updating the standard. All survey responses will be used to inform areas of improvement for the standard, alongside the results of a wide-reaching consumer survey. We have polled more than 1400 homeowners to better understand their experiences with home surveys, and this insight will be essential as we work to deliver a standard that works for members and strengthens trust in the profession.

A public consultation is now taking place on the proposed draft standard, closing on 30 September 2025. Following the public consultation, the standard will be updated as agreed by the Expert Group, Author and RICS. The final standard will be subject to approval from the Knowledge and Practice Committee and the Standards and Regulation Board.

Home survey standard 1st edition

The RICS Home survey standard that came into effect on 1 March 2021 was created to demonstrate consistency, deliver the highest quality of service, meet with evolving consumer needs and contribute to delivering trust in the home survey market across the UK.

This standard integrates insights from RICS professionals, cross-industry stakeholders and consumers.

The Home survey standard aims to:

Establish a clear framework that sets minimum expectations 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 conduct residential property surveys.

The standard and its RICS template reports offer numerous benefits, including:

The ability to highlight your findings in a way that is easily understood by your clients with the traffic light condition ratings system.
Offering a clear report structure.
Providing an impartial property assessment by RICS, updated to adhere to the Home survey standard and ensures that it maintains the benchmark for best practice.

Please note, RICS form templates will be subject to review and changed based upon the outcome of the consultation.