Building surveyors are
responsible for assessing the quality of buildings, from houses to public and
commercial properties. They examine the condition of buildings and advise on
ways to improve them.
What is a Building Survey?
A building survey, also known as a structural survey or property inspection, is a comprehensive examination of a building's condition, structure, and overall integrity. The purpose of a building survey is to provide a detailed and objective assessment of a property's condition, identifying any defects, potential issues, or necessary repairs.
However, that’s only the
tip of the iceberg when it comes to a building surveyor’s responsibilities.
In reality, they are a
crucial member of the building team, advising architects and builders on
maintenance procedures, keeping safety standards high, advising on tenders and
contractors, and more.
If you’re considering a
career as a building surveyor, you’ll need to understand the various aspects of
the position and the significance of the work you’re about to undertake.
What do Building Surveyors do?
Throughout your building surveyor career,
you may need to wear that hat of:
- A safety analyst - one of the building surveyor’s most important roles is
making sure that a building is safe. You’ll carry out structural and internal
inspections to make sure all elements of a building live up to safety
requirements, including plumbing and electrical work.
- A quality controller - you’ll ensure that buildings are suitable for human
habitation. This is an incredibly important job, helping to lift the world’s
housing standards out of poverty and make everybody’s living environments
acceptable.
- An energy specialist - it’s the job of a surveyor to make sure that a
building conforms to energy standards regulation. More than this, though, you
can make sure that buildings are as energy efficient as possible, helping to
protect the planet and people’s wallets.
- A project manager - as an experienced professional in the housing
business, people will turn to you to help them organise building or maintenance
processes. That’s when you’ll be able to show off your project management
skills, ensuring that your clients’ projects come in on time and under budget.
- An administrator - there are a lot of housing administrators out there
who will need the opinion of an expert. You may be called in to help with
planning permission applications, demolition licenses and maintenance
agreements. You’ll also need to make sure that the paperwork for your own
surveyed properties is in order, too.
- A historian - it’s not just houses and commercial properties that need surveying, but
cathedrals, heritage buildings and museums too. As a building surveyor, you could
be an active part of keeping our history alive.
As a building surveyor,
you’re a part of one of the nation’s most critical functions - ensuring that a
high standard of life and living is available to everybody. You will have an
impact on lives every day of your working life.
Find a
meaningful career - how to
become a building surveyor
If that’s something you
feel you’d like to achieve, one of the quickest ways to become a building surveyor with chartered
status is with a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) accredited building surveying degree.
Find out more about our Undergraduate Building Surveying course.
Our MSc in Building Surveying will give you the
necessary first level, professional qualification in just two years of part
time study, completely online. RICS accreditation can also help you earn 20%
more than your non-accredited counterparts.
Click here to learn more about our Building Surveying Masters or below to discover more about our other specialist RICS accredited degrees:
