Survey

In Spain, France and Portugal few people bother with surveys, which seems surprising given the amount of money involved and implications. The UK however has a tradition of surveys, so why not do overseas as you would back home?

OverseasPropertyOwners.com allows you to deal directly with surveyors who are members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS):

"...a highly respected and prominent global standards and membership organisation for property professionals. It is independent and accountable to both its members and the public. Its main roles include setting education and training standards, protecting consumers with strict codes of practice and advising governments and business."

RICS members are qualified and experienced professionals offering independent and impartial advice, who must update their competence on an ongoing basis through RICS' Continuous Professional Development Regulations.

(An ordinary surveyor will generally be unqualified having had no professional training and is not subject to a code of practice. It is unlikely he could get Professional Indemnity Insurance and not having passed exams it would be difficult to confirm years of experience.)

RICS members can be identified by the letters MRICS or FRICS after their name.

RICS, 12 Great George Street, Parliament Sq, London SW1P 3AD

Through OverseasPropertyOwners.com you can access RICS surveyors working in Spain, France and Portugal, all of whom will:

• Be regulated by RICS and adhere to a well-proven code of conduct.
• Understand your way of thinking, speak English and provide all reports in English.
• Be familiar with the different legislation and practices of the country in question.

Chartered surveyors specialise and are restricted to their areas of core competence; so an Arts and Antiques surveyor wouldn't undertake a land survey. You will need to know what his special area is and does he have professional indemnity insurance in that area?

Generally you will be looking for a chartered surveyor capable of carrying out one or more of the following:

• Valuation - For peace of mind, or finance purposes.
• A Building/Structural survey - Reporting on structural performance and durability including secondary elements such as windows, doors, stairs etc. Also quality of the services - water, gas, electricity, telephone...
• A homebuyer's report - For a simpler report to help you decide whether you should proceed with the proposed purchase.
• Defect Investigations - Causes, remedies, costings.
• Construction Management - To obtain tenders and oversee the building process.
• Renovation/Project Management - For the more complicated purchase.
• Development appraisal - To ascertain the viability of development and whether there is planning permission.

RICS surveyors by country

	Spain France Portugal