You’ve decided to get a survey done on the house you’re buying. Good move. But now you’re faced with a problem most buyers don’t expect: finding a surveyor is confusing. Prices vary, every firm’s website says roughly the same thing, and it’s almost impossible to judge quality before you’ve already paid, which means most buyers only realise they’ve made a bad choice after the report lands.
We asked Daniel Knight what buyers should actually be looking for. Daniel is an independent AssocRICS surveyor, the founder of Homescan Surveyors, and the person behind Dan the Surveyor Man on TikTok, one of the few surveyors actively talking about how the industry really works. He set up on his own after seeing the poor work of others. He now does around three surveys a week, exclusively Level 3 surveys. Three years in, he’s built a reputation for being direct, thorough, and genuinely invested in helping buyers understand what they’re paying for.
Here’s what he told us.
What does a good surveyor actually do?
A survey is a visual inspection and risk assessment. The surveyor isn’t opening up walls, lifting floors, or testing the electrics.
Daniel compares a survey to visiting a GP; you’re getting a check-up, not an MRI. They’ll knock on your knee and check your breathing. Using their findings, they’ll give you some health guidance, but they’re not sending you for scans unless something concerns them.
That matters to understand upfront, because buyers sometimes expect more than a survey is designed to deliver. But within those limitations, a good surveyor can tell you a great deal. Someone who understands how buildings work can piece together what they see: the crack above the window, the moved tiles on the roof, the blocked drain at the side of the house, and give you an overall risk analysis of the purchase.
“A roofer might say the roof is fine, but not understand how that relates to the damp on the internal wall below. A competent surveyor can connect all of that.”
The inspection is only half of a good survey experience. A good surveyor will debrief you afterwards, walking through the findings, explaining what’s serious and what’s cosmetic, and helping you understand the risks in the context of your situation. That conversation is where things are supposed to click and where buyers will learn whether to proceed with, leave or renegotiate their purchase.
Finding a good surveyor
1. Where should I start looking?
Search directly for local independent surveyors rather than going through a comparison website.
“You’ll get websites that sell your enquiry as a lead to five companies who all try to convince you to use them. I’d be cautious of that because it tends to be a high-volume model.”
Comparison sites create a race to the bottom on pricing that doesn’t always serve buyers well. The cheapest quote is almost always a firm doing volume work, what Daniel calls “churn and burn.” A local independent is more likely to charge a fair price for thorough work, and because they aren’t filling a diary with ten inspections a week, they’re more likely to give your property the time it needs.
2. How can I tell if a surveyor is any good?
There are a few things you can check without needing any technical knowledge.
Ask for a sample report.
Most surveyors will share one. Does it feel like it was written about a specific property, or could it describe any house in the country? Bespoke means care. Generic means volume.
Ask whether there’s a follow-up call after the report.
This is the single most telling question. “If they’re shocked by that, or they say no, then you know they’re not for you.”
Check whether you’re talking to the surveyor.
In larger firms, the surveyors are out doing inspections all day, and your questions get handled by admin. The conversation about your report should come from the person who was actually at the property.
Look at their online presence.
Reviews, social media, and any content they’ve produced. It gives you a sense of how much they care about their work and whether they’re willing to stand behind it publicly. Be aware that many great and experienced surveyors aren’t online, but rely on referrals.
3. Does it matter if they’re chartered or not?
Chartered status matters, but probably not in the way most buyers assume. To become a Chartered Surveyor through the RICS, candidates must demonstrate competence across a broad set of technical and professional requirements via the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC), which covers 22 different sector pathways. That breadth is actually the point: you can become a fully chartered RICS member by qualifying in arts and antiques, hydrographic surveying, or geomatics, none of which involve inspecting the house you are about to buy. Chartered status is a mark of professional rigour and training, but it does not tell you how skilled someone is at residential property inspection specifically.
Daniel is an Associate Member of the RICS, not chartered, and he is upfront about it. His view, and one supported by how the qualification actually works, is that the chartered title spans an enormous range of specialisms. A Chartered Arts and Antiques Surveyor and a Chartered Building Surveyor hold the same MRICS designation, even though their day to day work could not be more different. So while chartered status is a meaningful credential, it is not on its own a reliable indicator of how good someone is at surveying the specific property in front of them.
“I followed a fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors around once. Thirty years of experience. You’d expect him to be the master. Far from it.”
What tends to matter more in practice is conscientiousness: how much time they spend, how carefully they inspect, and whether they help you understand what they’ve found. A surveyor willing to spend four hours at a property, go home and research what they found, then write the report carefully, is worth more than three decades of going through the motions.
4. Should I trust my estate agent’s recommendation?
Not blindly. There’s one question worth asking directly: Do you get a referral fee for recommending this firm?
“They are legally required to disclose any referral fee. Ask directly, and they cannot withhold it without risking prosecution.”
If they say no, it’s probably a genuine endorsement. If they say yes, do your own due diligence before accepting. Daniel’s experience of trying to get referrals from most agents was blunt: “It was just, what’s the referral fee look like? They didn’t care if I was competent or not.”
Another point worth remembering about estate agents and surveys: Most estate agents understand the selling process, not the building. If an agent dismisses a survey finding with “oh, all old houses have that,” they’re speaking from sales experience, not technical knowledge.
5. Should I just go for the cheapest?
No. This was the one thing Daniel was most emphatic about.
“Almost never go for the cheapest. The cheapest one is always going to be a churn and burn firm.”
Cheaper means more surveys per week to make the numbers work. That means less time per property, less care per report, and no follow-up. You save a couple of hundred pounds and only find out what was missed when it’s too late to renegotiate.
The other thing buyers don’t realise: suing a surveyor isn’t straightforward. You’d have to prove not just that they got something wrong, but that they were negligent. The better protection is choosing well in the first place.
Quick checklist to find a surveyor
Before you book:
- Search for local independents rather than using a comparison site
- Ask for a sample report, check if it’s bespoke or generic
- Ask whether there’s a follow-up call with the surveyor after the report
- Check whether you’re speaking to the surveyor or an admin team
- If an estate agent recommends someone, ask whether they receive a referral fee
- Don’t choose on price alone
- Online reputation is a good indicator, but many experienced good surveyors aren’t online.
About Daniel Knight, Dan the Surveyor Man
This article is based on an interview with Daniel Knight, an independent RICS surveyor and founder of Homescan Surveyors. Daniel covers London and the surrounding areas and can be found on social media as Dan the Surveyor Man.
Connect with Dan here:
- Website: https://www.homescansurveyors.com/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@danthesurveyorman
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-knight-a167b6234/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danthesurveyorman/
This article is for general information only. If you’re unsure which type of survey is right for your property, speak to a qualified surveyor directly.