New surveys from 2020 in bid to speed house moving process

A new Home Survey Standard is being launched today in a bid to improve and speed up the house moving process.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, behind the move, says the new standard - which RICS members must use from June 2020 onwards - will better protect buyers and sellers, with emphasis on consumers fully understanding the importance and benefits of commissioning a home survey before buying. 

RICS says the process and language that will be used has undergone simplification and survey will become increasingly standardised.

“The new Home Survey Standard will increase consistency, transparency and competency across residential surveying in the UK. The updated standard aims to deliver not only clarity to the process but more open communication which will greatly benefit property transactions and will make sure consumers fully understand the process, the different levels of surveys, and get the level they need” says a RICS statement ahead of today’s launch.

Details of the new survey standard are not being revealed until later today but the new standard will become the sole standard for home surveys, replacing all previous guidance notes and statements for all levels of condition surveys in a complete overhaul.

The institution says the initiative ”aims to provide a clear, flexible framework within which RICS professionals can develop their own services that consumers can trust, simplifying the home survey process for all.

“The complete overhaul of home surveys with our new Home Survey Standard will bring vital standardisation and clarity to the process, where RICS professionals can work effectively to meet the changing needs of the market” according to Paul Bagust, RICS Global Property Standards Director.