What documentation is required for a RICS Valuation for Probate?
For a RICS Valuation for Probate, provide the property address, title documents, details of the deceased’s ownership, the date of death and the probate or executor’s instructions. The RICS surveyor may also request floor plans, leases, planning or building-regulation records, and information about alterations, defects or restrictions affecting the property.
A probate RICS valuation is supported by documents that establish the property’s legal position, physical characteristics, occupancy and value-affecting circumstances at the relevant valuation date. The exact requirements vary according to the property and the estate, so the surveyor may ask for further evidence where the initial information is incomplete or inconsistent.
Useful supporting documents include:
- Official title information: Land Registry title registers and title plans can help confirm registered ownership, tenure, boundaries, rights of way, covenants, restrictions and mortgages. If the property is unregistered, older conveyances, deeds or other evidence of title may be relevant.
- Tenancy records: For a rented property, provide the tenancy agreement, rent schedule, deposit information, records of notices served and details of any tenant or occupier. These documents can affect both the marketability of the property and the assumptions used in the valuation.
- Leasehold papers: A lease, lease-extension documents, recent service-charge accounts, ground-rent statements and correspondence about major works may be required for a flat or other leasehold interest. The unexpired lease term and any unusual lease obligations can materially influence value.
- Management and maintenance information: For apartments, documents from the managing agent or residents’ management company may identify planned works, fire-safety matters, building insurance arrangements, disputes or outstanding charges.
- Building and improvement records: Planning permissions, listed-building consents, building-regulation completion certificates, guarantees and completion documents can support the legal status of extensions, conversions and other alterations. Where work was carried out without clear approval, tell the surveyor rather than assuming it is irrelevant.
- Property condition evidence: Reports relating to damp, subsidence, structural movement, asbestos, Japanese knotweed, timber defects, drainage or other specialist issues should be supplied. Insurance claims, repair quotations and guarantees can also help explain the condition being assessed.
- Insurance and specialist reports: Buildings-insurance schedules, valuation reports for insurance purposes, fire-risk documentation and environmental or flood reports may provide useful background, although they do not replace a valuation prepared for probate.
- Restrictions and disputes: Include correspondence concerning boundary disagreements, access rights, neighbour disputes, enforcement notices, planning objections, compulsory-purchase proposals or other restrictions. A valuation must reflect relevant legal or practical limitations rather than assume an unrestricted property.
Documents relating to the estate may also be relevant where they clarify who is authorised to instruct the valuation or identify a specific interest being valued. In some cases, the surveyor may need evidence from the executor, personal representative or solicitor, particularly where ownership is shared, the property is held in trust, or the deceased had only a partial interest.
Where the property was occupied, vacant, let or subject to an agreement at the valuation date, provide records that establish that position. Utility correspondence, council-tax information, tenancy paperwork and written statements from the personal representative can help resolve uncertainty, but the surveyor will decide which evidence is appropriate.
Digital copies are generally practical, provided they are complete and legible. Send full documents rather than selected pages where clauses, plans, schedules or appendices may affect interpretation. Keep the originals safely and identify any document that is provisional, unsigned, disputed or awaiting confirmation.
Check the documents for inconsistencies before the inspection. Differences in property addresses, ownership names, floor areas, lease terms or descriptions of alterations should be explained to the surveyor. Do not amend or discard records simply because they appear unfavourable; omissions can create questions about the reliability of the valuation and may require additional investigation.
The surveyor may still make assumptions where evidence is unavailable. Those assumptions should be recorded in the valuation report, and the personal representative should ask the surveyor or probate adviser whether further documentation is needed before the report is relied upon for estate administration or tax reporting.
When compiling documents for a RICS Valuation for Probate, identify the date of each record. A later repair invoice, planning decision or tenancy change may describe circumstances that did not exist at the valuation date, while an older document may provide important evidence of the property’s condition or legal position at that time. Label documents clearly as pre-death, current or post-death, and explain any material changes so the surveyor can assess which evidence is relevant.