What specific details about the property should be provided to the RICS surveyor to ensure an accurate valuation for probate purposes?

For an accurate probate valuation, give the RICS surveyor enough information to establish the property’s value at the legally relevant valuation date, identify precisely what interest is being valued, and understand any market evidence that may affect the assessment. The surveyor should receive factual information rather than an assumed value or an estimate based solely on an online calculator.

Confirm the valuation date and ownership position

State the date of death and confirm whether the valuation is required as at that date or another date specified by the executor, solicitor or HMRC. This is particularly important where the report is prepared retrospectively, because property conditions and market conditions may have changed between the valuation date and the surveyor’s inspection.

Explain how the deceased owned the property. Relevant information may include whether it was held solely or jointly, whether the estate includes a defined share, and whether the interest is freehold, leasehold or another form of legal interest. If only a partial interest is being valued, make that clear at the outset rather than asking the surveyor to infer it from unrelated paperwork.

Provide the property’s transaction and marketing history

• The date and price paid when the property was acquired.
• Details of any previous sale, remortgage or formal valuation that may help establish its history.
• Previous estate agent particulars, auction details or marketing descriptions.
• Any asking prices, offers received or failed transactions, with the relevant dates and reasons a sale did not proceed where known.

This information does not determine the probate value, but it can help the surveyor reconcile the property’s history with comparable evidence. Explain whether an earlier asking price was based on an unusual sale condition, a restricted marketing period or a proposed transaction that never completed.

Separate the property from other estate assets

Clarify which items are intended to be included in the property valuation. Fixtures that form part of the land or building may be considered differently from removable furniture, personal possessions, vehicles, business equipment and other contents. If the estate is also obtaining a contents valuation, tell the surveyor where that boundary has been drawn so that items are not valued twice or omitted.

Also identify whether the property has any mixed residential and non-residential use, such as a room used for a business, an attached workspace or accommodation operated separately. The nature of that use may affect the appropriate valuation approach and the evidence selected.

Explain access, services and environmental matters

Tell the surveyor about practical factors that may not be obvious during a short inspection. These can include shared access arrangements, private roads, parking rights, non-standard service connections and any reliance on neighbouring land. Distinguish between a legal right and an informal arrangement, and identify any known disputes about access or maintenance.

Environmental and location-specific information should also be disclosed where relevant. Examples include a history of flooding, subsidence, contamination, mining activity, coastal or erosion risk, nearby infrastructure proposals, significant noise sources or restrictions affecting normal residential use. Provide reports or correspondence from insurers, local authorities, engineers or other professionals if they are available.

Describe how the property was occupied at the valuation date

Where the deceased lived at the property, explain whether any rooms were separately occupied, licensed or used by a lodger. If another person had an informal right to remain, or if the property was vacant because of care arrangements, include that context. The surveyor needs to understand the circumstances relevant to the property’s condition and saleability without confusing personal arrangements with the legal ownership of the asset.

Give the surveyor reliable inspection evidence

Arrange access to all relevant parts of the property, including loft spaces, cellars, garages, outbuildings and areas that may otherwise be overlooked. Identify rooms that cannot be entered and explain why. Supply dated photographs showing the condition at or near the valuation date when the property has since been cleared, altered or deteriorated.

Where a significant issue has been repaired or changed after the valuation date, record what was present at the relevant date and provide supporting dated evidence. The surveyor may need to distinguish the historical condition from the condition seen during the inspection.

Flag information that is unknown

Do not guess measurements, ownership rights, repair costs or legal status. Mark uncertainties clearly and ask the solicitor, managing agent, local authority or another appropriate professional to verify them. A concise schedule of known facts, outstanding questions and available evidence helps the RICS surveyor decide what requires further investigation and makes the completed valuation easier for the executor to support.

The final report will still depend on the surveyor’s inspection, professional judgement and analysis of relevant comparable transactions. Providing complete, dated and consistent background information allows those matters to be assessed against the correct property interest and valuation date.