What qualifications should a RICS surveyor have to conduct a probate valuation?

The essential qualification is not simply membership of RICS; the professional should be an appropriately qualified valuation surveyor who is authorised to undertake the work as a RICS Registered Valuer and has relevant experience of residential probate valuations. Their work should comply with the current RICS Valuation – Global Standards, often called the Red Book, and the report should identify the valuer, their qualifications, instructions, valuation basis and supporting evidence.

When checking a surveyor’s suitability, look for the following credentials and professional safeguards:

• RICS membership: the surveyor may hold AssocRICS, MRICS or FRICS status, depending on their training, experience and professional assessment. Membership level alone does not prove that the individual is suitable for a particular valuation, so it should be considered alongside their valuation expertise.
• RICS Registered Valuer status: a probate valuation intended for formal estate or tax purposes should normally be prepared through a valuer or firm registered under RICS’s valuation regulation requirements. Ask who will sign the report and confirm that the named professional is authorised to provide regulated valuation work.
• Residential valuation experience: the surveyor should regularly value houses, flats and other residential property in the relevant market. Experience should include comparable evidence, unusual property types, condition issues, tenanted homes and properties affected by legal or physical complications where these apply.
• Probate knowledge: the valuer should understand that the relevant assessment commonly concerns the property’s market value at the appropriate valuation date, rather than its current asking price or an informal estate agent’s estimate. They should be able to explain how the date of death, the property’s condition and the available market evidence affect the conclusion.
• Current professional competence: RICS members and registered valuers are expected to maintain their knowledge through continuing professional development. This is important because valuation standards, tax practice, market conditions and reporting expectations can change.
• Independence and conflict management: the surveyor should disclose any relationship or financial interest that could affect impartiality. A valuer who is also involved in selling, buying or acquiring the property may need to address a potential conflict before accepting the instruction.
• Professional indemnity arrangements: ask whether the surveyor or firm carries appropriate professional indemnity insurance. This does not guarantee a particular valuation outcome, but it is an important indicator that the practice operates within recognised professional risk controls.

Qualifications should also be reflected in the report itself. A properly prepared document should state the client and purpose, the property inspected, the valuation date, the valuation basis, assumptions and limitations, relevant legal or title information, and the evidence used to reach the figure. It should distinguish matters observed during inspection from information supplied by the executor or other parties.

The surveyor should be able to justify the comparable properties selected and explain adjustments for location, size, condition, tenure, planning matters and market conditions. If access was restricted or important documents were unavailable, those limitations should be recorded rather than concealed behind an apparently precise figure.

Before instructing anyone, request confirmation of their RICS membership or registration details, relevant residential valuation experience and ability to provide a formal probate report. Also explain the intended use of the valuation, including whether it is required for estate administration, an inheritance tax return, a sale decision or a potential dispute. The correct qualification is therefore only one part of suitability: the surveyor must also have the specific competence, independence and reporting discipline required for the estate’s circumstances.