Profession

Valuers in the UK: RICS Registered Valuer scheme

How a home valuation differs from a survey, what the RICS Valuer Registration Scheme requires, how to check a valuer, and what RICS forbids copying.

Checked on against the sources at the bottom of the page.

In short

A valuation gives an opinion of what a property is worth, and in the UK, as at 14 October 2026, the title “valuer” is not, in the sources we read, reserved by law. A valuation is not a survey of its condition. In the UK the title “valuer” is not, in the sources we read, reserved by law. The professional body RICS runs the Valuer Registration Scheme (VRS), described as “a mandatory regulatory scheme for RICS members undertaking most valuation services”. It binds RICS members, not every valuer in the country. There is no official scale of fees.

What the valuer does

The valuer estimates the market value of a home, in writing, for a purpose: a mortgage, a sale, a tax or legal matter, insurance, or a dispute. RICS explains that “A mortgage valuation is for the benefit of the lender, not the home buyer/owner” and “won’t include the same level of detail as a survey”. nidirect mentions the lender’s own valuation, “a separate valuation to confirm the value of the property”.

A valuation is not a condition report: for that, see the surveyor and home survey levels. In Scotland, the Home Report contains “a single survey and valuation” (mygov.scot), see the Home Report. To think about price before you speak to a professional, see UK areas and deposit and loan-to-value.

The title and where to check it

What the rule says. RICS: “If you are an RICS member and doing valuations, you must comply with the Red Book and join VRS”, unless the member is “solely undertaking valuations that fall under exceptions”, detailed in the Red Book (the RICS valuation standards), not on the page we read. RICS adds that by appointing a registered valuer, “you can be confident that you are working with regulated and qualified professionals”. A person who is not an RICS member is outside this scheme, and nothing we read says that valuing a home otherwise requires a licence.

Nation by nation. The RICS pages we read are not split by nation. For Scotland, the Home Report’s survey and valuation come from a chartered surveyor (mygov.scot); for England, Wales and Northern Ireland we found no official page on who values a home for a buyer, besides the lender’s valuation and RICS’s consumer guidance.

Where to check. RICS advises: “Use the member search to check if your valuer is registered”, at rics.org/find-a-member. The page also links to the RICS decisions on discipline, and to an email address for membership questions. When we read it, the search displayed an error, and the pages we read do not say how a “Registered Valuer” is shown in an entry, so we cannot describe it. Check one valuer at a time, for your own file.

Terms of use (RICS website terms and conditions), verbatim:

  • “You may print off one copy, and may download extracts, of any page(s) from our site for your personal use”
  • “the Content must not be used nor reproduced (in whole or part) for any other purpose” “for direct commercial gain without obtaining a licence to do so from us or our licensors”
  • under “No text or data mining, or web scraping”: “You shall not conduct, facilitate, authorise or permit any text or data mining or web scraping” “for any purpose, including the development, training, fine-tuning or validation of AI systems or models.”
  • forbidden: any “robot”, “bot”, “spider”, “scraper” or other automated device, program, tool, algorithm, code, process or methodology “to access, obtain, copy, monitor or republish any portion of our site”.
  • for consumers: “You agree not to use our site for any commercial or business purposes”.

Payotte therefore copies nothing from the RICS directories: the listing only sends you to the official search.

What it costs

No official scale exists in the sources we read, and we give no figure. For surveys, RICS says costs vary with the property’s complexity. Ask for a quote in writing: purpose of the valuation, type of value, whether the valuer follows the Red Book, and whether VAT is included. A lender’s valuation is normally arranged by the lender, so ask the lender or adviser what it costs you (see the mortgage adviser).

How Payotte chooses the firm

Payotte selects one firm per trade and per area, on a published grid based only on public data:

  • only companies are selected, never a person: no valuer is named;
  • the title is published on the listing so that you check it yourself, at the official register, free of charge;
  • the selection is never paid for;
  • no firm is listed yet in the UK section;
  • Payotte never queries a register in series, and does not copy it.

Questions to ask

  • Is the valuer an RICS Registered Valuer, and will the report follow the Red Book?
  • What is the valuation for, and what type of value will it give?
  • Will you inspect the inside, or is it a desktop valuation?
  • What is the fee in writing, VAT included?
  • Who will see the report: me, the lender, both?
  • Are you independent of the agent selling the property?

Frequently asked questions

Is a valuation the same as a survey?

No. A valuation gives a value; a survey describes condition. RICS says the lender’s valuation lacks a survey’s detail.

Must a valuer be registered?

RICS members doing most valuations must join VRS. We found no rule saying every valuer must be an RICS member.

Does the rule differ in Scotland?

The Home Report includes a valuation by a chartered surveyor; the RICS scheme pages we read do not distinguish nations.

Can I use the lender’s valuation as my own?

RICS says it is for the lender’s benefit.

Does Payotte confirm a valuer’s registration?

No. You check it at RICS.

Sources