A Beginner’s Guide to Building Surveying: What You Need to Know

At AMS Surveys, we believe that understanding your building is the first step towards protecting its value, managing risk and planning for the future. For those new to the profession or considering when to appoint a surveyor, building surveying can appear complex. In reality, it is a practical discipline focused on helping property owners, occupiers, and investors make informed decisions about their buildings.

This beginner’s guide explains what building surveying is, the services we provide, when you may need a building surveyor and how professionals in this field become chartered. It also highlights how our building surveying services fit within wider built asset consultancy and asset management consulting.

What Is Building Surveying?

Building surveying is at the core of what we do at AMS Surveys. Our role is to assess the condition, performance and risks associated with buildings and to translate technical findings into clear, actionable advice. We look beyond surface-level issues to understand how a building has been constructed, how it is behaving over time and what interventions may be required.

 Rather than focusing purely on transactions or valuations, our building surveying services concentrate on the physical asset itself. This includes identifying defects, advising on maintenance and repair strategies, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and supporting improvement works. Our aim is always to help clients understand their buildings and plan with confidence.

The Role of Building Surveying in Property Management

From our perspective, building surveying is most valuable when it enables proactive decision-making. Buildings naturally deteriorate over time, and without professional oversight, issues can remain hidden until they become disruptive or costly. Through regular inspection and expert assessment, we help clients anticipate problems rather than react to them.

This proactive approach supports better long-term outcomes. It allows maintenance to be planned sensibly, budgets to be controlled and property strategies to align with operational or investment objectives. For clients managing multiple properties, building surveying becomes a vital part of a structured built asset consultancy approach.

Common Building Surveying Services

At AMS Surveys, we deliver a diverse array of services, customised to the unique needs of our clients at each phase of the property lifecycle. One commonly used service is dilapidation surveying, which relates to the condition of a property at key points during a lease. Dilapidation surveys help landlords and tenants understand their obligations and manage disputes fairly by providing clear, evidence-based assessments.

Another important area is building pathology. This involves investigating defects within a building to understand their cause, severity and potential solutions. Building pathology requires detailed technical knowledge and is essential when dealing with issues such as cracking, damp, structural movement or material failure.

We also provide project management, which is a core part of many building surveying practices. Surveyors often oversee repair, maintenance or refurbishment works, coordinating consultants and contractors to ensure projects are delivered safely, on time and within budget. This service bridges the gap between identifying a problem and delivering a practical solution.

When You Might Need a Building Surveyor

In our experience, clients engage building surveyors at many different points. Property acquisition is a common trigger, as surveys provide vital insight into condition and risk before purchase. Existing owners often require our services when planning maintenance, responding to defects or managing ageing buildings.

Building surveying is also essential when dealing with compliance obligations. We support clients in understanding their responsibilities and managing risk related to health and safety, and building regulations. In many cases, our surveys form the technical foundation for asset management plans, helping clients plan future works with clarity and confidence.

Building Surveying and Asset Management Plans

A key part of our work at AMS Surveys is supporting the development of asset management plans. These plans bring together survey data, lifecycle analysis and client objectives to create a structured approach to maintaining and improving buildings over time.

By feeding accurate building surveying information into asset management plans, we help clients understand future liabilities and prioritise investment. This approach reduces reliance on reactive maintenance and allows expenditure to be planned strategically. Asset management consulting, when informed by detailed surveying, becomes a powerful tool for long-term property management.

Our Approach to Built Asset Consultancy

Built asset consultancy at AMS Surveys is about looking at the bigger picture. Rather than addressing issues in isolation, we consider how buildings perform as part of a wider portfolio or organisational strategy. This approach ensures that property decisions are aligned with operational needs, compliance requirements and long-term goals.

Our built asset consultancy services integrate building surveying, asset management planning and project management. This joined-up approach allows us to support clients throughout the entire lifecycle of their assets, from initial inspection through to long-term planning and delivery.

Becoming a Chartered Building Surveyor

As a practice led by professional standards, we recognise the importance of chartered status. Building surveyors in the UK typically work towards chartership with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. This involves formal education, structured professional training and the successful completion of the Assessment of Professional Competence.

Chartered status demonstrates a commitment to technical excellence, ethical practice and ongoing professional development. At AMS Surveys, our chartered surveyors bring this expertise to every project, providing clients with advice they can trust.

Why Building Surveying Matters to Us and Our Clients

From our perspective, building surveying matters because it provides clarity in an often complex built environment. Buildings represent significant investments, and informed management is essential to protect their value and performance. Through building surveying, we help clients reduce risk, manage costs and make decisions based on evidence rather than uncertainty.

When combined with asset management plans and asset management consulting, building surveying supports long-term resilience and value. It enables buildings to evolve with changing needs while remaining safe, compliant and fit for purpose.

Working with AMS Surveys

At AMS Surveys, we provide building surveying and built asset consultancy services that support informed, strategic property management. Our approach is practical, professional and tailored to the needs of each client. We work across a range of sectors, helping owners and occupiers understand their buildings and plan for the future.

If you are new to building surveying or considering how professional advice could support your property, we are here to help. Get in contact today!