The Intermediary – March 2026 - Flipbook - Page 28
RESIDENTIAL
Opinion
Survey-only
surveyors matter
more than ever
M
ost lenders can
point to a case
that looked
sound on paper
but later caused
difficulty. The
valuation aligned, the data was clean,
and the decision moved through
quickly. Yet months aer completion,
an issue emerged that no model had
flagged and no insurance route could
fully soen.
Those cases tend to stay with you,
not because the tools failed, but
because they were asked to do more
than they reasonably can.
The mortgage market has
changed at pace over the past decade.
Automation, deeper datasets and
alternative valuation routes now sit
at the heart of lending decisions. For
many cases, this has improved speed,
reduced cost and brought greater
consistency.
However, these advances are not
the problem, the real challenge lies in
remembering where their limits sit.
When decisions are made faster,
there is less space to pause and
question what might sit outside the
data. That is where surveys continue
to play a vital role. Not as a barrier
to progress, but as a safeguard when
technology reaches its edge.
Automated valuation models
(AVMs) and desktop assessments can
work well in some instances. Standard
homes in established locations can
oen be assessed accurately without
a physical visit. Used prudently,
these routes help lenders manage
volume and support smoother
customer journeys, but the risk comes
when efficiency begins to replace
understanding.
An AVM cannot inspect a roof
void, assess drainage smells, or spot
early signs of movement or damp
26
The Intermediary | March 2026
that sit behind furniture. Insurance
can transfer financial exposure,
but it cannot remove the practical
impact when defects surface aer
completion. When that happens,
it is rarely just the borrower who
feels the consequences. Reputational
risk, complaints and follow-on
queries oen come back into the
lending chain.
This is compounded by a
longstanding misunderstanding
among buyers. Many still assume that
a lender’s valuation is a full check on
the property’s condition. It is not. Its
role is to protect the lender’s security,
not the buyer’s future repair costs or
peace of mind.
Professional expertise
With one of the oldest and most varied
housing stocks in Europe, that gap in
understanding carries real weight.
Victorian terraces, post-war estates,
conversions and flats built with mixed
construction types each bring their
own risks.
Many of those risks remain invisible
without a physical inspection and in
a market rich with data, the danger is
not lack of information, but misplaced
confidence.
Data still has a critical role to play.
Tools that review construction type,
age, location and environmental
factors help determine the most
suitable valuation route. They allow
surveyors to focus their time where
it is most needed. But data supports
judgement, it does not replace it.
Environmental exposure, energy
performance, modern materials
and flood paerns all influence risk.
Understanding how those factors
interact with the lived reality of a
property still depends on experience.
This is especially true for older, nonstandard or complex homes, where
KHARLA MULLEN
is chief commercial officer
at Countrywide Surveying
Services
small visible issues can point to deeper
structural concerns.
Against this backdrop, the value
of strong, independent survey input
is becoming clearer. Survey-only
surveyors focus solely on the buyer’s
understanding of the property. They
are not balancing valuation outcomes
or lending timescales. Their role is to
inspect, assess and explain, clearly and
without influence from the mortgage
process and this is why we’ve made a
strategic decision to bring more survey
only surveyors into our business.
For lenders, this brings tangible
benefits. Buyers receive clearer
guidance on what has, and has not,
been checked, reducing disputes
later. Independence strengthens
transparency and trust. Most
importantly, accountability remains
visible at a time when more decisions
are supported by automated systems.
This maers now more than ever.
Consumer Duty has sharpened
expectations around clarity in
financial services. While it centres
on products and advice, property
understanding sits closely alongside
it. When automation replaces a
full inspection, borrowers should
understand what that means and
where risk still sits.
That clarity builds trust and
supports beer long-term outcomes.
For brokers, it strengthens the advice
journey and for the market as a whole,
it ensures responsibility is not hidden
behind speed.
The strongest approach blends data,
professional expertise and the right
inspection at the right time. Surveys
remain a vital part of that balance,
ensuring that as lending moves faster,
understanding does not fall behind. ●
