One of the insurance professionals with whom a person may come into contact if he wants an insurance company to insure a property or other asset is an insurance surveyor. The surveyor gathers information on insurable properties and makes recommendations to determine whether or not the item should be insured and, if so, how much it should be insured for. Insurance surveyors can specialize in specific types of property, such as houses, boats, planes, or buildings.
An insurance surveyor can focus on one of four areas. He or she could theoretically be an expert in all four categories, but most surveyors specialize in one or two of them.
Determine the resilience of properties against certain perils, such as fire or flood, is one specialization. When an insurance surveyor examines a home, for example, he or she will determine whether the structure is up to code and fire-resistant. The surveyor may determine if the home can withstand hurricane winds if it is located near the coast.
An insurance surveyor’s other focus is to see if the property poses a risk of liability or is built in an unsafe manner. The surveyor looks to see if there are any aspects of the house that could cause accidents or harm to the residents or passers-by. This inspection covers the electrical system, as well as any machinery on the property, to ensure that it is not a fire hazard.
Engineering surveys of buildings, industrial sites, and even home offices may be performed an insurance surveyor. The detection of any structural flaws is the function of this specialization.
An insurance surveyor’s other responsibilities include analyzing a property’s burglary or crime risk. For this job, he or she examines the surrounding neighborhood closely to determine whether it is dangerous and, if so, what security measures are in place to protect it.
Typically, the insurance company that may insure the property hires the insurance surveyor. Prospective insurance buyers can also hire independent surveyors to provide second opinions, as some insurance buyers may not trust the work of the surveyor hired the insurance company. However, the insurance company is not required to consider the independent surveyor’s report or recommendations when deciding whether or not to insure the property.