Building surveyors assist with the construction of new buildings as well as the maintenance of existing structures. A building surveyor’s main job is to advise construction workers on building design, maintenance, repair, structure, and restoration. Contractors, investors, and construction crews all rely on the professional advice of a building surveyor.
A building surveyor’s responsibilities are rarely the same from one project to the next. Surveyors are sometimes tasked with ensuring that a project is completed on time, as well as negotiating legal issues. A large part of a building surveyor’s job entails advising others on how to deal with a structure’s complexities.
Surveyors can offer expert advice on building an environmentally friendly structure, the various ways to preserve a historic structure, highlighting health and safety concerns, and ways to make a building more energy efficient. The majority of building surveyors are self-employed, though some are employed full-time.
Local and government departments, architects, homeowners, planners, tenant groups, and others are among the clients of building surveyors. Building surveyors are occasionally called upon to testify as expert witnesses in legal cases. Building surveying is currently only recognized as a separate profession in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Nonetheless, surveyors who work in North America are becoming increasingly common. Only professional organizations such as the Chartered Institute of Building, the Incorporated Association of Architects and Surveyors, and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors can certify building surveyors in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Obtaining a position as a building surveyor in a company often necessitates some form of accreditation. Vocational experience is also required in addition to proper accreditation. Two years of vocational education will suffice, though more time spent in vocation is preferred.
Surveyors must gain work experience if they do not have a professional accreditation. Three or more years of work experience can frequently replace formal education, but this must be accompanied proven industry knowledge. At least one year of industrial work experience is required to demonstrate this knowledge.
Overall, surveyors in this field must be analytical, have a strong understanding of information technology, be able to solve problems quickly, and be well-versed in a variety of managerial tasks. Customer relations are often a large part of surveyor jobs, so surveyors must learn basic social skills in addition to the other skills listed above.