Frequently Asked Questions

A formal assessment by a qualified surveyor to determine the 100% open market value of a shared ownership property.

To calculate the exact price when staircasing (buying more shares) or selling your current share.

No. Housing associations strictly require an independent report from a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) registered valuer.

Three months from the date of site visit.

Fees vary depending on location and type of property. Fill in our enquiry form to obtain a free no obligation quote. Click Here

We require full payment before any Valuation report is released, payment can be made before or after site visit.

The shared owner or leaseholder is responsible for covering the Valuation fee. We will issue you an invoice and payment can be made by Bank Transfer directly to us.

The site visit will take anywhere from 15-30 minutes depending upon the size of the property. It is important to note that this is a Valuation only and not a Survey.

Normally within 3-5 working days after site visit.

No if someone can give us access that is fine, or you can also attend in person. The choice is yours.

Once your original Valuation expires you may request a RICS Desktop Valuation, which would be valid for a further three months. No need for a revisit.

3 months from date of site visit. If the transaction doesn't complete in this window, an extension or Desktop Valuation is required.

We value 100% of the property's market value. Your share percentage is then calculated from that total figure.

Usually, authorized structural improvements you paid for are disregarded so you aren't penalized or charged more for your own investments. You should check with your Housing Association what improvements they will allow for and whether they require us to provide two valuation figures, one before any allowable improvements and one after.

Often yes. Many providers require you to select from their approved RICS panel, though some allow independent local RICS surveyors.

No. A mortgage valuation protects the lender, whereas a shared ownership valuation fixes the equity/purchase price under Red Book guidelines.

You submit it to your housing association, or in some cases the Housing Association will require us to CC their relevant Staircasing or Resales team alongside yourself when sharing the report. The Housing Association will issue a formal price figure to you and your solicitor to proceed.

No. It is a market valuation, not a structural building survey or defects analysis.

A RICS Help to Buy Valuation is a formal property assessment conducted by a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) registered surveyor to determine the current market value of a home. It is required when you want to sell, remortgage, or fully/partially repay your government Help to Buy equity loan, so the administrator knows how much equity loan to collect.

You need a RICS valuation for Help to Buy to calculate the exact monetary amount you must repay when you sell your home, pay off your equity loan, or remortgaging/staircasing.

Normally three months from the date of site visit.

Fees vary depending on location and type of property. Fill in our enquiry form to obtain a free no obligation quote. Click Here

We require full payment before any Valuation report is released, payment can be made before or after site visit.

We will issue you an invoice and payment can be made by Bank Transfer directly to us.

The site visit will take anywhere from 15-30 minutes depending upon the size of the property. It is important to note that it is a Valuation only and not a Survey.

Normally within 3-5 working days after site visit.

No, if someone else can give us access that is fine, or you can also attend in person. The choice is yours.

Once your original Valuation expires you may request a RICS Desktop Valuation, which would be valid for a further three months. No need for a revisit. Must be submitted to Homes England within 2 weeks of original Valuation expiring or they will insist on a revisit.

Homes England is the government's housing and regeneration agency that funds, owns, and oversees the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme. Acting on behalf of HM Government, they are the lender that provides the equity loan to help you buy your property.

A RICS valuation is mandatory when selling a Help to Buy property or staircasing further shares in the property.

It is an independent, professional evaluation used to establish the current market value of your property. The government's loan administrator uses this figure to calculate exactly how much equity loan you must pay back.

You must instruct a valuation when you are selling your home, paying off your equity loan in full while living in the property or staircasing (paying off a chunk, usually a minimum of 10% increments).

No. Homes England will explicitly reject estate agent valuations. You must use a Chartered Surveyor who is fully qualified and registered with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

To ensure your report is accepted, the RICS surveyor must meet these strict criteria: Be completely independent of any estate agent. Not be related or known to you. Inspect both the interior and exterior of the property. Provide at least 3 comparable property sales from the last 12 months within a 2-mile radius. Provide a signed, dated report on company letterhead addressed to Homes England.

The report is strictly valid for 3 months from the date of site visit. Because of this tight timeframe, you should time your surveyor instruction carefully so that completion falls within this window.

If your 3-month window closes, you can apply for a paid desktop valuation extension from the same RICS surveyor. This must be requested within 2 weeks of the expiry date and will extend the validity for another 3 months. If you miss this 2-week buffer, you must pay for a brand-new inspection.

The homeowner is entirely responsible for instructing and funding the RICS valuation report.

Costs vary depending on your location and the size/type of your property. Please fill out our enquiry form for a Free No Obligation quote.

Because the loan is a percentage stake (e.g. 20%), if your home's market value goes up, the cash amount you owe increases proportionally. You pay back the current market percentage, not the original cash sum borrowed.

If property values in your area have fallen, the total amount you owe decreases. The RICS valuation ensures you do not overpay and only clear the true market percentage of the home.

Homes England or Target will base your repayment figure on the higher of the two figures. If your RICS Valuation is £250,000 but you agree to a sale price of £260,000 your loan repayment is calculated using the £260,000 figure.

Yes, you must instruct a licensed conveyancing solicitor to manage the legal components of redemption. Once Homes England calculates your official redemption figure, the documentation is sent directly to your solicitor to arrange fund transfers.

To officially request your loan payoff, you must submit a completed Loan Redemption Form, your RICS PDF report, and pay the administration fee to the loan administrator.

No. Automated valuations or basic assessments conducted by banks for remortgaging purposes are fundamentally different from a certified RICS Help to Buy report and are always rejected by the scheme administrators.

From the day you book a local surveyor, it takes about 1-2 weeks to get the final PDF report. Once submitted to the government administrator, it typically takes 2 to 4 weeks to receive your official legal redemption letter outlining the final cash figures.

It is a formal, legally binding assessment of a property's Open Market Value conducted by a RICS Registered Valuer. It complies with "Red Book" global standards to establish estate value for inheritance tax (IHT) calculations.

Yes. A standard estate agent appraisal is an informal guide used for marketing and setting an asking price. A RICS Valuation is an independent, evidence-based legal document prepared specifically to meet statutory thresholds.

While not explicitly mandated for every estate, HMRC expects professional valuations for complex estates. If the total gross estate exceeds the £325,000 Nil-Rate Band, or contains unique properties, a formal RICS report is highly advisable to avoid challenges.

The report must calculate the property's exact open market value on the date of death. It does not matter if the property value has risen or fallen between the date of passing and the day the surveyor visits.

Estate agents often provide inflated numbers to win business. HMRC's District Valuer Service (DVS) routinely checks submissions. Informal or inaccurate estimates can result in severe tax penalties, interest charges, and long estate delays.

Fees vary depending on complexity, location, and type of property. Fill in our enquiry form to obtain a free no obligation quote. Click Here

A formal, independent assessment of a property's Market Value conducted by an RICS Registered Valuer in strict compliance with RICS Red Book professional standards.

Yes. Estate agent estimates are informal marketing opinions often optimized to win business, whereas RICS valuations are evidence-based, legally defensible, and formally regulated.

It is needed when transferring property into or out of a family trust, calculating Inheritance Tax (IHT), reporting Capital Gains Tax (CGT), or dealing with historical asset reviews.

Fees vary depending on complexity, location, and type of property. Fill in our enquiry form to obtain a free no obligation quote. Click Here

It is an expert calculation of a property's Market Value pegged to an exact historical date (such as a date of death or original purchase).

Tax authorities like HMRC require the valuation to match the value on the specific day you acquired, inherited, or disposed of the asset, rather than what it is worth today.

Typical triggers include calculating Inheritance Tax for Probate, determining Capital Gains Tax bases, or settling matrimonial/divorce asset divisions from a past separation date.

Yes. Official reports completed by a RICS Registered Valuer following strict Red Book standards provide the professional legal backing that HMRC and courts accept.

They can go back many years, provided there is enough reliable historical transaction data and market evidence available for that neighbourhood.

You must supply the target date in the past, the intended purpose, proof of past alterations or extensions done prior to that date, and any historical deeds or photos if available.

Fees vary depending on complexity, location, and type of property. Fill in our enquiry form to obtain a free no obligation quote. Click Here

An independent price assessment by a chartered surveyor to calculate the fair market premium owed to a freeholder.

It combines the capitalisation of ground rent, compensation for deferred freehold possession, and marriage value.

If a lease has fewer than 80 years remaining, a "marriage value" fee applies, which significantly increases the total cost.

The extra value or profit created by extending the short lease, which is split 50/50 between leaseholder and freeholder.

This depends on a number of various factors so best to check with your RICS Surveyor in the first instance.

The formal legal notice served to your freeholder that proposes a premium price based on your RICS valuation.

Yes. Your RICS surveyor acts on your behalf to negotiate the final premium with the freeholder's surveyor.

The case can be referred to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) for a legally binding decision.

Fees vary depending on complexity, location, and type of property. Fill in our enquiry form to obtain a free no obligation quote. Click Here

Yes. An accurate valuation is mandatory before serving a formal Section 13 notice so the initial offer price is realistic and valid.

The formal legal document served by qualifying leaseholders to officially trigger the statutory process of buying the freehold.

The freeholder must issue a Counter Notice (Section 21) within two months, stating their accepted terms or counter-proposals.

Typically between 3 to 6 months for straightforward negotiations, though disputes can extend this timeframe significantly.

The case can be referred to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) for an independent judicial decision.

Initially, the instructing leaseholders pay for their own valuation report, though statutory rules govern additional landlord cost recoveries.

Traditionally yes (reasonable costs incurred by the landlord in investigating the claim), subject to ongoing legislative changes.

At least 50% of the qualifying flats in the building must participate to exercise collective enfranchisement rights.

Yes, leasehold houses have separate statutory enfranchisement provisions under the same core leasehold reform frameworks.

Statutory enfranchisement formulas and RICS Red Book standards require complex asset calculations that standard market appraisals cannot legally or technically fulfil.

An independent assessment by a certified surveyor determining the fair market price to buy a freehold interest under leasehold rules.

An RICS Registered Valuer specializing in leasehold reform and statutory enfranchisement.

The capitalization of ground rent, the reversionary value (value of the property when the lease expires), and a share of the marriage value.

It is the extra value created by merging leasehold and freehold interests; ongoing legislative reforms address or eliminate it depending on exact lease lengths and enactment stages.

Shorter unexpired lease terms (especially under 80 years) dramatically increase the overall cost due to higher marriage value calculations.

Fees vary depending on complexity, location, and type of property. Fill in our enquiry form to obtain a free no obligation quote. Click Here

Yes. An accurate valuation is mandatory before serving a formal Section 13 notice so the initial offer price is realistic and valid.

The formal legal document served by qualifying leaseholders to officially trigger the statutory process of buying the freehold.

The freeholder must issue a Counter Notice (Section 21) within two months, stating their accepted terms or counter-proposals.

Typically between 3 to 6 months for straightforward negotiations, though disputes can extend this timeframe significantly.

The case can be referred to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) for an independent judicial decision.

Initially, the instructing leaseholders pay for their own valuation report, though statutory rules govern additional landlord cost recoveries.

Traditionally yes (reasonable costs incurred by the landlord in investigating the claim), subject to ongoing legislative changes.

At least 50% of the qualifying flats in the building must participate to exercise collective enfranchisement rights.

Yes, leasehold houses have separate statutory enfranchisement provisions under the same core leasehold reform frameworks.

Statutory enfranchisement formulas and RICS Red Book standards require complex asset calculations that standard market appraisals cannot legally or technically fulfil.

Fees vary depending on complexity, location, and type of property. Fill in our enquiry form to obtain a free no obligation quote. Get a free, no-obligation quote

An independent, RICS-registered residential surveyor who has no ties to the landlord or estate agents.

Your Local Council will normally instruct the RICS Valuation.

To check if your landlord's official offer price is fair and accurately reflects the property's true market worth.

They inspect the property's size, layout, and condition, then compare it with recent local sales of similar homes.

You must be a secure tenant of a local council or public sector landlord.

You must have spent at least 3 years as a public sector tenant (does not need to be consecutive or in your current home).

The home must be self-contained (you do not share a kitchen, bathroom, or living room with others) and be your only or main residence.

Starts at 35% for 3 to 5 years of tenancy, plus 1% for each extra year, up to a 70% limit.

Starts at 50% for 3 to 5 years of tenancy, plus 2% for each extra year, up to a 70% limit.

The maximum cash caps for a Right to Buy discount in England range between £16,000 in most parts of London and £38,000 outside of London, depending on the local authority region. The final discount you receive is whichever is lower: the percentage allowed by your length of tenancy or the regional cash cap.