A dozen tabs before every visit
Before visiting a property, a careful surveyor checks what can be checked from the desk. Is it listed or in a conservation area? Is it in a flood risk zone? What does the planning history show about extensions or loft conversions? What does the energy performance certificate say about construction and heating? Is the area known for mining or other ground issues? Is there anything about radon, or about the road the property sits on?
Each of those is a different website, often with a different way of searching. For two inspections a day, that is a lot of tabs, a lot of copying into notes, and a real chance of skipping something on a busy morning.
Why desktop research is hard to do consistently
- The information is spread across many public sources, each with its own search.
- Some checks only apply in certain areas, such as mining, so surveyors have to remember when to look.
- Results are copied into notes by hand, or not recorded at all.
- Research is done at different depths by different surveyors.
- Nothing records what was checked before the inspection.
What inconsistent research costs
Surveyors arrive without knowing a building is listed, or that an extension may not have planning consent, and have to follow up afterwards. Reports vary in what they cover. Time is lost every morning. And if a report is questioned later, it is hard to show what the surveyor knew before visiting.
| Check | Typical public source | What the pack does |
|---|---|---|
| Listed status and conservation area | Official heritage lists and council maps | Result shown with a link |
| Flood risk | Government flood risk data | Zone and summary shown |
| Planning history | Council planning portal | Recent applications listed where available |
| Energy certificate | Public EPC register | Key construction and heating details extracted |
| Ground and mining | Public datasets for the area | Flagged where the area warrants a check |
The pre-inspection pack we build
- When a job is booked, the address is geocoded and checked against the public data sources your practice chooses, through official APIs or published datasets where they exist.
- For sources without an API, such as some council planning portals, the pack includes a direct link to the search for the surveyor to check, rather than scraping where that is not permitted.
- Results are summarised in a one-page pack: what was found, what was not available, and what needs attention, such as a listed building or a planning application for an extension.
- Where an energy certificate exists, details such as wall type, roof insulation and heating system are extracted to compare against what the surveyor sees.
- The pack is attached to the job in your survey software or file store and appears in the site capture app.
- The pack records the date the checks were run, so the file shows what was known before the visit.
The pack gathers public information. It is not a search result that a buyer's solicitor would provide, and it does not replace the surveyor's own enquiries or advice. It is a head start.
Arriving informed
Surveyors open the pack on the way to the job and arrive knowing what to look for. Research is consistent across the practice. Mornings are freed up. Reports can refer to what was found, and the file shows what was checked and when.
The office also gains, because unusual properties, such as a listed building booked as a Level 2, are spotted at booking and can be discussed with the buyer before the visit.
Is this your morning routine?
- Surveyors open many websites before each inspection.
- Research depth varies between surveyors.
- Surveyors have arrived without knowing a property was listed.
- Pre-inspection checks are not recorded in the file.
- Unusual properties are only spotted on the day.