What the title means and who can use it
Chartered Surveyor is a protected title. The government's Regulated Professions Register says only the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) can award it, and holders use the letters MRICS. Fellows, who have made a notable contribution to the profession, use FRICS. RICS's authority comes from its Royal Charter of 1881.
The register lists no reserved activities for the profession. Only the title is restricted. Anyone can carry out a survey or give a valuation, and many surveyors work without chartered status. Many large employers and clients will only instruct chartered surveyors, and chartered members must keep up continuing professional development (CPD) and follow RICS's conduct rules.
The main specialisms
RICS sorts the profession into 22 sector pathways for chartered membership. Each candidate qualifies in one of them. They include Building Surveying, Building Control, Commercial Real Estate, Corporate Real Estate, Facility Management, Geomatics, Infrastructure, Land and Resources, Planning and Development, Project Management, Property Finance and Investment, Quantity Surveying and Construction, and Valuation. Your pathway sets the competencies you are assessed on, and in practice it defines the career you build.
The pathways fall into three broad groups. Construction work covers quantity surveyors, who control project costs, and building surveyors and building control surveyors. Property work covers agency, management, valuation and facilities. Land work covers geomatics, rural and environmental surveying, and minerals and waste.
Daily work in residential practice
Residential surveyors spend much of the week out of the office, in people's homes. A typical day is two or three inspections followed by report writing. A building surveyor checks condition and defects for a buyer, often on a level three building survey. A valuer works for a lender and gives a figure for mortgage security. Both jobs need careful notes, photographs and a report a lay client can follow.
Other residential roles cover managing and letting housing, party wall matters, dilapidations and planning repairs for landlords. The National Careers Service lists the general practice surveyor's tasks as valuing land and property, advising on buying, selling and leasing, and running auction sales. It says to expect 38 to 40 hours a week, with some evening and weekend work when clients need it.
Daily work in commercial practice
Commercial surveyors work across property such as offices, shops and restaurants. They handle buying, selling and leasing. They run property and asset management, deal with landlords and tenants, and carry out valuation, investment advice and development appraisals. A day might combine a rent review negotiation, a viewing with an occupier, a valuation report for a fund and a call with the client's solicitor about lease terms.
On the construction side, a quantity surveyor in a consultancy or contractor tracks costs from feasibility through to completion. A building surveyor might run a fit-out contract or prepare a schedule of dilapidations at lease end. Commercial roles usually involve more desk time, more negotiation and larger clients than residential work.
Pay
GBP a year, before tax. Ranges run from the 25th to the 75th percentile, based on the Office for National Statistics Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, April 2026 (provisional), uprated to 2026. The UK median is £48,900. Regional figures are modelled estimates. Pay depends on your specialism, seniority and whether you are chartered. The National Careers Service gives £28,000 for starters and £60,000 for experienced general practice surveyors. Refer to the Surveying salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- Experience and degree (one route)To apply for MRICS assessment you need relevant experience plus an RICS-accredited degree, 5 years' relevant experience plus any bachelor's degree, or 10 years at an advanced level.
- Chartered assessmentMost candidates take the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC). It tests the mandatory, core and optional competencies for their sector pathway, each at one of three levels.
- Choice of sector pathwayYou choose one of 22 MRICS pathways, such as Building Surveying, Commercial Real Estate or Valuation. That pathway decides which technical competencies you are assessed on.
- Candidate feesThe Regulated Professions Register lists a UK enrolment fee of £663, plus £97 for a preliminary review. It also lists a £670 election fee when you qualify.
- CPD and conductOnce chartered, you must complete continuing professional development every year and work to RICS's professional and ethical standards.
How to get there
- Age 16 to 18 onwardsChoose a route inYou can take an RICS-accredited degree, a conversion master's after a degree in another subject, or the Chartered Surveyor Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship. RICS says entry to that apprenticeship usually needs four GCSEs and three A levels.
- Years 1 to 5Train in a surveying roleWork as a graduate or apprentice surveyor, gathering experience across your pathway's competencies under a counsellor. The undergraduate degree apprenticeship takes about five years.
- Usually years 2 to 5Pass the APCSubmit your written case study and summary of experience, then attend the final interview. Pass and you become MRICS.
- Years 5 to 10Build a specialismTake on your own caseload, then senior roles such as associate or team lead, and further accreditations such as RICS Registered Valuer if you value property.
- Senior careerApply for fellowshipChartered members with notable achievements or contributions to the profession can apply for FRICS.
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Questions people ask
Can I call myself a surveyor without being chartered?
Yes. The Regulated Professions Register says only the title Chartered Surveyor is restricted, and it lists no reserved activities. You cannot say you are chartered or use MRICS unless RICS has admitted you as a member.
What is the difference between AssocRICS and MRICS?
AssocRICS is RICS's entry-level qualification and a step towards chartered status. Associates can do much of the same work but are not chartered. MRICS is the chartered grade, and most candidates reach it through the APC.
Do I need a surveying degree?
No. You can qualify with an RICS-accredited degree, through a degree apprenticeship, or with a non-accredited bachelor's degree plus five years' relevant experience. People with 10 years' experience at an advanced level have their own route.
How long does it take to become chartered?
With an accredited degree, RICS expects two to five years of relevant experience before the chartered assessment. The undergraduate chartered surveyor degree apprenticeship takes about five years and leads to the same assessment.
Is residential or commercial surveying better paid?
The ONS-based figures here cover surveying as a whole, so they do not split residential from commercial. The UK median is £48,900. London's middle half runs from £46,900 to £77,300.
