This is a bespoke consultancy service rather than a transactional one. We act for private clients and investors who want independent, continuing advice on property decisions — what to buy, what to pay, when to sell, and what to do with what they already hold.
We are not estate agents and we do not take sale instructions. We are Chartered Surveyors advising on the property judgement — what it is worth, what to pay, when to act — which is why clients already well advised on the legal and tax side come to us for this.
Our fee structure is set out in full below and agreed in writing before we start. Where a disposal proceeds through an agent or auction house, we are usually remunerated on a shared commission basis, which means our involvement typically costs you no more than instructing them directly.
Buyers are the only party in a transaction without professional representation. The seller has an agent; the buyer has a solicitor who handles the legal work but does not advise on whether the price is right or the asset is sound. We fill that gap.
We work to a defined brief — location, budget, yield or growth priority, holding period, tolerance for works — and appraise opportunities against it. Just as usefully, we tell you which opportunities to discount, and why.
An asking price is a marketing position, not a valuation. We assess what the property is actually worth as a RICS Registered Valuer, so your offer is grounded in evidence rather than in what the particulars claim.
We negotiate on your behalf, using the survey findings, the comparable evidence and the seller’s circumstances. On acquisitions our fee is paid by you — a fixed fee for pre-acquisition valuation advice, or a percentage based on value range where we are sourcing the property and negotiating terms. We are never paid by the party selling to you, so there is no incentive for us to see you pay more.
Condition, tenure and title, service charge and ground rent liabilities, planning history and constraints, and where relevant the development or reconfiguration potential. On a leasehold flat we look closely at the lease itself — the unexpired term and ground rent provisions frequently matter more to value than anything in the particulars.
Auction can deliver genuine value, and it can be an expensive mistake. The difference is nearly always the quality of the work done before the hammer falls.
The bid is binding and the timetable is unforgiving. Unlike private treaty, there is no renegotiating once a survey uncovers a problem, and no withdrawing without significant cost. Everything that matters has to be established beforehand.
Auction is the right route for some properties and the wrong one for others. Short leases, title defects, probate sales, properties requiring full refurbishment and anything difficult to value conventionally often do better under the hammer than on the open market. We advise on whether auction suits your property, on a realistic reserve, and which auction house is the right fit — Where a sale proceeds at auction, we are usually remunerated by sharing the commission payable to the auction house rather than by charging you separately. Because of the relationships we hold, the total cost to you is typically no more than instructing the auctioneer directly — with independent valuation and strategic advice included on top.
Buying well is only part of it. Most investors we act for hold assets acquired at different times, for different reasons, and have never had the portfolio looked at as a whole.
We assess each asset on current value, income, yield, condition and liabilities, and look at the portfolio’s overall exposure — to a single location, a single property type, or a single tenant profile. Concentration is the risk investors most often carry without having quantified it.
For each asset the question is the same: is capital working hard enough here, and what would it do elsewhere? We give a reasoned view rather than a recommendation to transact, and sometimes the answer is to do nothing.
Rental valuation and realistic achievable rents, the effect of lease length and ground rent on mortgageability and resale, service charge exposure in blocks facing major works, and the practical consequences of the regulatory changes landlords now face. We advise on the property; your accountant advises on the tax.
Some of the best returns come not from buying or selling but from improving what is already owned. This is where an independent valuer’s view is most valuable, because the question is always whether the spend actually adds more than it costs.
Where a scheme is being considered we prepare a residual appraisal — gross development value, build and professional costs, finance, contingency and developer’s profit — so you can see whether the numbers support the project before committing to it. We will tell you plainly when they do not.
Most sellers appoint an agent first and think about strategy afterwards. We think that is the wrong order.
An independent valuation before you speak to agents gives you a benchmark. Agents compete for instructions, and the highest suggested asking price is not always the one that produces the highest sale price.
Private treaty, auction, off-market, or a sale to a special purchaser such as a neighbour or the freeholder. Each suits different properties and different circumstances, and the choice materially affects both price and certainty.
Sometimes value is added before marketing rather than during it — extending a short lease, resolving a title defect, obtaining planning consent, or simply completing works already started. We advise on what is worth doing and what is not.
We introduce agents suited to the particular property, and can review terms and monitor performance. Where a sale proceeds through an agent we introduce, we are generally remunerated on a shared commission basis. We hold established relationships with a wide range of agents and auction houses, and the effect is that the overall fee is usually no greater than if you had approached them yourself — so you gain independent consultancy alongside the agent’s own service rather than paying twice for advice.
Consultancy work does not fit a standard fee scale, so terms are agreed case by case and always confirmed in writing before anything begins. How we are paid depends on what we are doing.
Fees are paid by you. For pre-acquisition valuation advice on a property you have already identified, we work on a fixed fee. Where the instruction extends to sourcing property and negotiating purchase terms, we charge a percentage fee based on value range, agreed at the outset.
Where a sale proceeds through an estate agent or auction house, we generally work on a shared commission basis with them, rather than charging you a separate advisory fee on top.
This matters more than it might sound. Because we hold established relationships with a wide range of agents and auction houses, the overall commission you pay is typically no more than if you had instructed them directly. You receive independent valuation, strategy and oversight from a Chartered Surveyor in addition to the agent’s own service, rather than paying twice for advice.
For continuing advice — portfolio review, asset strategy, or simply being available when a decision arises — we work on a retained or hourly basis.
Whichever basis applies, we tell you before you instruct us how we are being paid and by whom. Where our remuneration comes from a shared commission, we say so, and we will always tell you honestly if we think a different route would serve you better.
We act across London and the South East, and draw on our Red Book valuation and leasehold reform work throughout — the two most common sources of unrealised value in London residential property. See our borough pages for local experience.
It depends on the work. On acquisitions we charge you directly — a fixed fee for pre-acquisition valuation advice, or a percentage based on value range where we are sourcing property and negotiating terms. On disposals through an estate agent or auction house we generally work on a shared commission basis with them. Ongoing consultancy is retained or hourly. Terms are always confirmed in writing before we start.
Usually not. Because we hold established relationships with a wide range of agents and auction houses, the overall commission on a disposal is typically no more than if you had instructed them directly. The practical effect is that you receive independent valuation and strategic advice from a Chartered Surveyor alongside the agent’s own service, rather than paying separately for both.
Yes. We can review the legal pack, inspect, set an evidence-based maximum bid with you in advance, and bid on your behalf. Agreeing the ceiling beforehand is the single most useful discipline in an auction room.
It depends on the property. Short leases, title defects, probate sales and properties needing full refurbishment often achieve more at auction than on the open market. Conventional, well-presented property usually does better by private treaty. We advise on which applies and on a realistic reserve.
A calculation that works backwards from gross development value, deducting build costs, professional fees, finance, contingency and developer’s profit, to establish what a site or building is worth for development — and whether a proposed scheme actually stacks up.
Yes. We appraise proposed works on added value rather than cost per square foot, so you know whether the spend is likely to be recovered on sale. Frequently the answer is that some elements are worth doing and others are not.
Yes — on acquisition, on rental valuation and achievable rents, and on portfolio composition and performance. We advise on the property; your accountant advises on tax.
Yes. We assess each asset on value, income, yield, condition and liabilities, and look at overall exposure to a single location, property type or tenant profile. Concentration risk is the thing investors most often carry without having quantified it.
No. We do not take sale instructions and we do not market property. We advise on value, strategy and route to market, and introduce agents or auction houses suited to your particular property. Where a sale then proceeds through them, we are generally remunerated on a shared commission basis, and we tell you that before you instruct us.
Tell us what you are trying to achieve — a first investment purchase, a portfolio that needs reviewing, a property you are unsure whether to keep, or a sale you want handled properly. We will tell you how we can help and what it will cost before anything begins.
