The Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation

"This Diploma provides a new and sensible route into residential surveying and valuation for new entrants that wish to concentrate their careers in these fields.

The increasing demand for surveys and valuations is stretching the available resource of qualified professionals and the new qualifications are extremely timely.

We look forward to welcoming many of the people that achieve these new qualifications into the RICS fold."

Peter Bolton-King
Global Residential Director, RICS

The Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation (AssocRICS) is a level 6 vocational qualification and is recognised by RICS. There are training locations in London, Milton Keynes, Manchester and Birmingham with four intakes each year.

It is equivalent to a university degree in terms of academic rigour, and has been designed with you in mind.

Using both classroom and distance learning delivered through modern technology, the course will teach you everything you need to know to become a successful residential surveyor and valuer.

Depending on your industry experience, training for the diploma will include studying a number of modules delivered via face-to-face classes, pre-course tasks, online modules, webinars and further reading.

Modules:

- Induction

- Professional Issues

- Construction

- Inspecting Property

- Building Pathology

- Assessing Services

- Report Writing

- Condition Masterclass

- RDSAP Energy

- Energy

- Law

- Valuation

In addition to the face-to-face training, learners will also be required to:

- Attend online webinars (seminars delivered in real time but over the internet)

- Undertake additional online learning delivered via recorded courses and published documents

- Undertake private study and research as directed prior to any training days

- Undertake guided reading from a number of texts that will be provided (or texts you will source yourself)

Modules vary in size. Some will have one day of face-to-face training whilst others may have up to 4 days (which may not run consecutively) and some will include formal assessment via examinations, these being run on web based technology enabling learners to demonstrate attainment in that subject area.

Towards the end of the training, learners will begin to put the theory into practice and start to build a portfolio of evidence using real properties. Evidence may be in the form of case studies, method statements, client communications, written questions and reflective essays. Assessors will be allocated to each learner and provide feedback on the evidence presented. When an assessor is happy that the learner presents the evidence required to demonstrate the required competence, the learner is signed off against that competence.

The main evidence in the portfolio will be reports on real properties and every learner has to present a minimum of 10 real life properties, across a range of types and ages, which the assessor signs off. The assessment process is very rigorous but gives the learner a real opportunity to put theory into practice. One of the properties added to the portfolio will be on a ‘test’ property provided by SAVA. Inspection of this test property will be done with an assessor present and carried out under quasi exam conditions. Evidence is held in a portfolio and assessment is carried out via the internet with the portfolio of evidence stored ‘in the cloud’, so learners and assessors have access to the portfolio 24 hours a day. Learners will also be required to complete one Condition and one Valuation exam set by the Awarding Body.

The diploma is suitable for learners who are completely new to the industry, you will be taught everything you need to know. Existing experience is taken into account, please contact us for details.

The diploma is suitable for learners who are completely new to the industry, you will be taught everything you need to know. Existing experience is taken into account, please contact us for details.

SAVA graduates can gain direct entry into the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors at Associate member level (AssocRICS).

Surveyors can choose to work independently or through a firm of surveyors. to produce surveys such as the Home Condition Survey and the RICS HomeBuyer Report.