Property Valuations for Mortgage Lenders

We provide RICS Red Book valuations for the full spectrum of residential mortgage lending: standard owner occupier mortgages, buy to let lending including limited company and SPV structures, HMO lending, shared ownership and Help to Buy schemes, Right to Buy, bridging finance, development finance, second charge lending and portfolio landlord facilities. The valuation methodology is consistent across all products, but the report commentary is tailored to the specific lending context and the lender's underwriting requirements.

Our valuation methodology follows the RICS Red Book standard. The valuer inspects the property internally and externally, assessing its condition, layout, size, specification, location and any factors that influence value. They then research comparable market evidence, recent sales of similar properties in the immediate area, adjusting for differences in condition, size and specification. The figure is a professional judgement, supported by evidence, of the price the property would achieve in an arm's length transaction between a willing buyer and a willing seller at the valuation date. The report includes a summary of the comparable evidence and the reasoning that supports the figure.

Our standard turnaround is inspection within 3 to 5 working days of instruction and the written report within 5 working days of the inspection. For panel arrangements, we agree specific SLA targets at the outset and monitor performance against them. For urgent lending situations where a mortgage offer deadline is approaching, we can often complete the inspection within 48 hours and deliver the report within 72 hours. We will always confirm feasibility at the point of instruction.

Yes, these are routine instructions for us. Help to Buy equity loan redemption valuations determine the current market value of the property, which is the basis for calculating the amount the borrower must repay to redeem the government's equity loan. Shared ownership valuations are required for initial purchase, staircasing transactions where the leaseholder buys additional shares of the equity, and resale where the property is being sold on. All these valuations must be RICS Red Book compliant and carried out by a RICS Registered Valuer, which our surveyors are.

Yes. Recovery valuations require a different perspective to origination valuations because the circumstances of sale are usually forced rather than voluntary, which affects the achievable value. We provide market value and, where instructed, forced sale value figures with clear explanation of the basis of each, so your recoveries team can make informed decisions about disposal strategy and pricing. We are also able to provide condition reports alongside the valuation where the property's state of repair is relevant to the recovery strategy.

We maintain professional indemnity insurance at levels appropriate for mortgage lender valuation work, including run off cover. We are happy to provide evidence of cover, policy details and limits as part of a panel application or onboarding process. If your institution has specific insurance requirements as a condition of panel membership, please let us know and we will confirm that our cover meets them.