< img src="https://www.propertywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/property-news-1772784081261.jpg"alt =""> A proposal to make residential or commercial property surveys compulsory before homes are noted for sale could increase demand for surveys by 40%, according to analysis from home examination software application firm Residential or commercial property Examine.
The business’s research shows that currently 58% of purchasers commission a study before conclusion. If studies ended up being obligatory at the listing stage, this would produce a substantial capacity difficulty for the surveying occupation.
Capability concerns
Siân Hemming-Metcalfe, Operations Director at Home Inspect, stated that the sector would require to evaluate whether “existing training pipelines, local coverage and accreditation frameworks could soak up that need without affecting turn-around times or report quality”.
“A 40% increase in study demand is not a marginal modification,” Hemming-Metcalfe said. “Based on existing transaction volumes in England, it would indicate hundreds of thousands of extra studies every year. That level of growth would materially affect capability preparation, business designs and expert indemnity direct exposure across the sector.”
Execution challenges
The analysis raises concerns about how seller-commissioned studies would remain legitimate if homes stay on the market for extended periods. Repeat examinations might include additional pressure to surveying capability.
Hemming-Metcalfe noted that while higher openness at listing could lower duplication and enhance certainty in a market where fall-through rates stay high, reform would need to make sure that “training standards, responsibility of care and lending institution positioning evolve together with volume”.
Technology and workflow systems would likewise require to adjust to handle higher volumes if compulsory studies are presented. The proposal represents what Hemming-Metcalfe described as a “profound structural change” for the surveying profession, needing fast growth of capacity throughout the sector.