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Andrew McColl - Chairman - 15 July 2026
Blog
Reform on every front: how the RPSA is representing residential surveyors
Andrew McColl - Chairman
Members could be forgiven for feeling that change across the property and built environment sectors is coming from every direction at once.
In the space of only a few weeks, the government has set out a major roadmap for reforming the way homes are bought and sold, confirmed its direction of travel for a new Single Construction Regulator, and opened a wide-ranging call for evidence that will help determine how built environment professions, trades and occupations are recognised, overseen and held accountable in the future.
Each of these developments is important in its own right. Taken together, they point towards a fundamental reshaping of the environment in which residential surveyors will work.
I want members to be aware of what is happening, why it matters and, most importantly, what the RPSA is doing to ensure that the voice of the independent residential surveyor is properly represented.
A new regulatory landscape
On 9 July, the government published its response to the consultation on the proposed Single Construction Regulator.
The government has confirmed that it remains committed to establishing the new regulator, using the Building Safety Regulator as its foundation and introducing the necessary primary legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Its stated ambition is to bring the regulation of buildings, construction products and built environment professions into a more coherent system, reducing the fragmentation and gaps in accountability that have characterised the industry for many years. The transition is expected to be phased, with the regulator's precise functions, powers and responsibilities still being developed.
For residential surveyors, the important point is that this is no longer a discussion concerned only with high-rise buildings, construction products or major development projects.
The government is explicitly considering professional competence, standards, accountability and the oversight of those working throughout the built environment. The government response also confirms that the expert working group informing the Professions Strategy may consider whether more professions should be brought within statutory regulation and whether further building functions should be reserved to appropriately competent people.
The final answers have not yet been decided, but the direction is clear. The professional landscape is changing.
The Professions Strategy
Alongside the development of the new regulator, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is preparing a long-term strategy for the built environment professions, trades and occupations in England.
As I set out in my March article on the Single Construction Regulator, the prospectus deliberately left the detailed questions about professional regulation to this exercise, and that moment has now arrived.
The strategy is due to be published in spring 2027. It is expected to include proposals for a new framework of regulation, oversight and enforcement, together with wider measures addressing competence, behaviour, professional culture and personal responsibility.
A public call for evidence is now open and will close on 12 August 2026.
This is an information-gathering exercise rather than a consultation on final proposals. That distinction matters. Government is asking those who work within the built environment to explain how the current system operates, where it works, where it fails and what practical reforms would make a difference.
Residential surveyors are expressly within its scope.
The government's document identifies building inspection as a specific area of expertise and names surveyors alongside building inspectors, fire safety officers, fire risk assessors and warranty inspectors. Surveying and inspection are also recognised as functions that cut across different stages of a building's lifecycle.
The call for evidence asks important questions about how competence is achieved and maintained, the role of professional bodies, the effectiveness of education and training, professional conduct, accountability, insurance, regulation and consumer redress.
These are not abstract questions. They go directly to the future of our profession.
Why this matters now
The Professions Strategy cannot be viewed in isolation from the government's proposed reforms to homebuying and selling.
In June, the government announced plans for key property information, including information about a home's condition, to be provided much earlier through sales packs prepared at the point of listing. The wider programme also includes digital property information, earlier binding agreements and new standards for estate agents.
We have already covered those proposals in our previous news article and members' newsflash.
They represent an important recognition that reliable information about the physical condition of a home belongs near the beginning of the transaction, not after weeks of expense, uncertainty and negotiation.
But moving condition information forward raises an unavoidable second question.
Who is competent and accountable to produce it?
One government workstream is considering where condition information should sit within the homebuying process. Another is considering how the people working across the built environment should demonstrate competence, maintain standards and be held accountable.
At the same time, the new Single Construction Regulator is intended to create a more joined-up system across buildings, products and professions.
These programmes are developing together, and decisions made within one will inevitably affect the others.
The RPSA is actively involved
The pace of change is relentless, but the RPSA is not standing on the sidelines waiting to see what happens.
Through our membership of the Construction Industry Council, we are working with organisations from across the built environment to contribute to the industry's collective thinking and evidence.
That matters because no single organisation represents the full breadth of the sector. Architects, engineers, building control professionals, contractors, fire specialists, manufacturers, educators and professional bodies will all bring different experiences and priorities.
Our role is to make sure that residential surveying is part of that discussion.
In particular, we will continue to make the case for:
- High and demonstrable standards of competence
- Meaningful continuing professional development and ongoing professional responsibility
- Effective insurance, complaints handling and consumer redress
- Recognition of legitimate vocational, academic and professional routes into surveying
- Proportionate regulation that does not unintentionally exclude sole practitioners and small firms
- The continued importance of genuinely independent advice within the homebuying process
The government's own call for evidence recognises many of the difficulties that the RPSA has been working to address.
It acknowledges that a qualification can become little more than a one-time credential unless competence is maintained. It recognises that voluntary professional schemes may have limited ability to stop someone who has been excluded from continuing to trade outside them. It also warns that consumers can receive false assurance from qualifications, standards and accreditation where the wider system does not provide effective accountability.
The document is particularly candid about the domestic market, where poor performance may not become apparent until years later and routes to consumer redress can be limited.
These are precisely the reasons why the RPSA has invested in member verification, continuing professional development, complaints handling, independent redress and the development of our Fellowship grade.
Representing the independent surveyor
There is a further reason why RPSA involvement matters.
Major institutions and large organisations naturally have the resources to respond to consultations, attend working groups and influence policy development. Independent surveyors and small practices are often too busy carrying out inspections, writing reports and running their businesses to engage with every new announcement.
That does not make their experience less important. In many respects, it makes it more valuable.
Independent residential surveyors see the consequences of poor workmanship, inappropriate alterations, inadequate maintenance and weak consumer protection every day. They also understand the practical realities of delivering a professional service within the domestic market.
The reforms that emerge must work for the public, but they must also be proportionate, deliverable and capable of supporting a diverse profession.
A future system designed only around the resources, structures and commercial models of the largest organisations would not serve consumers well. The independent practitioner, able to give impartial advice without estate agency, lender or contractor interests, remains one of the strongest protections available to a homebuyer.
That is the case the RPSA will continue to make.
Members can contribute
The government's call for evidence contains 79 questions, but there is no expectation that anyone should answer them all. Respondents are encouraged to concentrate on the areas most relevant to their own knowledge and experience and to provide practical examples wherever possible.
For many RPSA members, the sections dealing with occupation and maintenance, competence standards, regulation, inspection, accountability and redress will be the most relevant.
Members are encouraged to respond directly through GOV.UK before 12 August 2026.
You are also welcome to send the RPSA a short example or observation that may help inform the points we make through our wider industry engagement. A paragraph or two is enough, and examples can be anonymised where necessary.
These might relate to professional training, maintaining competence, consumer confusion over titles and qualifications, poor work undertaken without meaningful oversight, insurance and redress, the burdens faced by small practices, or the practical delivery of reliable upfront condition information.
Please send relevant contributions to andrew@rpsa.org.uk by Friday 24 July 2026 to help inform our ongoing industry engagement, although later examples will still be welcome.
We will keep members informed
There is a great deal happening, and much of the detail is still being developed.
The homebuying reforms will not be introduced overnight. The Single Construction Regulator still requires legislation and a phased implementation. The Professions Strategy will not be published until spring 2027 and will be followed by further consultation on the detailed proposals.
Nevertheless, the decisions being prepared now could shape residential surveying for many years.
The RPSA will continue working across the industry, through the Construction Industry Council and through our other partnerships, to represent members, protect the role of the independent practitioner and support reforms that genuinely improve standards and consumer confidence.
It may all feel non-stop, because it is. But these are exactly the moments when a strong, independent professional voice matters most, and our job is to make sure that when decisions are taken about our profession, the independent residential surveyor is represented at the table, rather than left to read about the outcome in the minutes.
Here is a summary from Notebooks. (Yes - I am aware RSPCA was used at 4m 45 seconds) - New edit on its way.
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