Surveying

Criterion Surveyors are specialist insurance surveyors to the High‑Net‑Worth market, with particular expertise in listed buildings, high‑value houses and unique homes. We also provide detailed risk appraisals and surveys for private estates, farms and commercial premises across the UK.

Through our UK‑wide surveying capability, we offer genuine nationwide coverage and arrange inspections at a time convenient to the homeowner. Our surveys encompass the main residence, outbuildings and all insured permanent structures, enabling an accurate and carefully considered rebuilding cost assessment.

Full Appraisal

Typically, but not exclusively, our insurer clients purchase this product, which is the most comprehensive service we offer. During a full appraisal we attend the loss site in person, carry out a detailed inspection and meet the owner/occupier.

Our report provides detailed information and advice on:

• Rebuilding costs
• General contents, fine art and valuables
• Main structures and any architectural or period features
• Occupancy levels and any notable profile
• Location
• Security
• Fire protections
• Plumbing
• Flooding vulnerability
• Recommended risk improvements
• Comprehensive photographs including aerial view and flood maps

This appraisal provides detailed information about the risk and feeds into underwriting decisions about the correct premium for cover.

Rebuilding Cost Appraisal

Brokers predominately purchase this service, which has grown out of a demand for support to accurately assess appropriate sums insured for private clients. Our service avoids policyholders being underinsured. We have seen professional indemnity claims made against broker for supplying poor advice and inaccurate sums insured and our service helps them avoid these problems and gives their own client confidence in the level of cover they have bought.

Where our appraisal forms part of a risk submission to insurers, it also gives confidence to underwriters and can be a powerful tool for brokers in securing placement.

This is a growing area of our business and provides brokers and their clients with a detailed report covering:

• Adequacy of sums insured
• Risk improvements
• Coverage issues (warranties/endorsements)

Desktop Appraisal

In some circumstances, a comprehensive in-person survey is not needed, and we provide a remote rebuilding cost appraisal service. We have access to a wide array of remote mapping technologies as well as extensive property sales databases and planning research. When a full survey is not required, our desktop appraisal will provide a cost-effective alternative.

Broker Survey Service

Our research shows that building sums increase by an average of 20 per cent following an onsite risk survey. This highlights the scale of underinsurance in the high-net-worth market. We are also seeing insurers apply average more frequently and make a proportionate claim reduction when underinsurance is discovered during a claim.

The result has been a rise in the number of policyholders making professional indemnity claims against brokers for providing inadequate advice.

Our broker survey service avoids these problems and makes sure the sum insured figure is accurate.

It also generates the following benefits for a broker’s clients: 

• The survey helps set the correct sums insured and therefore ensure the correct premium for the risk
• It gives clients confidence that a property expert has completed the valuation and that the broker is providing access to niche specialists
• A proven cost benefit. The cost of survey is a fraction of any potential shortfall if average is applied to a claim settlement due to underinsurance

For further details please click below: