HOW TO HIRE · BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to hire a building surveyor in Ireland
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.
A building surveyor in Ireland costs €300–€1,500 per survey, typically around €600. Here is how to check that in a minute, what to ask before you book, and what you must be handed when the job is done.
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THE 60-SECOND VERSION
Hiring a building surveyor in five steps
- Are you on the PSRA register of licensed property services providers, and what is your number?A number you can look up yourself before you agree a price — site visit for — site visit for comprehensive property inspection.
- How does complexity of the property change the price?Special requirements add steps the standard job does not have. — ask before the quote rather than after.
- How does level of detail required in the report change the price?Anything bespoke takes longer to plan before it is made. — ask before the quote rather than after.
- How does additional services change the price?It is one of the first things you will be asked about. — ask before the quote rather than after.
- What is not included?Initial consultation to — initial consultation to understand client needs — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a building surveyor job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Check before you book
PSRA Register of Licensed Property Services Providers
Four licence types, and they are not interchangeable: A, auction of property other than land; B, purchase or sale of land; C, letting of land; D, property management services. Check the licensee NAME and the licence NUMBER both match the person you are dealing with, and check the type covers what you are hiring them to do. Restricted to licensed property services provider: auctioneering; selling or buying land for a client; letting property for a client; managing property for a client.
Search the PSRA register of licensed property services providers for the name or the registration number before you agree a price. psr.ie →
Insurance
Expect professional indemnity insurance, which is a licence condition. From a company, ask for the insurer, the limit and the VAT number, and ask who actually attends: the team that turns up may be employed, subcontracted or both, and only one of those is supervised by the firm you are paying.
Ask to see the current certificate of insurance — the insurer's name, the limit and the date it runs to.
Trader or private seller
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 a trader must tell you they are a trader, and your consumer rights — work carried out with reasonable skill and care, and a cooling-off period on a contract agreed in your home or online — apply to traders and not to private sellers. On Locufy the trader status is shown on the profile.
Look for the trader badge on the Locufy profile, and ask anyone else for it in writing before you agree a price.
Identity
Providers on Locufy prove who they are with photo ID before they can be booked; the ID-checked badge shows who has done it, and the document itself is deleted once the check is made. For a building surveyor coming into your home it is the cheapest check there is.
Look for the ID-checked badge on the card, before you message anyone.
VAT
VAT at 13.5%, the reduced rate Revenue publishes for this service. Ask whether the price you were given includes it. A trader under the €42,500 registration threshold does not charge it; one over it must, and must show it separately.
Ask whether the figure you were given includes it, and for the VAT number if they are registered — Revenue publishes the rate for this service. revenue.ie →
A good answer: A number you can look up yourself before you agree a price — site visit for — site visit for comprehensive property inspection.
A good answer: Special requirements add steps the standard job does not have. — ask before the quote rather than after.
A good answer: Anything bespoke takes longer to plan before it is made. — ask before the quote rather than after.
A good answer: It is one of the first things you will be asked about. — ask before the quote rather than after.
A good answer: Initial consultation to — initial consultation to understand client needs — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a building surveyor job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.
A good answer: Expect professional indemnity insurance, which is a licence condition — additional Services — some surveyors may offer related services, such as energy assessments or advice on property improvements.
A good answer: A written scope and a price before the building surveyor starts, and an itemised invoice after — what does this service include? — building surveying typically includes a thorough inspection of the property, a detailed report on findings, and recommendations for repairs or further action.
Getting the quote right
- Complexity of the property — special requirements add steps the standard job does not have.
- Level of detail required in the report — anything bespoke takes longer to plan before it is made.
- Additional services — it is one of the first things you will be asked about.
- Specialist inspections or urgent requests — the more pieces involved, the more there is to go wrong.
- In writing before anyone starts — a message on Locufy counts
- What is NOT included, named
- Who actually attends, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
- The VAT number, and whether it checks out on the Revenue register
Walk away if
- They are not on the PSRA register of licensed property services providers, or the number does not resolve to the name on the quote
- They will not talk about it: complexity of the property — special requirements add steps the standard job does not have
- They will not talk about it: level of detail required in the report — anything bespoke takes longer to plan before it is made
- They will not talk about it: additional services — it is one of the first things you will be asked about
- A price for the building surveyor before anyone has asked the size, the access or the condition of what they are working on
- Cash only, or a large deposit before anything at all has started
What a building surveyor costs: €300–€1,500 per survey
The figures are for the job, per survey, and a quote for your own is the only number that binds anyone. Homebuyer survey and Full building survey each carry their own band. Building Surveyor price guide →
Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.
KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE
Building surveyors near you, with the badges that matter shown
ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.
Or post the job free and let them come to you.
- Look firstComplexity of the property — special requirements add steps the standard job does not have — that is what the building surveyor is judging on the first visit, and a price given without it is a guess.
- Agree what is being doneLevel of detail required in the report — anything bespoke takes longer to plan before it is made — put in writing before anyone starts, because it is the document you both read back at the end.
- The work itselfAdditional services — it is one of the first things you will be asked about — and anything found on the day that was not in that is priced before it is started.
- Check it togetherSpecialist inspections or urgent requests — the more pieces involved, the more there is to go wrong — walked against the written scope rather than against the feeling of it, while the building surveyor is still there.
- What you are handedThe itemised invoice and any guarantee on the workmanship and the parts, check for any additional services that may be needed, such as specialist inspections.
- What does this service include?
- Building surveying typically includes a thorough inspection of the property, a detailed report on findings, and recommendations for repairs or further action.
- Additional Services
- Some surveyors may offer related services, such as energy assessments or advice on property improvements.
- Initial consultation to
- Initial consultation to understand client needs.
- Site visit for
- Site visit for comprehensive property inspection.
- Homebuyer Survey
- A detailed inspection of a property to identify any defects or issues before purchase.
- Full Building Survey
- An extensive examination of a property's condition, suitable for older or unique buildings.
AFTER
When the job is done
Hiring a building surveyor: questions people ask
Investing in a building survey can save money in the long run by identifying potential issues before purchasing or renovating a property. Consider the property's age and condition, which may influence the survey scope.
Yes, many surveyors encourage clients to join them during the inspection to discuss findings and address any concerns. Check for any additional services that may be needed, such as specialist inspections.
If issues are identified, the surveyor will provide recommendations for repairs or further investigations to address the concerns. Their work involves conducting thorough inspections, evaluating structural integrity, and identifying potential issues that could affect property value or safety.
Search the name or the registration number. If the number does not resolve to the name on the quote, stop there.
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 the work must be carried out with reasonable skill and care, and put right if it is not. Say what is wrong in writing first.
Two or three, each for the same written scope. Quotes for different scopes are not comparable, which is how the cheapest one wins and then grows.
MORE GUIDES
More hiring guides in business & professional
Building surveyors near you
Sources — checked October 2026
- PSRA — register of licensed property services providers
- PSRA — engaging a property services provider
- Citizens Information — regulation of property services
- Consumer Rights Act 2022
- Revenue — BUILDING and CONSTRUCTION SERVICES (Private dwellings and Non-residential immovable goods) — Reduced rate
- Revenue — current VAT rates (effective 1 January 2026)
- Revenue — VAT thresholds: €42,500 for a person supplying services only