Fear is easy; assessing risk is harder
Almost any project can be made to sound alarming by listing every theoretical failure. The useful question is which risks are significant on this particular project and how they should be managed.
Watch for vague warnings
Statements such as “this is a basement so you definitely need two surveyors” or “serious damage could happen” are not useful unless the surveyor explains the actual mechanism, likelihood and proposed protection.
An agreed surveyor is not the building owner’s advocate
The decision should be based on the proposed surveyor’s competence and impartiality, not on the assumption that one person cannot properly deal with substantial work.
Creating anxiety can create work
More anxiety can produce more questions, correspondence, disputes and fees. That does not mean genuine risks should be ignored; it means risk should be put into context.
Good advice sometimes means doing less
A good surveyor may say that an extra drawing is enough, a concern falls outside the Act, a minor breach can be overlooked, or the proposed agreed surveyor appears entirely suitable.
Choose a surveyor who helps you understand risk, not one who needs you to be frightened of it.