Overview
A surveyor may have no online reviews and still be experienced and competent. That is possible. However, in an age where most professional services leave some public footprint, a complete absence of reviews or visible track record is increasingly unusual.
Equally, a large number of positive reviews does not guarantee that every technical or legal decision the surveyor makes will be correct. Reviews tell you how people experienced the service. They do not replace your own assessment of the notice, the surveyor’s experience and the quality of their answers.
What to look for
- A meaningful number of reviews rather than a handful of isolated comments.
- A consistent pattern over time rather than a sudden cluster.
- Comments about communication, delay, clarity, fairness and progress.
- Whether negative reviews describe the same problem repeatedly.
- Whether the surveyor responds professionally to criticism.
- Whether the public track record is consistent with the experience the surveyor claims.
Patterns matter more than individual comments
One unhappy client does not establish that a surveyor is poor. Party-wall matters can be contentious and people sometimes leave negative reviews because they did not obtain the outcome they wanted. The more useful question is whether the same type of complaint appears repeatedly.
Repeated concerns about unexplained delay, poor communication, unexpected fees or confrontational behaviour deserve more attention than a single isolated comment. Equally, repeated praise for clear explanations and steady progress can provide reassurance.
No reviews should lead to questions
No reviews should not trigger an automatic rejection. It should trigger more due diligence. Ask how long the surveyor has practised, how much party-wall work they undertake, how many awards they make, whether they can explain the process clearly and who will actually handle the matter.
If the proposed surveyor has no reviews, weak documentation and poor responses to enquiries, those factors together are more significant than any one of them alone.