One survey a day.
Reports you'll be proud to sign.
Much of the market is asking surveyors to do more inspections, for lower fees, over longer days. We went the other way. If we sound like the sort of company that shares your values, read on.
Home surveyors Valuers Sava students Support rolesYear on year growth, sustained over several years
Report per day for our home surveyors. That is the whole point
Average Google review score across hundreds of reviews
Founded, and growing consistently ever since
Quality over quantity isn't a slogan here. It's the business model.
Plenty of firms in this market compete on price and volume. Cheap fees, stacked diaries, and a surveyor writing up their third report at half past ten at night, worrying whether the client is really being well served by it. We looked at that and decided we didn't want to build it, and we didn't want to work in it either.
Our reasoning is simple, and it starts with the client rather than with us. Someone buying a house is making the largest financial commitment of their life, usually on a property they have stood inside for half an hour. A survey is their one proper chance to understand what they are taking on. A report produced in a hurry, on a fee that only works if the surveyor does three of them that day, risks not giving them enough of that. Get it wrong and the cost lands on them years later, in a wall, a roof or a drain.
So we price our work to allow the time it actually takes, and we think that is money well spent on a decision of this size. Our home surveyors do one report a day. That leaves room to inspect properly, write properly, and pick up the phone afterwards to talk the client through what you found in plain language. Our reports get audited. Our clients notice, and they tell other people. That is why the fees hold up, and why the growth has been between 20% and 40% a year for several years running.
Retention is the number we're proudest of. People rarely leave, and there are plenty of examples of internal promotion across the firm. Nicky joined as a newly qualified surveyor in 2020 and is now a Director.
When I founded Websters, it was with a simple goal: to challenge the status quo in surveying by building a team that genuinely enjoys its work and feels proud of what it delivers. Here, you'll never be a cog in a machine. Dan Knowles FRICS, Managing Director and Founder
Level 2 and Level 3 surveyors
This is where our approach bites hardest. We don't do lender panel work and we don't chase volume. One inspection a day, a properly researched file waiting for you before you leave the house, and the time to write a report you'd be happy to have your name on.
Our Surveyor Support team handles the desktop research and the file set-up, and our administrators book the inspections and field a large share of client questions. Sections of your report are drafted before you step on site. Most surveyors tell us the difference in admin load is the thing they notice in week one.
Reports are audited by Stephen McCarron MRICS, a Board member and past President of Propertymark, so standards stay where we want them and you get real feedback rather than silence.
You'll have a drone, GoReport, and IT that works. We invest in the latest technology because it makes the job cleaner and quicker, not because we think software can do the thinking. Professional judgment stays with the surveyor, and it always will.
We're open to approaches from
- AssocRICS, MRICS or FRICS surveyors, or someone working towards one of them
- Surveyors comfortable across Level 2 and Level 3
- People who would rather do five good surveys a week than ten rushed ones
- Anyone happy to speak to clients directly after the inspection
Where we cover
London and the home counties, and we'll happily talk to surveyors based further out. Full time, part time and consultancy all considered.
Registered Valuers, leasehold reform and expert witness work
The valuation side of the business runs differently to home surveys, and we're honest about that. Volume pressure is less of an issue in this market. What tends to be missing elsewhere is variety and access to the interesting work.
Here you'd move between Red Book valuations for probate, capital gains, matrimonial and shared ownership matters, lease extensions and collective enfranchisement under the 1993 Act, leasehold houses under the 1967 Act, portfolio work and expert witness instructions. Our sister practice Sawyer Fielding handles compulsory purchase, so there's exposure to that too if it interests you.
Dan Knowles sits on the RICS Expert Panel for Compulsory Purchase and co-wrote the RICS Guide to Compulsory Purchase, and Richard Stacey is a regular expert witness in Tribunal and court cases, so the technical bar is set high and there's someone to ask when a case gets awkward. We act for private clients, solicitors, charities and public sector bodies.
We're open to approaches from
- AssocRICS, MRICS or FRICS surveyors, or someone working towards one of them
- Registered Valuers, or those on the way to registration
- Surveyors with Red Book experience across residential
- Anyone drawn to leasehold reform, or willing to be trained into it
Progression
Charlie joined as a trainee in 2019 and is now a Principal Surveyor specialising in leasehold reform and Red Book valuations. That route is open.
If you're on the Sava course, we may be able to help
We have two Sava assessors in the business. Joss Dunham AssocRICS, a Director, and Richard Thompson MRICS, an Associate Director. Between them they've assessed and mentored a lot of people through the diploma, and they know exactly where candidates get stuck.
Nicky Welton MRICS, also a Director, is an APC assessor. If your longer term plan is full chartership rather than stopping at AssocRICS, we support that route and we'll pay the fees. We've had colleagues complete the Sava Diploma while working here, and graduates working towards their APC alongside the team.
We also consider requests to shadow our surveyors, including from people who don't work here. It depends on capacity and geography, so when you get in touch please tell us:
- What stage of Sava you're at
- Which part of London, or elsewhere, you live in
That lets us work out whether we can support you properly and which of our team is best placed to do it. We would rather say no than say yes and give you a wasted day.
What we cover for you
- RICS membership and Registered Valuer fees paid
- Monthly whole team training day at the Finchley office, lunch on us
- In house assessors for Sava and APC
- Shadowing senior colleagues on site
- Support through to full chartership if that's your goal
Send your CV and a note on your Sava stage to danknowles@websterssurveyors.co.uk
You don't need to be a surveyor to build a career here
A good survey doesn't start on site. It starts with the research, the file, the quote and the phone call that got the client to us in the first place. We recruit for these roles from time to time, and we treat them as careers rather than stopgaps.
Our Surveyor Support team carries out desktop research, sets up files and handles the majority of our quotes, which makes them the first person many clients speak to at length. Our administrators book the inspections, keep instructions moving and keep clients informed. Alongside them we occasionally take on people in business development and in quality assurance, where the work is about winning the right kind of instruction and making sure what leaves the office is worth the fee we charged for it.
Progression here is real rather than theoretical. Two of the people quoted on this page started in support roles and have since been promoted, one of them while completing the assessment phase of the Sava Diploma with our backing. If you join us in support and later decide you want to survey, tell us, because we would far rather train you than lose you.
No surveying background is needed. What we look for is care with detail, a calm phone manner, and a willingness to say when something doesn't look right.
Roles we recruit for
- Surveyor Support, covering desktop research, file set-ups and quoting
- Office administration and client care, including booking inspections
- Business development
- Quality assurance
How it works
Mostly office based in Finchley Central, with the same monthly team days, training and social events as everyone else. Send a CV even when nothing is advertised.
What you get for doing the job properly
A bonus scheme that actually pays out
For our RICS qualified surveyors and valuers, ours is among the best in the industry, and the targets start low deliberately. We want you earning a decent bonus in year one, when your capacity is still building and you're learning our systems. Nearly everyone who qualifies for it hits it. No inflated OTEs that nobody in the office has ever reached.
Paid in two instalments, April and October, pro rata in your first year. Ask us for the full policy and the worked figures at interview. A smaller discretionary bonus is available to team members who aren't RICS qualified.
Salary
We pay well, and above most of our direct competitors. We can do that because our fees are higher, and our fees are higher because of how we work.
Support team
Desktop research, file set-ups, appointment booking and first line client questions handled for you. More fee earning time, less admin, better bonus.
Fees and training paid
RICS membership and Registered Valuer fees covered. Monthly team training days combining in house expertise with external providers.
Electric car scheme
Salary sacrifice through electriccarscheme.com. No deposit, and the monthly payment covers insurance, servicing, tyres, breakdown and road tax.
Bupa private healthcare
Available to everyone through salary sacrifice, with the option to include your partner and family members living with you.
Weekend fee splits
Optional and by arrangement. If you want extra earnings and flexibility, take on occasional weekend work on a 50% fee split.
Charity giving you choose
We've donated over £30,000 across the years, and every cause has been nominated by someone in the team rather than picked by the board.
Home based, with a proper office to come back to
We cover London and the home counties from our head office in Finchley Central. Most of our surveyors and valuers are home based and work from their patch, with desk space in Finchley whenever they want it.
Once a month the whole team comes into the office for a team day. Training from our own specialists and outside providers, time to work through problem cases together, and lunch on the company. Christmas trips have included two nights in a Cotswold cottage cooking dinner together and an overnight stay in Brussels.
Not our words
"Since joining in 2020 as a newly qualified surveyor, I've progressed to Director. What I enjoy most is the variety of work I get to be involved in. No two days are the same, and I'm never restricted to just one area."
Nicky Welton MRICS
Director, APC assessor
"I joined in mid 2023 with the promise of a better work life balance, a supportive team and career progression. Websters have delivered on all fronts and then some. I can spend more time with my children and even help with the school runs."
Joss Dunham AssocRICS
Director, Sava assessor
"Since joining in 2021 I've experienced genuine career growth in a culture built on trust and autonomy. Beyond my fee earning work I've been encouraged to contribute to software development and client engagement."
Stuart Boughey MRICS
Associate Director
"I joined as a Graduate and the level of responsibility, client exposure and variety of work I've had is far beyond what many of my peers in other firms have seen."
Alex Ainslie
Graduate Surveyor
"I joined as Surveyor Support and have since been promoted, whilst completing the assessment phase of the Sava Diploma. People here genuinely go out of their way to help."
Natalie Sharp
Project and Operations Manager
"I've been with Websters since 2017 and have seen the company grow in ways I never could have imagined. What really stands out is how much the company genuinely cares about its team."
Jessica Pelling
Joint Office Manager
Get to know us before you get in touch
Dan and Richard lead the firm and between them they see every hire. Read their profiles, then follow them on LinkedIn. That is where new roles, team news and the odd opinion about the state of residential surveying tend to appear first, and connecting is the easiest way to keep an eye on us without committing to anything.
Richard Stacey MRICS
Director, Valuation and Leasehold Reform
Read Richard's profile → Follow Richard on LinkedIn →Would you be proud to produce this?
Before you decide whether to talk to us, read our sample reports. They are the fairest test of whether you'd fit here. If they look like the standard you already hold yourself to, or the standard you'd like to be given the time to reach, get in touch.
Read our sample reports Meet the teamQuestions people ask us
How many surveys a day would I be doing?
One, for home surveyors. That is deliberate and it isn't negotiable upwards just because a diary looks light.
Do you take on lender panel work?
No. We stay out of the volume driven lender survey market so that our surveyors can take real care over each instruction.
Is the bonus realistic?
Yes. The formula is transparent, the entry target is set low on purpose so that first year surveyors can earn properly while they get up to speed, and nearly everyone eligible achieves it. We'll show you the full policy and the numbers at interview.
Would I be office based?
Most surveyors and valuers work from home and cover a patch, with the Finchley Central office available whenever you want it. Everyone comes in once a month for the team day.
Do you take part time or consultancy arrangements?
Yes, all three arrangements are open. Tell us what you're after when you get in touch.
I'm a Sava student. Can I shadow one of your surveyors?
Possibly. Email us with your stage of the diploma and where you live, and we'll work out whether we have the capacity and which colleague would be the right fit.
Do you recruit for non-surveying roles?
Yes, from time to time. Surveyor Support, office administration, business development and quality assurance all come up as we grow. No surveying background is needed to apply.
There's no vacancy advertised for my role. Should I still write?
Yes. We're growing fast and we've hired plenty of people who wrote to us speculatively. Send a CV and, if you're a surveyor, a sample report.
Send us a CV, even speculatively
Email Dan Knowles FRICS directly for a confidential conversation. If you're a surveyor doing Home Surveys, send a sample report along with your CV, because we care more about how you write than how you interview.
Let us know whether you're after full time, part time or consultancy.
danknowles@websterssurveyors.co.uk Connect with Dan on LinkedInIf a recruitment consultant has introduced you, let them know your availability for interview, whether you're looking for full time, part time or consultancy, and pass them a sample report or two if you have them.
One survey a day.
Reports you'll be proud to sign.
Much of the market is asking surveyors to do more inspections, for lower fees, over longer days. We went the other way. If we sound like the sort of company that shares your values, read on.
Home surveyors Valuers Sava students Support rolesYear on year growth, sustained over several years
Report per day for our home surveyors. That is the whole point
Average Google review score across hundreds of clients
Founded, and growing steadily ever since
Quality over quantity isn't a slogan here. It's the business model.
Plenty of firms in this market compete on price and volume. Cheap fees, stacked diaries, and a surveyor writing up their third report at half past ten at night, worrying whether the client is really being well served by it. We looked at that and decided we didn't want to build it, and we didn't want to work in it either.
Our reasoning is simple, and it starts with the client rather than with us. Someone buying a house is making the largest financial commitment of their life, usually on a property they have stood inside for half an hour. A survey is their one proper chance to understand what they are taking on. A report produced in a hurry, on a fee that only works if the surveyor does three of them that day, risks not giving them enough of that. Get it wrong and the cost lands on them years later, in a wall, a roof or a drain.
So we price our work to allow the time it actually takes, and we think that is money well spent on a decision of this size. Our home surveyors do one report a day. That leaves room to inspect properly, write properly, and pick up the phone afterwards to talk the client through what you found in plain language. Our reports get audited. Our clients notice, and they tell other people. That is why the fees hold up, and why the growth has been between 20% and 40% a year for several years running.
Retention is the number we're proudest of. People rarely leave, and there are plenty of examples of internal promotion across the firm. Nicky joined as a newly qualified surveyor in 2020 and is now a Director.
When I founded Websters, it was with a simple goal: to challenge the status quo in surveying by building a team that genuinely enjoys its work and feels proud of what it delivers. Here, you'll never be a cog in a machine. Dan Knowles FRICS, Managing Director and Founder
Level 2 and Level 3 surveyors
This is where our approach bites hardest. We don't do lender panel work and we don't chase volume. One inspection a day, a properly researched file waiting for you before you leave the house, and the time to write a report you'd be happy to have your name on.
Our Surveyor Support team handles the desktop research and the file set-up, and our administrators book the inspections and field a large share of client questions. Sections of your report are drafted before you step on site. Most surveyors tell us the difference in admin load is the thing they notice in week one.
Reports are audited by Stephen McCarron MRICS, a Board member and past President of Propertymark, so standards stay where we want them and you get real feedback rather than silence.
You'll have a drone, GoReport, and IT that works. We invest in the latest technology because it makes the job cleaner and quicker, not because we think software can do the thinking. Professional judgment stays with the surveyor, and it always will.
We're open to approaches from
- AssocRICS, MRICS or FRICS surveyors, or someone working towards one of them
- Surveyors comfortable across Level 2 and Level 3
- People who would rather do six good surveys a week than twelve rushed ones
- Anyone happy to speak to clients directly after the inspection
Where we cover
London and the home counties, and we'll happily talk to surveyors based further out. Full time, part time and consultancy all considered.
Registered Valuers, leasehold reform and expert witness work
The valuation side of the business runs differently to home surveys, and we're honest about that. Volume pressure is less of an issue in this market. What tends to be missing elsewhere is variety and access to the interesting work.
Here you'd move between Red Book valuations for probate, capital gains, matrimonial and shared ownership matters, lease extensions and collective enfranchisement under the 1993 Act, leasehold houses under the 1967 Act, portfolio work and expert witness instructions. Our sister practice Sawyer Fielding handles compulsory purchase, so there's exposure to that too if it interests you.
Dan sits on the RICS Expert Panel for Compulsory Purchase and co-wrote the RICS Guide to Compulsory Purchase, so the technical bar is set high and there's someone to ask when a case gets awkward. We act for private clients, solicitors, charities and public sector bodies.
We're open to approaches from
- AssocRICS, MRICS or FRICS surveyors, or someone working towards one of them
- Registered Valuers, or those on the way to registration
- Surveyors with Red Book experience across residential
- Anyone drawn to leasehold reform, or willing to be trained into it
Progression
Charlie joined as a trainee in 2019 and is now a Principal Surveyor specialising in leasehold reform and Red Book valuations. That route is open.
If you're on the Sava course, we may be able to help
We have two Sava assessors in the business. Joss Dunham AssocRICS, a Director, and Richard Thompson MRICS, an Associate Director. Between them they've assessed and mentored a lot of people through the diploma, and they know exactly where candidates get stuck.
Nicky Welton MRICS, also a Director, is an APC assessor. If your longer term plan is full chartership rather than stopping at AssocRICS, we support that route and we'll pay the fees. We've had colleagues complete the Sava Diploma while working here, and graduates working towards their APC alongside the team.
We also consider requests to shadow our surveyors, including from people who don't work here. It depends on capacity and geography, so when you get in touch please tell us:
- What stage of Sava you're at
- Which part of London, or elsewhere, you live in
That lets us work out whether we can support you properly and which of our team is best placed to do it. We would rather say no than say yes and give you a wasted day.
What we cover for you
- RICS membership and Registered Valuer fees paid
- Monthly whole team training day at the Finchley office, lunch on us
- In house assessors for Sava and APC
- Shadowing senior colleagues on site
- Support through to full chartership if that's your goal
Send your CV and a note on your Sava stage to danknowles@websterssurveyors.co.uk
You don't need to be a surveyor to build a career here
A good survey doesn't start on site. It starts with the research, the file, the quote and the phone call that got the client to us in the first place. We recruit for these roles from time to time, and we treat them as careers rather than stopgaps.
Our Surveyor Support team carries out desktop research, sets up files and handles the majority of our quotes, which makes them the first person many clients speak to at length. Our administrators book the inspections, keep instructions moving and keep clients informed. Alongside them we occasionally take on people in business development and in quality assurance, where the work is about winning the right kind of instruction and making sure what leaves the office is worth the fee we charged for it.
Progression here is real rather than theoretical. Two of the people quoted on this page started in support roles and have since been promoted, one of them while completing the assessment phase of the Sava Diploma with our backing. If you join us in support and later decide you want to survey, tell us, because we would far rather train you than lose you.
No surveying background is needed. What we look for is care with detail, a calm phone manner, and a willingness to say when something doesn't look right.
Roles we recruit for
- Surveyor Support, covering desktop research, file set-ups and quoting
- Office administration and client care, including booking inspections
- Business development
- Quality assurance
How it works
Mostly office based in Finchley Central, with the same monthly team days, training and social events as everyone else. Send a CV even when nothing is advertised.
What you get for doing the job properly
A bonus scheme that actually pays out
For our RICS qualified surveyors and valuers, ours is among the best in the industry, and the targets start low deliberately. We want you earning a decent bonus in year one, when your capacity is still building and you're learning our systems. Nearly everyone who qualifies for it hits it. No inflated OTEs that nobody in the office has ever reached.
Paid in two instalments, April and October, pro rata in your first year. Ask us for the full policy and the worked figures at interview. A smaller discretionary bonus is available to team members who aren't RICS qualified.
Salary
We pay well, and above most of our direct competitors. We can do that because our fees are higher, and our fees are higher because of how we work.
Support team
Desktop research, file set-ups, appointment booking and first line client questions handled for you. More fee earning time, less admin, better bonus.
Fees and training paid
RICS membership and Registered Valuer fees covered. Monthly team training days combining in house expertise with external providers.
Electric car scheme
Salary sacrifice through electriccarscheme.com. No deposit, and the monthly payment covers insurance, servicing, tyres, breakdown and road tax.
Bupa private healthcare
Available to everyone through salary sacrifice, with the option to include your partner and family members living with you.
Weekend fee splits
Optional and by arrangement. If you want extra earnings and flexibility, take on occasional weekend work on a 50% fee split.
Charity giving you choose
We've donated over £30,000 across the years, and every cause has been nominated by someone in the team rather than picked by the board.
Home based, with a proper office to come back to
We cover London and the home counties from our head office in Finchley Central. Most of our surveyors and valuers are home based and work from their patch, with desk space in Finchley whenever they want it.
Once a month the whole team comes into the office for a team day. Training from our own specialists and outside providers, time to work through problem cases together, and lunch on the company. Christmas trips have included two nights in a Cotswold cottage cooking dinner together and an overnight stay in Brussels.
Not our words
"Since joining in 2020 as a newly qualified surveyor, I've progressed to Director. What I enjoy most is the variety of work I get to be involved in. No two days are the same, and I'm never restricted to just one area."
Nicky Welton MRICS
Director, APC assessor
"I joined in mid 2023 with the promise of a better work life balance, a supportive team and career progression. Websters have delivered on all fronts and then some. I can spend more time with my children and even help with the school runs."
Joss Dunham AssocRICS
Director, Sava assessor
"Since joining in 2021 I've experienced genuine career growth in a culture built on trust and autonomy. Beyond my fee earning work I've been encouraged to contribute to software development and client engagement."
Stuart Boughey MRICS
Associate Director
"I joined as a Graduate and the level of responsibility, client exposure and variety of work I've had is far beyond what many of my peers in other firms have seen."
Alex Ainslie
Graduate Surveyor
"I joined as Surveyor Support and have since been promoted, whilst completing the assessment phase of the Sava Diploma. People here genuinely go out of their way to help."
Natalie Sharp
Project and Operations Manager
"I've been with Websters since 2017 and have seen the company grow in ways I never could have imagined. What really stands out is how much the company genuinely cares about its team."
Jessica Pelling
Joint Office Manager
Get to know us before you get in touch
Dan and Richard lead the firm and between them they see every hire. Read their profiles, then follow them on LinkedIn. That is where new roles, team news and the odd opinion about the state of residential surveying tend to appear first, and connecting is the easiest way to keep an eye on us without committing to anything.
Richard Stacey MRICS
Director, Valuation and Leasehold Reform
Read Richard's profile → Follow Richard on LinkedIn →Would you be proud to produce this?
Before you decide whether to talk to us, read our sample reports. They are the fairest test of whether you'd fit here. If they look like the standard you already hold yourself to, or the standard you'd like to be given the time to reach, get in touch.
Read our sample reports Meet the teamQuestions people ask us
How many surveys a day would I be doing?
One, for home surveyors. That is deliberate and it isn't negotiable upwards just because a diary looks light.
Do you take on lender panel work?
No. We stay out of the volume driven lender survey market so that our surveyors can take real care over each instruction.
Is the bonus realistic?
Yes. The formula is transparent, the entry target is set low on purpose so that first year surveyors can earn properly while they get up to speed, and nearly everyone eligible achieves it. We'll show you the full policy and the numbers at interview.
Would I be office based?
Most surveyors and valuers work from home and cover a patch, with the Finchley Central office available whenever you want it. Everyone comes in once a month for the team day.
Do you take part time or consultancy arrangements?
Yes, all three arrangements are open. Tell us what you're after when you get in touch.
I'm a Sava student. Can I shadow one of your surveyors?
Possibly. Email us with your stage of the diploma and where you live, and we'll work out whether we have the capacity and which colleague would be the right fit.
Do you recruit for non-surveying roles?
Yes, from time to time. Surveyor Support, office administration, business development and quality assurance all come up as we grow. No surveying background is needed to apply.
There's no vacancy advertised for my role. Should I still write?
Yes. We're growing fast and we've hired plenty of people who wrote to us speculatively. Send a CV and, if you're a surveyor, a sample report.
Send us a CV, even speculatively
Email Dan Knowles FRICS directly for a confidential conversation. If you're a surveyor doing Home Surveys, send a sample report along with your CV, because we care more about how you write than how you interview.
Let us know whether you're after full time, part time or consultancy.
danknowles@websterssurveyors.co.uk Connect with Dan on LinkedInIf a recruitment consultant has introduced you, let them know your availability for interview, whether you're looking for full time, part time or consultancy, and pass them a sample report or two if you have them.