Surveyors and Valuers Accreditation is an independent standard setting body for
property practitioners who are members of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

What is SAVA?
Surveyors and Valuers Accreditation is an independent standard setting body for property practitioners who are members of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. The assurance that work is being undertaken to recognised levels of competence is important for the maintenance of public confidence. For surveyors and valuers to enjoy the benefits of describing themselves as 'SAVA Accredited', they are required to satisfy the rigorous criteria set by SAVA. Customers and Clients of SAVA Accredited Surveyors not only have the assurance that their chosen practitioner has been assessed against the SAVA criteria, but that the work of that practitioner is subject to scrutiny and audit by SAVA whenever necessary. Loss of his/her accreditation can follow if work is not found to be up to the recognised SAVA standards. As if this was not enough to maintain and build the public's confidence in their home buying exercise, SAVA is developing new, products to add greater'peace of mind' for those involved in buying a home. The first of these is the SAVA Approved 'Hidden Defects Insurance', which is only available to Clients of SAVA Accredited Surveyors and Valuers. Surveyors and Valuers perform a significant and valuable role in the complex process of home buying and selling by giving impartial and professional advice. The engagement of a SAVA Accredited surveyor and valuer gives the consumer the assurance that the necessary skills have recently been tested and that they are 'up to the job'.

What accreditation means to Clients and Customers
Accreditation brings with it the assurance that all Accredited Surveyors and Valuers:

• are also members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, a professional Institution with over 100,000 members working in a wide range of specialisms in the UK and all over the world, membership of which is only available to those who accept and conform to the Institution's comprehensive Code of Conduct
• will hold Professional Indemnity Insurance to the high standards set by the RICS
• will operate a 'Complaints Handling Procedure' to the standards required by RICS
• will have submitted themselves to an assessment of their competence by SAVA
• will be required to update and maintain their skills and knowledge on a regular basis
• will have satisfied SAVA they have the necessary experience to carry out the work for which accreditation is offered
• will be subjected to random audit of their work
• will be required to work to Benchmarked levels of competence, which are published and which are available for the public to inspect. These benchmarks include the skills of satisfactory property inspection and report writing
• will be able to offer the added assurance of 'Hidden Defects Insurance'
• will be keen and competent to offer a prompt and efficient service and provide an easily understood report.

By not only setting standards in surveying, but monitoring and enforcing them, SAVA is confident that the safest choice is to use a SAVA Accredited Surveyor.
Would you expose your Customers and Clients to lesser standards?

The Future
HM Government is reviewing the 'Home Buying and Selling Process' and presently plans to incorporate a 'Home Condition Report' into a mandatory pre- marketing 'Sellers Pack', to be collated by sellers before they put their homes up for sale.
These changes could come about as early as January 2003.
In the interests of 'Protecting the Consumer' it is presently the Government's desire that 'Home Condition Reports'will only be undertaken by practitioners who have been through a process of accreditation or certification.
It is also planned that access to these reports will be through a central databank the users of which will only be inspectors who have achieved accredited or certificated status.

It pays to think 'SAVA Accredited'