The latest survey conducted by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has found that many professionals within the property surveying sector in the UK continue to work from home.
As a result, virtual inspections and data collection are much more common than they were before the global pandemic. According to the RICS data, almost half of the professionals surveyed are continuing to work mostly from home as of August.
Other changes that have come about in the profession as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak include social distancing protocols on sites, as well as increased investment in cloud storage and enhanced risk assessments.
Although there are many challenges in this sector at present, many of those questioned are optimistic about the future of the property industry in the UK. 62 per cent of those surveyed said they were cautiously optimistic about the next 12 to 24 months.
Some 13 per cent stated that they were highly confident in the sector, with only six per cent revealing that they have a low level of confidence in the outlook for the next year to two years.
In addition, 40 per cent are slightly concerned by the immediate impact of the pandemic, with the same percentage revealing they feel concerned. Only 20 per cent said they were very concerned by the immediate impact the pandemic has had on the sector.
Planning and Building Control Today recently shared how Hollis has been making use of technology to improve the data available to professionals and enable virtual surveys. The company has accelerated the use of drones and 360 degree cameras at its sites, for instance.
Hollis has also been conducting virtual walk-throughs of properties to allow inspections that would previously have been carried out in person to be done remotely.
If you need the assistance of London building surveyors, contact us today.