RPSA vs RICS Surveys: What's the Difference?

The short answer

RPSA (the Residential Property Surveyors Association) and RICS (the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) are two separate professional bodies, and a surveyor certified by either one is qualified to carry out residential surveys. Both work to the same Level 1/2/3 Home Survey framework, so the report you receive is directly comparable whichever body sits behind it.

The honest position on "RPSA vs RICS" is that the letters after a surveyor's name tell you less than people assume. What really shapes the quality of your survey is the individual — their residential experience, how carefully they inspect, and whether they are genuinely independent. Anslow is RPSA-certified: Chris Anslow is an MRPSA member, ANS3259, and works purely on residential property.

What RPSA is

The RPSA is a professional association specifically for surveyors who specialise in residential property. Its members do not spread their attention across commercial, valuation or land disciplines — they focus on homes: houses, flats, conversions, period and modern construction. That residential specialism is the point of the body.

An RPSA-certified surveyor is trained and assessed to inspect and report on dwellings, and works to recognised technical standards and a code of conduct. The MRPSA designation — Member of the RPSA — signals that residential focus. When you see "MRPSA, member ANS3259" on our reports, that is Chris Anslow's RPSA membership.

What RICS is

RICS, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, is the larger and older professional body, and it is the name most buyers recognise. It covers a very broad range of surveying: residential and commercial building surveying, valuation, quantity surveying, land and property management, and more. A "chartered surveyor" is a RICS member (for example MRICS or FRICS).

Because RICS spans so many disciplines, being RICS-qualified does not, on its own, tell you that a particular surveyor specialises in residential property. Many excellent residential surveyors are RICS members — the point is simply that the badge is broader than one field. To be clear: Anslow is RPSA-certified, not RICS, and we never describe ourselves as chartered or RICS-registered.

What they share — the Level 1/2/3 standard

The most important thing to understand about "RPSA or RICS survey" is what they have in common. Both bodies adopt the same three-level Home Survey framework, so the survey you buy is structured the same way regardless of the body:

• Level 1 — a concise condition report for newer, conventional homes in good order.
• Level 2 — the mid-level Home Survey, suitable for most standard properties in reasonable condition.
• Level 3 — the detailed Building Survey for older, altered, extended or non-standard properties.

Whichever body certifies the surveyor, a Level 2 is a Level 2 and a Level 3 is a Level 3 — the same defined scope and the same clear condition ratings. If you are weighing the mid and detailed options, our guide on Level 2 vs Level 3: which do you need? walks through how to choose, and you can compare all our survey levels side by side. This shared framework is exactly why "is RPSA as good as RICS?" has a straightforward answer: the deliverable is directly comparable.

How to choose a surveyor

Rather than choosing on initials, weigh the things that genuinely affect your report. First, residential specialism — a surveyor who works only on homes will recognise the defects that matter in a house more readily than a generalist. Second, independence — an independent practice with no tie to an estate agent, lender or panel is free to report exactly what it finds. Third, the individual: their qualifications, experience and how clearly they explain problems.

On all three counts an RPSA surveyor stands on equal footing with a RICS one. Anslow is an independent, RPSA-certified residential practice covering Greater Manchester, Cheshire and the wider North West, and every survey is carried out and signed off by Chris Anslow MRPSA — member ANS3259, carrying £1m professional indemnity and £2m public liability cover. If the professional body behind a surveyor ever matters to your lender or solicitor, ask us directly and we will confirm exactly what our RPSA certification means for your purchase.