Yacht & Marine Surveyors

CHOOSING a surveyor

There are many people advertising themselves as Yacht and Marine surveyors. There is no legal requirement for qualifications or membership of governing bodies. You would think there should be.

Recommendations from past clients or friends are always a good starting point.

For reassurance you should look for membership of a regulatory body as they monitor and maintain the standards of the surveys and reports, they also can provide redress if there is cause for complaint.

Check that your chosen surveyor has Professional indemnity and Public Liability insurance and carefully look at their terms and conditions.

Choose a surveyor that explains your boat to you in plain English so you can react appropriately, and one that gives clear recommendations and advice. Recommendations are items that must be fixed in a given time scale for safety or insurability. Anything else is just advice.  

When you are selecting your surveyor, you should:

1.  Ask what practical training they have

2.  Receive a scope of work to be carried out

3.  Ask what regulating body they are part of

4.  Agree to review their insurance certificate if you wish to contract them

5.  Finally ask for a sample of their previous work

Marine Surveys UK ticks all the boxes and all of the information is available in this site.