RICS Retrofit Standards: What Surveyors Need to Know

If you work in surveying today, you’ll know retrofit has gone from a niche idea to something you hear about constantly. Clients are asking for clearer guidance, contractors want consistent instructions, and surveyors like you are trying to understand what the RICS retrofit standard actually means for reporting, liability, and day-to-day practice.

There’s a huge amount of information circulating about retrofit standards, but the RICS approach is far more straightforward than many expect. It works a bit like a map; the standards won’t walk the route for you, but it does keep you pointed in the right direction and away from avoidable mistakes. Once you understand what RICS expects, your surveys become more structured, safer, and easier to defend if a client questions your recommendations later on.

To make everything simple, this guide breaks the RICS retrofit standards into clear sections that answer the real questions surveyors ask most often.

Here’s what we’ll cover next:

• What the RICS retrofit standard is and why it matters now

• Who the standard applies to and where surveyors fit

• How the RICS retrofit process works in practice

• Required competencies and risk considerations

• How digital data capture supports compliance

• How surveyors can reduce admin while delivering higher-quality retrofit assessments

• FAQs, including a quick comparison with PAS 2035 and PAS 2038

The RICS Retrofit Standard is the professional statement that sets out how RICS members should approach retrofit projects. It outlines a structured approach to assessing buildings, managing risk, documenting decisions, and advising clients on appropriate upgrade measures. Compliance is mandatory for RICS professionals.

It’s built around three core expectations:

• Assess buildings accurately
• Recommend retrofit measures that are safe, suitable, and evidence-based
• Record and justify your decisions clearly

The standard isn’t trying to turn every surveyor into an energy consultant. Instead, it aims to make retrofit advice consistent, dependable, and defensible. That last point matters, especially when the industry is increasingly scrutinised by lenders, insurers, and clients who expect quantifiable reasoning rather than loose observations scribbled in the margins of a PDF.

There’s a simple reason this standard took shape: the UK and Ireland have some of the oldest, least efficient buildings in Europe. Government policy is tightening, but homeowners want to reduce bills without accidentally creating mould farms in their lofts.

Surveyors were already being pulled into the retrofit conversation. The RICS retrofit standard simply gives them a safer, clearer structure to operate within.

You might also recognise some background pressures:

• EPC expectations creeping upwards

• The shift toward sustainable construction and refurbishment

• Insurance requirements for moisture risk assessments

• Public sector frameworks demanding structured compliance

If you’re surveying older properties, retrofit isn’t really optional anymore. It’s part of the job, and that’s exactly what this standard formalises.

The standard applies to any RICS member who delivers retrofit-related advice. Even if retrofit isn’t your main service, you fall within scope if you:

• Deliver condition surveys that lead to retrofit work

• Provide reports that include improvement recommendations

• Prepare specifications for energy-related upgrades

• Work on commercial or residential buildings where retrofit decisions are made

• Offer consultancy guidance about insulation, ventilation, building fabric, or mechanical upgrades

In other words, if you even touch retrofit advice, this standard is now part of your professional framework. This sometimes surprises surveyors, especially those who assumed retrofit belonged mainly to designers and engineers. However, RICS sees surveyors as central to identifying baseline condition, risks, defects, and suitability of proposed measures.

While the official document is full of detail, the heart of the standard can be understood through a few key pillars.

1. Competency and Experience

Surveyors must only deliver retrofit advice they’re competent to give. That includes knowing:

• Building pathology

• Moisture behaviour

• Construction types

• Ventilation requirements

• Interaction between building fabric and energy measures

• Risks of unintended consequences

Competency also requires appropriate CPD. The standard is clear that retrofit knowledge isn’t static. Materials change. Methods change. Even regulations change faster than most people would like.

Competency isn’t just self-assessed. You must be able to prove it. That’s where structured reporting tools help, because your recordkeeping becomes part of your evidence base as your expertise grows.

2. Understanding the Existing Building

RICS stresses that every retrofit project begins with a thorough understanding of the existing building. That includes:

• Condition

• Defects

• Moisture movement

• Construction method

• Past alterations

• Performance limitations

• Occupancy behaviour

This is also where digital surveying platforms come into their own. Accurate data capture means fewer gaps in your report, fewer assumptions, and fewer headaches when someone inevitably asks you six months later why you recommended a particular measure. If you want to make this step easier, our page on sustainable construction methods sets the broader context for why these assessments matter.

3. Risk Assessment

Retrofit is all about balancing risks. A change in one area influences another, whether it’s insulation affecting moisture behaviour, window replacements altering airflow, or heating upgrades struggling without fabric improvements. Understanding these interactions is what keeps a project on track.

The RICS retrofit standard requires surveyors to assess risk across:

• Moisture

• Structural impact

• Longevity of materials

• Fire safety

• Occupant wellbeing

• Suitability for the building’s type and age

A good rule is this: if a building feels like it will object loudly to a measure, it’s probably unsuitable. That gut feeling is exactly what the standard wants you to formalise and document.

4. Clear, Justified Recommendations

Clients want straight answers, but they also want the reassurance that your recommendations are based on evidence, not hunches. The standard requires surveyors to:

• Explain why measures are suitable

• Highlight potential unintended consequences

• Give clear sequencing guidance

• Record assumptions

• Provide alternative options where appropriate

• Explain limitations in your assessment

This clarity protects both you and the client. This is where structured reporting tools like GoReport help you create consistent, audit-ready reports.

5. Documentation and Recordkeeping

The RICS standard places heavy emphasis on recordkeeping. Surveyors must document:

• Observations

• Risks

• Reasoning

• Decisions

• Limitations

• External data sources

• Client discussions

• Agreed scopes

Digital data capture makes this far easier. If you’re still juggling Word documents, PDFs, and photos on different devices, it’s time to tidy your workflow. Many surveyors now streamline everything using digital platforms to keep their retrofit work compliant and traceable.

If you want to modernise your process, you can explore GoReport’s digital data capture tools and see how a structured workflow reduces admin stress almost instantly.

Now that we’ve outlined what the standard contains, let’s map out how it actually translates into real survey work.

Step 1. Initial Client Discussion

You identify what the client wants, their goals, their budget, and any constraints. Many clients come with strong opinions. Some think external wall insulation solves everything, while others fear it. Your job is to translate expectations into a realistic retrofit path.

Step 2. Survey and Data Capture

This is the foundation of everything else. A detailed building assessment covers:

• Fabric and structure

• Services

• Ventilation systems

• Moisture risks

• Construction type

• Alteration history

This is also the stage where a digital platform gives you far more reliability than a manual form or a scattered photo roll.

Step 3. Risk Analysis

You review how retrofit options interact with the building. For example:

• Will internal insulation trap moisture?

• Does the building rely on air leakage for ventilation?

• Do proposed measures reduce thermal bridging or worsen it?

• Is a fabric upgrade needed before heating changes?

Risk doesn’t mean stopping progress. It simply means making considered decisions.

Step 4. Recommendations and Sequencing

Retrofit works best when sequenced. Clients appreciate a clear roadmap, especially when budgets must be prioritised.

Step 5. Communication and Reporting

Reports must be:

• Clear

• Evidence-based

• Structured

• Accessible to clients who don’t speak technical jargon

This is where GoReport supports surveyors with consistent layouts, embedded photos, comments, and guided workflows.

Step 6. Ongoing Support (Where Contracted)

Some surveyors provide retrofit support across multiple stages. Others limit their involvement. Either way, the standard expects clear boundaries.

Not every surveyor plays the same part in a retrofit project. RICS identifies several possible roles:

Advisor

Giving retrofit guidance to clients at early stages.

Assessor

Completing the condition assessment and identifying risks.

Designer (where qualified)

Preparing specifications for retrofit measures.

Inspector

Checking installation quality to ensure measures meet expected standards.

You don’t need to fill all roles, but you should declare which roles you are taking on and avoid creating accidental liability. Clear communication protects you.

Many surveyors have shared similar issues when adapting to the standard. You might recognise a few:

• Clients who want quick answers without a full survey

• Pressure to approve measures that aren’t suitable

• Limited access to historical building data

• Confusion around moisture behaviour in older buildings

• Cheap retrofit installations that later cause disputes

• The need to evidence competency even if you’ve been surveying for decades

These challenges don’t make the standard difficult; they make it necessary. Clear documentation and structured processes protect surveyors as much as clients. When you combine good judgement with a solid reporting system, retrofit becomes far more manageable than it first appears.

This is where things get interesting. Many surveyors find the retrofit standard entirely manageable, except for the admin burden. Notes, photos, risk matrices, and client discussions pile up quickly.

Digital data capture and structured reporting cut out the manual chaos. For example:

• Templates ensure compliance for every survey

• Drop-downs reduce inconsistent terminology

• Photo tagging improves clarity

• Automated recommendations avoid repetitive typing

• Cloud storage centralises all documentation

GoReport works with surveyors across the UK and Ireland to streamline condition surveys, retrofit assessments, and wider building reports. If you want a practical look at how it supports your workflow, you can book a free demo of our software and see it in action.

Is the RICS Retrofit Standard mandatory?

Yes. It is a professional statement, which means RICS members must follow it.

How is the RICS retrofit standard different from PAS 2035?

PAS 2035 is a government-endorsed framework mainly used in domestic retrofit schemes, especially funded programmes. The RICS standard is a professional statement covering surveyors across all building types. PAS 2035 defines roles like Retrofit Assessor and Retrofit Coordinator, whereas the RICS standard focuses on the surveyor’s responsibilities.

Where does PAS 2038 fit in?

PAS 2038 applies to non-domestic retrofit projects. Again, it is project-focused, while the RICS standard is profession-focused. Many surveyors work across both frameworks.

Do surveyors need energy modelling skills?

Not necessarily. The RICS retrofit standard does not require surveyors to become energy modelers, but it does require them to understand how retrofit measures interact with the building.

Can I decline to give retrofit guidance if I’m not competent?

Yes, and the standard advises this. You must not work outside your competence. You can, however, signpost the client to someone who can help.

Does the standard apply to commercial surveying?

Yes. It applies to both domestic and non-domestic buildings wherever retrofit advice is given.

Do digital tools help with compliance?

Absolutely. Structured digital data capture is one of the easiest ways to document compliance, manage photos, record reasoning, and reduce admin time.