What's in my Kit Bag?

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I really like this bag. Big enough to hold my kit, small enough to carry around easily. A great price. Lots of little pockets for your items. Screwfix - £14.99 

A good quality laser measure - that is reliable and accurate. Check the maximum distance of the one you want to buy. Gardens can be long. Screwfix £49.99

If you do paper site notes this is essential!

4 colours in one pen. The red one (pictured above) has a finer nib than the blue one. 

Box of 12 - £14.66 - Amazon.

 The Protimeter Surveymaster is the industry standard Moisture Meter.

They are expensive and if you choose to work for a corporate company – Esurv, Countrywide etc, upon qualification, you will be given one. 

So… should you buy one for the sake of a 12 month assessment period? The other option is to buy a very cheap one from online – the Stanley 077030 moisture meter is currently £22.00 on Amazon. You could use this during your studies, accepting that it is not as reliable, nor does it have the scanning mode. You would need to explain to your assessor the limitations, the reasons you are using it and hope they accept this. Or you could buy the Protimeter now and always have one. It’s a decision for you.

Online - Around £420.00.

I have 2 pairs. One for roof spaces etc and one for drains - which I keep in a plastic bag with my other drain equipment.

Screwfix - £1.49 a pair.

A mask for wearing in roof spaces and other areas. Suitable for asbestos protection. You might not realise until it's too late you're in a confined space with asbestos present.

Screwfix - From £5.50.

A good quality tape measure. The cheap ones can be flimsy when opened to a long distance. The SAVA one is good but a touch on the heavy side.

Screwfix £8.99.

Lets hope we don't need these for long. But for now essential. Familiarise yourself with the current RICS Covid guidance before a survey.

Another essential to keep everyone safe.

I use mine for taking photographs then upload them to my laptop when I get back. It also means I always have it on me in case of an emergency. 

(Be careful of cutting and pasting images to your laptop - they can get lost if there is an error - always copy and paste - or better still auto upload to a cloud service)

Obviously an essential. 

I use digital site notes now (see below) but I always keep paper site notes in the car in case of a technological issue.

I've seen people use rain covers for the clipboard, but I used to keep the clipboard in a doorway/garage/boot of my car if it was heavily raining.

I use an old pair handed down through my family. Old and heavy but very good.

I recommend you do some research into what magnification you want before you buy. They come in a variety of options.

The Surveymaster moisture meter uses 9v batteries and has a habit of using them up quickly. The last thing you want is a dead damp meter at a survey. £6.00 for 2 online.

A small plastic ruler that has measurements specifically for cracks. I think its brilliant despite being very expensive for what it is. £15.99 - Amazon.

Really handy for a variety of uses. From wiping your hands to cleaning your ladder bottoms before you put it on a  carpet.

I use a headtorch for surveying. I do this because - I have one for climbing and mountaineering and – It allows me to keep both hands free which is very handy for working in roof spaces etc and they are extremely bright and make surveying dark spaces very easy and effective. 

I’ve seen surveyors using the torch on their mobile phone and it makes me shudder with what would happen if they were questioned in court… I don’t think a judge would look kindly on a surveyor using a phone light as their main piece of kit. – (Just my opinion).

I would suggest the Petzl Swift RL 900 Lumen Head Torch. Its about £90, small and light and incredibly bright.

I don't use it often, but its very cheap and will show you exactly which way a floor is sloping.

Useful as a bradawl, for poking into wet wood to see if it is rotten.

Also surprisingly handy for a variety of other unexpected things. I'd go for a simple cheap and light one. About £12.00 online.

A backup for my mobile phone camera. I use one that I have always had. I've not had to use it yet, but its available so that a survey wouldn't have to stop if my phone broke.

I use two 15 inch utility bars from Screwfix. They are fit neatly into the kit bag and work really well at lifting heavy drainage covers. I have a heavy duty plastic bag to wrap them up in as they touch drains regularly. £5.89 each from Screwfix.

A multi point services/gas box key, so that you can gain access to outside services boxes. £1.99 from Screwfix.

A pair of drain keys for lifting lighter drain covers. I often just use my crowbars, but they are good too. £6.99 per pair - Screwfix.

 The Level 2 Survey is non invasive. Should you have a screwdriver?

Well what happens if the access to the roof space is blocked by a single piece of wood with a solitary large and easy to remove screw? Would you expect a surveyor to remove it and go in? 

I’ll let you make that decision, but I would certainly remove it and be examining the space behind! This tool is great because it is a ratchet to save your wrist and has loads of different pieces for different screws. £11.99 Screwfix.

Used for checking if external walls are straight and true. Tie it off and hang it out of a window.

£4.99 - Screwfix.

Used for working out the orientation of the property and considering weather patterns.

A digital one on your phone would probably be fine, but as a climber I happen to have a few around. Be careful of keeping them near magnetic things as it can reverse the polarity.

Around £12.50 online.

A strong magnet. Used for checking if items are made of metal - in particular if soil pipes are made of asbestos. I keep mine on a brightly coloured string to find it easily. I also keep it on the far side of my kit bag to my compass.

My large spirit level lives in my car (see below) but I keep a small one in my kit bag to check from the level of door frames etc in a property.

Set of 4 different sizes Screwfix - £37.99

As I use a lot of technology in my survey a  powerbank is essential in case any of the batteries run out.

About £25.00 online.

Surveys can be long and cold. I like to make a survey enjoyable and take my time. A cup of coffee to mark the changeover between the external and internal inspection is both a pleasant reward and a time to stop and reflect on your findings.

I've done inspections that have taken far longer than originally anticipated and feeling hungry can really affect concentration. A spare bar of something is easy to carry and handy.

Telescopic ladders. I got mine from Amazon (see above) They work well and aren’t excessively heavy. They also have EN standards – so I assume are safe to use – make your own judgement. However they have a bit of flex to them (I weigh 70kg) so the larger surveyor might want something more robust. Amazon - £68.19 for 3.8m length.

Long Spirit levels for checking walls and floors.

Again the £37.99 set from Screwfix seems good value.

I high vis vest. Essential for building sites (new build valuations). I also wear mine for external inspections of all properties. I think it gives a clear, professional image. 

About £10 online.

Another essential for the building site.

Screwfix - variety of prices but the £29.98 pair do me well.

Building site essential number 3.

Choose white - colours signify roles on building sites I'm told.

£5.98 Screwfix.

Handy for putting in a doorway of a newly refurbished house with no door mats and brand new cream carpets when its raining and muddy outside...!!

I know this sounds simple, but surveys in the winter months are cold and wet. get a decent warm/waterproof set of coats to make your job nicer and your concentration higher.

As per the warm coat. They take the edge off the cold. Many houses aren't heated when you inspect them, and can be freezing inside.

Personally I have one and use it for checking gutters and external cracks high up (such as cavity wall tie cracks). Cheap and handy. However some surveyors think it can cause problems with litigation issues. So ensure your terms and conditions are updated appropriately.

I now use a tablet - The Surface Go - for digital site notes. Its fantastic and the drawing capability is amazing.

It also means I don't have to store paper site notes for 15 years!

About £500 online.

I'm lucky enough to have a close friend who runs a commercial drone company. He's trained me and assisted with my Drone Pilot Licence and risk assessments etc.

A digital endoscope for inspecting into cavities and voids.

Tricky to use so get plenty of practice before you need it for real.