Current Residential Property Issues 2026

KEY SUBJECTS

• Home Survey Standard Update
• Energy And Retrofit Update For Surveyors
• Building Defects – Chimneys
• Building Control Update: Everything You Need To Know About What’s Changed In Building Standards And Regulations
• Complaints Without The Drama: Practical Complaint Handling For SME Surveyors
• Heat Pumps – A Mysterious Grey Box, The Future Of Home Heating, Or A Disaster Waiting To Happen?

SPEAKERS

Larry Russen, Chartered Building Surveyor, Consultant Russen & Turner and Allied Surveyors

Prof Richard Fitton (FRICS PhD), Chartered Building Surveyor

Peter Keam, Principal Building Control Surveyor, Cornwall Council

Marion Ellis, Chartered Surveyor & Complaint Handling Consultant

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

9.30am Chairman’s Introduction

Home Survey Standard Update

The RICS HSS is mandatory, a ‘must’ for all surveyors preparing surveys for clients – this interactive presentation will deal with some of the suggested changes, so you are HSS-compliant.

• Fundamental changes and differences in 2^nd edition
• Competence – what it means
• ‘Check’ and ‘test’ – what the definitions mean
• Assessing and reporting risks to people
• Typical ‘record of information’, i.e. site notes
• Inspecting and reporting – differences between the levels

Larry Russen, Chartered Building Surveyor, Consultant Russen & Turner and Allied Surveyors

Energy And Retrofit Update For Surveyors

The world of domestic retrofit and energy perforce is rapidly changing, with huge changes coming to EPCs, minimum requirements for performance of rented homes and some very significant recent retrofit disasters, this field is difficult to ignore.  This talk will guide us through this with real world practical advice for surveyors and property experts.

• EPC changes and updates
• MEES updates and new requirements
• Recent changes to government policy
• What we are likely to see on the ground as surveyors

Prof Richard Fitton (FRICS PhD), Chartered Building Surveyor

Building Defects – Chimneys

Chimneys are the part of a property that can perform an important structural role but are sometimes neglected due to the costs and difficulties of access outside and inside – this interactive presentation will offer guidance on some of the main issues surveyors should address.

• External structure, buttressing, flaunching, pots, flashings and fillets
• Roof space problems – water, fire risks
• Removal of chimneys
• Chimney breasts inside – problems with flue linings
• Retrofit of flue linings
• Ventilation for combustion

Larry Russen, Chartered Building Surveyor, Consultant Russen & Turner and Allied Surveyors

Building Control Update: Everything You Need To Know About What’s Changed In Building Standards And Regulations

• Building Safety Act and Building Safety Regulator
• Industry competency developments
• Changes to building regulations
• Competent Persons Scheme update
• Building control enforcement and sanctions changes
• Regularisation for unauthorised work

Peter Keam, Principal Building Control Surveyor, Cornwall Council

Complaints Without The Drama: Practical Complaint Handling For SME Surveyors

This session offers SME surveying practices a practical, structured approach to complaint handling that reduces risk, improves client communication, and meets regulatory expectations with confidence and clarity.

• Understand why effective complaint handling is essential risk management for SME firms
• Identify common complaint triggers and how to prevent them in everyday practice
• Learn a simple triage approach to assess and prioritise complaints early
• Navigate regulatory expectations and complaint pathways — including what good practice looks like
• Communicate confidently and constructively with complainants, even when conversations feel difficult
• Turn complaint insights into improvements in systems, reports, and client experience

Marion Ellis, Chartered Surveyor & Complaint Handling Consultant

Heat Pumps – A Mysterious Grey Box, The Future Of Home Heating, Or A Disaster Waiting To Happen?

This session will walk us through the workings of these devices, the good, the bad and the ugly.  What can they do, what can’t they do, who should have them and how much do they cost?  All of these questions and more will be answered in straightforward language aimed at surveyors, delivered by a chartered building surveyor – Prof Richard Fitton

• How do they work?
• What are they good for?
• Are there limitations?
• What does recent research tell us about the units?

Prof Richard Fitton (FRICS PhD), Chartered Building Surveyor

5pm Close of Proceedings