Financial solutions for Property Surveyors and Valuers

Chartered Surveyors and Valuers may simply offer mortgage valuations, homebuyer's survey and valuations, or provide a wide range of services, from full building surveys, quantity surveying, land surveying, auctioneering and even estate management.

It is unusual for any individual to have expertise in all areas. It is, therefore, very common to set up partnerships or companies to create general practices able to offer a wider spectrum of surveying services. However, even though you could be routinely dealing with high-cost projects with budgets in the millions, securing the funding you need for your own practice can be challenging.

At Rangewell we work with both established and new Property Surveyor and Valuers across the UK to help them find the financial solutions that they need.

Understanding your funding options

You may need to find the right funding to allow you to:

• Set up a new practice
• Buy into an existing surveying practice
• Acquire premises
• Acquire equipment and assets
• Provide working capital
• Cashflow finance
• Finance growth
• Deal with tax
• Deal with problems

Setting up a new practice

If you are ready to set up as an independent Chartered Surveyor and Valuer, you may believe that your funding needs are small - that your skills and experience are your main asset. However, building up a list of profitable clients, and achieving enough momentum to generate business through referrals could take years.

A serviced office will require an upfront payment, while renting a small, independent office will mean acquiring everything from a desk and chair to a computer. Electricity and business rates will have to be paid for, and you will need to invest in local marketing which, these days, should probably include setting up a website. With these ongoing commitments, you will need to arrange funding to keep your business running while you work to take it to the next level.

These days, your bank may not be able to lend if you’re starting up a new business venture - even when you are a qualified professional. An overdraft used to be a versatile solution for fledgeling businesses, but since the credit crunch, these may also be increasingly difficult to arrange with your bank.

At Rangewell, we understand the challenges - and know the lenders who can support new business ventures. Find out more about new business funding for Chartered Surveyor and Valuers.

Buying into an existing Chartered Surveyors and Valuers practice

If you are an experienced Surveyor and Valuer you may wish to buy into an existing practice as a partner, or even buy it outright. The costs involved may depend on the turnover of the practice as it stands, and its potential. Alternatively, if you already own an established practice, you might want to consider acquisitions, mergers or expansion. However, the costs involved may be substantial.

We can help you secure a number of solutions to let you buy into an established practice, which can reflect your professional status with a highly competitive loan.

These include funding for partner Buy-ins and Buyouts, which will let you become a partner or acquire an entire business, and business acquisition funding, which often takes to the form of a Secured Loan.

We can also provide solutions to let you selectively acquire assets - such as the goodwill and client list - from an existing business which may be closing down for reasons such as retirement.

Funding premises for Surveyors and Valuers

Premises can represent a major investment for any business - and you are in a unique position to understand both the importance of having the premises you need along with the costs involved. Naturally, the actual cost of renting even a small office will depend on your location, and the square footage you need - it may be best to take on more space than might be strictly necessary to allow you to take on assistants or a partner in the future. Remember, there may be service charges and business rates on top of the bare lease, plus you may need upfront funding in order to secure the agreement - we can help provide a number of solutions to assist you with this.

However, renting means ongoing costs and puts your practice at risk of rent increases. Buying your premises with the help of a Commercial Mortgage could actually decrease your monthly outgoings and provide your business with a valuable asset for the future. Commercial Mortgages can help you buy your premises or even an existing practice. Of course, all Commercial Property Finance is arranged on an individual basis - but as a property professional, you should have no difficulty in securing preferential rates that reflect your status. We can provide solutions which will let you buy the premises you already operate from or buy a new freehold property to use as your offices in the future.

Refurbishing your premises

Buying premises may be a sound move for your practice, but you may find that your ideal property does not exist, and that you may need to make an additional investment to bring premises up to the standard you require.

We can provide solutions which will let you fund refurbishments - from light decoration to major extensions and building work.

Funding for Surveyors and Valuers equipment

Whether you are starting up, buying into an existing practice, or ready to move your current Surveyor and Valuing operation on, you will need equipment. Your IT setup, including computers and printer, will be costly and you may need specialised software with operating licenses and renewals, training and maintenance.  

The right computing hardware and software has become central to almost every activity, and your hardware, software and network will all be major costs.

The list of equipment you need will not stop there. You will also need to furnish your office, and you may need to provide vehicles.

Asset Funding may provide the most cost-effective solution for most equipment needs. There are several types of Asset Funding to consider. You may prefer Hire Purchase for items that you will wish to keep, such as desks, chairs and document storage. Leasing may be more appropriate for your IT, as it will allow you to update to use the latest and most reliable technology whenever you need it. Contract Hire might help you reduce the costs of providing vehicles.

At Rangewell our experts can help you help you find the most appropriate Asset Funding solutions for your practice, with both HP and lease agreements, together with business Contract Hire for your vehicles.

We also have specialised funding to help you provide and upgrade your IT equipment.

Cashflow Finance for Surveyors and Valuers

Cashflow is a challenge for any business, and especially during the early stages. Cashflow support and Working Capital Finance may be necessary to provide cash to deal with overheads. It is usually designed to be repaid in the short- to medium-term, once the practice is fully on its feet. Find out more about cashflow finance for Surveyors and Valuers.

Growth Finance for Surveyors and Valuers

Once your Surveying and Valuing practice is established, you may be ready to grow it. Large-scale finance can be vital if you have major plans such as acquiring a competitor, opening another branch, or taking on staff. Growth Finance can help. Lenders may require an established trading history and record of profits, but it may be possible to arrange Growth Finance based on your profit projections, rather than on your trading history. Find out more about Growth Finance for Surveyors and Valuers.

Insurance for Professional indemnity

Your professional indemnity insurance may be a major expense, particularly if you work in the corporate commercial sector where liabilities may potentially reach into the millions. There are a number of ways to provide for the costs. Find out more about solutions for professional indemnity.

Tax loans for Surveyors and Valuers

Tax is inevitable when in business, but a large quarterly VAT or annual tax demand can cause real problems with cash flow, particularly when it falls at the same time as other costs. Tax Loans can help you spread the cost of any tax demands into affordable monthly payments.

• Better control of cash flow
• Fixed monthly payments
• Quick and simple to arrange
• Avoids issues with HMRC, potential penalties and professional liabilities

See how a Tax Loan can mean better control of cash flow for Surveyors and Valuers with fixed monthly payments.

Invoice Finance

Clients, and especially large corporate clients, can often take months to pay your invoices. With an Invoice Finance arrangement, you can draw down cash can as soon as work is done, and you issue an invoice. It means that your practice can rely on a flow of cash that keeps pace with the amount of business you do.

Find out more about Invoice Finance for Surveyors and Valuers.

Goodwill Loans for Surveyors and Valuers

As a professional running his or her own practice, you represent an excellent prospect for lenders - especially once you have been in business for a number of years and have built up a substantial client list. Lenders can recognise your status as a professional with preferential rates secured on the goodwill built up by your practice.

It can bring you a sum typically between £50,000 and £500,000, with repayment over up to 15 years. Interest rates are agreed when the loan is taken out, and are variable - but will be significantly more favourable than those provided by other lending methods.

The Goodwill Loan can be used in any way that you wish - not just for business purposes. At Rangewell we can help you find the Goodwill Loan that is right for your practice.

Find out more about Goodwill Finance for Surveyors and Valuers.

Dealing with problems

Even the best-kept business can run into financial difficulties. Problems with getting paid can become a cashflow crisis, and discovering that you cannot meet your immediate commitments could lead to insolvency.

At Rangewell, we know the solutions which can help your practice deal with challenges. We can even provide funding solutions if you have a damaged credit history or CCJs.

Find out more about finance for Surveyors and Valuers facing financial difficulties.

How we help you capitalise your practice

At Rangewell, we know that finding the most appropriate solution for your funding needs takes a thorough understanding both of the lending market and the products available on it.

We have the expertise you need. We know the lenders who can offer the most competitive rates for the property surveying sector. But not all lenders will offer the most competitive terms, and finding the most competitive deal across the entire market takes time and expertise. We know the lenders who can offer the most competitive rates for all types of finance, including Professional Loans, Unsecured and Secured Loans, and as well as conventional loan products, we can help you find Alternative Funding, using new loan providers and innovative funding solutions.

Whether you have a straightforward finance need, or you require something more complicated like ‘Jigsaw’ funding made up of a combination of products, we can work with you to find the answers that are right for you, your practice and your plans for the future.

Call us now to get our experts working for you.