Residential Development Valuations: 2024–2025 Market & Career Insights
Residential development valuations, covering housing schemes and mixed-use projects, sits where surveying, finance, and planning meet. If you’re a surveyor (or hiring one), here’s the snapshot you need. Who thrives in these roles, where the action is, what the outlook looks like, who’s leading the market, and how candidates can stand out.
Who thrives in development valuation?
The core pathway is chartered surveying: MRICS + RICS Registered Valuer with deep familiarity with Red Book standards and appraisal methods. Typical routes include:
Surveying (Valuation)
RICS-accredited degree → APC → land and property valuation with blended inspection and financial analysis. See RICS’ overview of the valuation surveyor role for duties and salary context.
Planning & Development
Town-planning fluency + viability skills (S106/affordable housing, consents) map neatly to development valuation (e.g. BPS’ senior valuer profile shows planning/viability crossover in practice).
Finance/Investment
Analysts with strong modelling who later qualify as surveyors excel in viability, DCFs, sensitivity, and Argus Developer/Excel workflows. Employers actively seek “commercial instincts and financial acumen” for higher-rewarded roles.
Top performers blend market insight, planning literacy, and project finance with crisp communication, turning complex feasibility into clear, decision-ready advice.
Where is development activity hottest?
Back in the first half of 2024, Colliers named Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Manchester as the top hotspots, with London coming in fourth, and there is no data to show that 2025 has been any different. This just goes to show that growth isn't just limited to the capital. Manchester, in particular, is booming thanks to companies moving in and a 33% price increase over the last five years, which is really driving new construction across the North and Scotland.
Build-to-Rent (BTR) is still a huge driver in the market. In 2024, we saw a record £5 billion invested, marking the fifth year in a row, and over 22,300 BTR completions, which is a new high! It seems like valuation teams will be busy with all the projects in the pipeline for Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, and outer London.
There was, however, a sharp dip in planning permissions in the first quarter of 2025, with England seeing a 32% year-on-year drop (the lowest since 2012). London and Wales even experienced over 50% quarter-on-quarter falls. While the underlying demand is still strong, we might see a bit of a lull in new starts until policy and viability issues clear up.
Market outlook: growth, stability…or contraction?
So, what's the vibe in UK residential development right now? It sounds like it's a bit of a mix.
On the sales side, by late 2024, things were looking up, with more buyers and higher prices across the UK. That definitely made developers feel better about their projects.
When it comes to land values, Greenfield land saw a slight increase in 2024, especially in the North and Scotland. But Brownfield land, especially in London, actually dipped a bit, probably because of high build costs and other pressures.
As for finance and costs, interest rates are still a bit of a hurdle, but at least construction costs are slowing down. Plus, some new changes to the NPPF (that's the National Planning Policy Framework) might bring more sites onto the market later in 2025.
Overall, it's not a broad downturn, which is good news! Busy rental markets and more affordable land are helping to keep things going. But those high-density urban projects are still facing some pretty tough challenges.
Who leads residential development valuation?
Global consultancies field the largest teams and multi-city coverage. Many have dedicated, fully integrated teams. This is also true of some of the smaller independents, and planning-economics consultancies.
Basically, there is no clear leader, rather multiple opportunities across firms big and small.
What candidates need to succeed
So, what makes a great residential development valuer?
Beyond the basic MRICS and Registered Valuer qualifications, employers are really looking for people who can dig into the numbers with residual appraisals and cash-flow analysis, and then explain it all clearly in reports and to stakeholders.
If you're handy with Argus Developer or even just really robust Excel models, that's a huge plus. And with everything going on in the world, understanding ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) is becoming super important for assessing long-term value.
Ultimately, it's about having good commercial instincts and knowing how different areas like planning, cost, and market dynamics all fit together.
The sweet spot for experience seems to be around 2–5 years post-qualification for Senior Surveyor roles. At this point, you're expected to be pretty self-sufficient but still eager to learn and grow. If you've got experience with portfolio work, loan security valuations, or financial reporting, you're definitely on the right track.
When it comes to pay, valuation surveyors typically average around £45k–£48k. If you're just starting out as a grad, you're looking at roughly £23k–£30k. But once you're chartered and in a senior role, you can expect to earn £70k+, often with bonuses and allowances on top.
The takeaway
For surveyors, residential development valuation is a high-impact niche. Rigorous, data-driven, and close to the capital decisions that shape schemes. For employers, depth of talent will be the constraint, and the competitive edge.