Assessing the Visibility and Perception of Estate Surveyors Among Non-Construction Professionals in Nigeria

Abstract

Estate Surveying and Valuation is a critical profession within Nigeria's built environment, contributing significantly to land administration, property valuation, investment decision-making, and real estate consultancy. Despite its relevance, the profession is often misunderstood or underappreciated by non-construction professionals. This study aimed to appraise the perception of the Estate Surveying profession among non-allied professionals in Nigeria, with particular emphasis on their awareness of the profession’s existence, understanding of its roles and duties, and perception of its relevance to the construction and real estate industries. The research adopted a descriptive survey design using structured questionnaires administered to 162 respondents drawn from the medical, legal, financial, administrative, and other non-construction professional sectors. Data were analyzed using frequency distributions, percentages, and the Mean Item Score (MIS) ranking method. Findings revealed that 94.6% of respondents were aware of the Estate Surveying profession, and over 73% agreed that Estate Surveyors are part of the built environment team. However, detailed awareness of the profession's specific functions such as property management, investment appraisal, facility management, and valuation for various statutory and commercial purposes was considerably lower. Duties such as rating and taxation advice, land acquisition consultancy, and building insurance valuation ranked lowest in perceived awareness. The profession was rated "very good" or "good" in terms of performance by 88.88% of respondents, but cost perception and limited understanding of roles were identified as barriers to wider engagement. This study highlights the need for advocacy and outreach to improve non-construction professionals’ understanding and engagement with Estate Surveyors.

Keywords: Estate Surveying; Non-allied professionals, Perception; Awareness; Nigeria Built environment