Canterbury & Kent

Desktop and Electronic Valuations

RICS desktop and electronic valuations for lending, accounts and internal decisions, without a site visit. When they work, and when they do not.

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A desktop valuation is a property valuation produced without an internal inspection. The valuer works from title information, floor areas, planning history, photographs, local sales evidence and their own knowledge of the area. It is quicker and cheaper than a full inspection, and for a narrow set of purposes it is entirely adequate. For others it is not, and knowing which is which saves money and avoids a report that gets rejected.

Desktop, electronic and automated — the difference

These three terms get used interchangeably and they are not the same thing.

• An automated valuation model (AVM) is pure statistics. No human sees the property. Lenders use them at low loan-to-value on standard housing stock. They fail badly on anything unusual.
• An electronic valuation normally means an AVM reviewed and signed off by a valuer, who can override the model where they can see it is wrong.
• A desktop valuation is a valuer’s own opinion, researched and reasoned, with the limitation that they have not been inside. It can be produced to Red Book standards with the inspection assumption clearly stated.

When a desktop valuation is appropriate

• Internal management or accounting purposes where an indicative figure is enough.
• Early-stage decisions: whether to proceed with a lease extension claim, whether a portfolio refinance is worth pursuing, what an estate is roughly worth before probate is applied for.
• Reviewing a valuation someone else has produced.
• Properties you cannot get into — tenanted, vacant and sealed, or in dispute.

When it is not enough

A desktop will not do for a Red Book valuation relied on by a third party where condition matters, for probate where HMRC may challenge the figure, for matrimonial proceedings, for secured lending on a non-standard building, or for any property with visible defects, subsidence history, non-standard construction, Japanese knotweed, or significant unmodelled alteration. In those cases the money saved on the inspection is a false economy.

Valuation lists and rating

Where the question concerns council tax banding or business rates, the relevant figures sit in the Valuation Office Agency’s valuation lists rather than in an open-market valuation. We can review a listing entry, advise whether a challenge is arguable, and produce the evidence to support it.

Indicative fees

Ranges below are typical UK market fees for the work described, shown so you can budget. They are not a quotation. We give a fixed, written fee for your specific property before any work starts.

Type	What you get	Typical fee
Automated valuation	Model output only, no valuer	£20 – £60
Electronic valuation	AVM reviewed by a valuer	£100 – £250
Desktop valuation	Valuer’s researched opinion, no inspection	£250 – £600
Full Red Book valuation	Inspection plus reported opinion	£450 – £900+

Desktop valuations across Kent

We produce desktop and electronic valuations for solicitors, accountants, lenders and private clients across Canterbury and Kent, and we will tell you plainly when the purpose you have described needs a full inspection instead.

Frequently asked questions

Is a desktop valuation accepted by HMRC?

For probate and capital gains purposes HMRC expects a valuation that properly reflects the property. A desktop can be challenged where condition is material, so we normally advise a full inspection.

How quickly can a desktop valuation be produced?

Usually within two to three working days once title and floor area information is to hand.

Can a desktop valuation be Red Book compliant?

Yes, provided the restriction on inspection is clearly stated as a special assumption and the purpose permits it.