In social housing and local authority property teams, the titles Planned Works Surveyor and Reactive Repairs Surveyor often come up, but what exactly do they mean?

While both roles are essential for maintaining housing stock and ensuring resident safety, their responsibilities, priorities, and approaches differ significantly.

Here’s a breakdown of the key differences, and why both roles are crucial to a well-functioning property service.

Planned Works Surveyor
Focuses on long-term asset management and improvement projects. This includes delivering programmes such as kitchen and bathroom replacements, roofing works, window upgrades, and energy efficiency measures.

Reactive Repairs Surveyor
Deals with day-to-day repair issues that arise unexpectedly. Think leaking pipes, broken boilers, damp issues, or emergency repairs after storms or fire damage.

In short:
Planned = proactive.
Reactive = responsive.

Planned Works Surveyor:

• Scoping, specifying, and managing planned maintenance projects
• Working to 3–5 year investment plans
• Ensuring compliance with Decent Homes and energy standards
• Budget management and procurement
• Contractor liaison and project sign-off

Reactive Repairs Surveyor:

• Diagnosing and specifying urgent repairs
• Visiting properties to assess damage or complaints
• Raising work orders and overseeing quality of works
• Managing contractors for small-scale, responsive works
• Resolving disrepair claims or insurance-related repairs

• Planned Surveyors usually have scheduled workloads with defined timelines and budgets. They work closely with asset managers, procurement teams, and residents on larger-scale programmes.
• Reactive Surveyors handle high-volume, short-turnaround cases. Their diaries can change daily, and they’re often juggling multiple callouts, inspections, and resident queries.

Planned Works Surveyor:

• Strong project planning and stakeholder management
• Comfortable with procurement and contract admin (JCT/NEC)
• Detail-oriented, strategic mindset

Reactive Repairs Surveyor:

• Quick problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Strong communication with residents and contractors
• Resilient under pressure and adaptable

Without Planned Works Surveyors, housing stock deteriorates over time and falls short of compliance standards.

Without Reactive Repairs Surveyors, tenants are left waiting for basic issues to be fixed, increasing complaints, compensation claims, and reputational risk.

A strong housing or property team needs both, working together to keep homes safe, compliant, and fit for purpose.

At Marks Consulting Partners, we’ve placed hundreds of Reactive Repairs Surveyors and Planned Works Surveyors across the UK. We understand what makes each role unique and we can help you find the right person for your team, fast.

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