Quinquennial Inspections

Responsibility for choosing an Inspecting Architect to carry out your Quinquennial Inspection falls to the PCC. The appointment is of an individual, not a firm, and it is important that this individual is suitably accredited and qualified.

Inspecting architects do not need to be approved by the Church Buildings team or the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC), but we would encourage you to seek advice from the team to support you in this process.

A list of current Inspecting Architects and Surveyors working in the Diocese can be found here.

The Quinquennial Inspection process can be broken down into the followings steps:

1. Choose your Inspecting Architect/Surveyor (If your church doesn’t already have one appointed)

• You can use our list of current Inspecting Architects and Surveyors working in the Diocese as a starting point if you need to appoint a new Inspector
• You may wish to speak to more than one Architect/Surveyors before making your decision about who to appoint
• Have a look at the criteria and guidance provided by Church Buildings Council as an indication of who to appoint
• The PCC must then approve and appoint the new Inspecting Architect or Surveyor

2. Schedule a date with your Inspecting Architect/Surveyor for the inspection

• The Architect/Surveyor will spend some time on site conducting the inspection

3. Receive the Inspection report from the Architect/Surveyor

• You will be sent the report, which will cover an overview of the condition of the building and general indications of areas of priority and need.
• The PCC must pay the fee to the Architect, which can then be reimbursed by the Diocese (outlined below).

4. Implement the recommendations from the report

• Read the report and decide how to approach the recommendations. Usually areas requiring works will be listed according to urgency which helps to indicate what needs doing and when.
• Remember that the report does not constitute a specification of works, and cannot be used to directly commission or organise works.
• If you would like assistance looking through your report and identifying the best way to approach the recommendations, please don’t hesitate to contact the Church Buildings Team.
• If you are unsure about any stage of the process, please feel free to get in touch with the Church Buildings Team.

The PCC can request reimbursement from the Diocese for the Quinquennial Inspection once they have paid the Architect/Surveyors firm.

The reimbursement of the Quinquennial Inspection fees will be in accordance with the agreed fee grid for the year the inspection was undertaken. You can find the most recent fee grids below.

2025 Fee Grid
2024 Fee Grid