Compare the two routes
Monitored vs retrospective PCC: which one do you need?
Both give you a six-year Professional Consultants Certificate from a RICS Chartered Building Surveyor. The difference is when the inspections happen, and that determines how many mortgage lenders will accept it. Here's how the two routes compare.
Monitored
Inspected during the build
Widest lender acceptance
Retrospective
Certified after completion
From £950, we check your lender
6 years
Validity, either route
Same certificate, same surveyor
The short answer
If your build hasn't started or is still underway, a monitored PCC is almost always the better choice. The surveyor inspects the build at each key stage, foundations, blockwork up, roof on, first fix and completion, so they can see the structure before it's covered up. That gives the certificate the broadest lender acceptance of any PCC.
If your build is already complete, the stages can no longer be inspected, so a retrospective PCC is the route: a single comprehensive inspection plus a review of your paperwork. It's accepted by fewer lenders, so we check your specific lender before you commit.
Side by side
| Monitored PCC | Retrospective PCC | |
|---|---|---|
| When it's done | During the build, at each key stage | After the build is finished, in one visit |
| Inspections | Foundations, DPC, superstructure, roof, first fix, completion | A single comprehensive inspection plus a paperwork review |
| Lender acceptance | Widest, accepted by most UK lenders | Narrower, varies lender to lender, we check yours first |
| What it relies on | The surveyor seeing hidden elements before they're covered | Inspecting what's visible now plus the available documentation |
| Validity | 6 years from completion | 6 years from inspection |
| Best for | Builds not yet started, or still underway | Builds already complete with no warranty on file |
| Cost | Fixed fee, set by the number of inspections | Fixed fee from £950, no retrospective surcharge |
Monitored vs retrospective, your questions
The questions self-builders and homeowners ask us most when deciding between the two routes.
What's the difference between a monitored and a retrospective PCC?
Both are Professional Consultants Certificates, the same document, signed by the same RICS Chartered Building Surveyor, valid for six years. The difference is timing. A monitored PCC is supported by inspections carried out at the key stages while the build is going up: foundations, damp-proof course, superstructure, roof, first fix and completion. A retrospective PCC is issued after the build is finished, supported by a single comprehensive inspection and a review of the available paperwork. Because monitoring lets the surveyor see structure that's later hidden, a monitored PCC is accepted by more lenders.
Which one will my mortgage lender accept?
A monitored PCC is accepted by the widest range of UK lenders, because the build has been inspected at every key stage. A retrospective PCC is accepted by fewer lenders and acceptance varies from one to the next. If your build hasn't started, or is underway, monitoring gives you the strongest, most widely accepted certificate. If it's already finished, a retrospective PCC may still satisfy your lender, but the right first step is to check that specific lender, which we do for you before you commit.
I've already started building, which one do I need?
If the build is underway but not complete, a monitored PCC is usually still possible: we pick up the build at the stage it's reached and inspect the remaining milestones. The earlier we're appointed the better, because we can't certify a stage that's already been covered up. If the build is fully finished, a retrospective PCC is the route. Tell us where you're up to and we'll tell you honestly which one fits.
Is one cheaper than the other?
A retrospective PCC is a fixed fee from £950 for a single dwelling, based on one inspection. A monitored PCC is also a fixed fee, set by the number of stage inspections your build needs, so it reflects the extra visits across the programme. We quote both up front with no hourly billing, so you know the cost before you commit.
Do they result in a different certificate?
No. The certificate itself is identical, a six-year Professional Consultants Certificate signed by a RICS Chartered Building Surveyor carrying the required professional indemnity insurance. What differs is the inspection process behind it, and therefore which lenders will accept it.
Can I switch from monitored to retrospective, or vice versa?
If a build you intended to have monitored gets completed before we're appointed, the route becomes retrospective by necessity, the stages can no longer be inspected. You can't go the other way: once a build is finished it can't be retrospectively monitored. That's why, if you're building from scratch, it's worth appointing a surveyor early so the monitored route, and its broader lender acceptance, stays open to you.
Explore the monitored PCC guides
Monitored PCC, the complete guide
How a Professional Consultants Certificate is issued during the build, the inspection stages, lender acceptance and cost.
New build & self-build PCC
Building from scratch with no structural warranty in place? Stage inspections during the build certify it.
Retrospective PCC, the complete guide
What a retrospective Professional Consultants Certificate is, the process, what we inspect, lender acceptance and cost.
Not sure which route fits your build?
Tell us the address and where the build is up to. We'll tell you straight which certificate fits, and send a fixed-fee quote the same working day.