A fixed fee, quoted once we know what the job actually is.
RPV does not publish a flat rate for a residential valuation, because there isn't one. The fee is set by four things: the purpose of the valuation, the property itself, the valuation date, and the reporting standard the purpose demands. Once those are known we quote one fixed fee in writing, with the scope and the valuation date stated on it. That fee does not change on delivery. Obtaining the quote costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Four factors, and what each one changes.
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| FACTOR | WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW | WHY IT MOVES THE FEE |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Who has to accept the report — a court, the ATO, a revenue office, an auditor, a lender, or you | The purpose sets the reporting standard. A court-ready report has to survive cross-examination and written questions to the expert; a report for your own decision does not. Same inspection, materially different write-up. |
| The property | Type, approximate size, number of titles, location, and who holds access | A single-title suburban house has deep comparable evidence and a short inspection. Rural land, multiple titles, dual occupancy, heritage listing, unusual improvements or a thin sales market all add analysis time. |
| Valuation date | Today's date, or a specific past date and why the law fixes it there | A current valuation uses live evidence. A retrospective valuation means reconstructing the market as it stood at that date from historical sales, and establishing the property's condition then from photographs, plans, rates notices and agents' records. The further back, the more of that work there is. |
| Reporting standard | Single instruction or joint, and whether the report may be filed or relied on by a third party | Joint instruction as a single expert brings correspondence with both sides, a conference obligation and written questions. Reports for the ATO or a revenue office need the evidence chain set out in full. Both add time to the report, not to the inspection. |
Tell us those four things on the phone or in the quote form and you will have a fixed number to work with. Nothing about the fee depends on what the property turns out to be worth.
What the fee buys, and what it doesn't.
In every fee
Quoted separately, if you need it
None of these appear as a surprise on an invoice. If one becomes necessary we stop, tell you, and quote it before doing the work.
Three steps to a number you can rely on.
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STEP 01
Tell us the four things
Purpose, address, valuation date, and who has to accept the report. If you are not sure of the purpose, describe the situation and we will name it.
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STEP 02
We quote the scope, not a range
One fixed fee in writing, with the scope, the valuation date and the delivery commitment stated on the same page.
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STEP 03
You decide, then we book
Nothing is payable to reach this point and there is no obligation to proceed. If we think you do not need a valuation at all, we will say so here.
A published number would be wrong, or padded.
A single-title suburban house valued at today's date for a private decision is a materially smaller job than a rural property on four titles valued as at a date in 1997 for a contested estate. Any single advertised price has to be either too low for the second job or too high for the first.
Firms that advertise a low headline fee usually recover the difference through variations, or by narrowing the scope until the report is a desktop assessment with a valuation letterhead. Both outcomes cost more than being quoted properly the first time — the second one costs the most, because a report that is not accepted has to be done again.
So we quote against a real scope, we put the scope on the quote, and we hold the number. If that reads as less convenient than a price list, it is also the only version that survives contact with an actual matter.
Answered directly.
Why is there no price list on this page?
Because a published price would either be wrong or would have to be padded to cover the worst case. A single-title suburban house valued at today's date is a materially smaller job than a rural property on four titles valued as at a date in 1997 for a contested estate. Quoting a real fixed fee against a real scope is more honest than advertising a number and adding to it later.
Can the quoted fee change after I instruct you?
No. Once we have quoted against a stated scope, that is the fee. If something is discovered on inspection that genuinely falls outside that scope — an undisclosed second dwelling, a title we were not told about — we stop and tell you before doing the work, and you decide. We do not vary an invoice on delivery.
Do I pay before or after the valuation?
Nothing is payable to obtain a quote, and the quote carries no obligation. For professional instructing parties such as solicitors and accountants we invoice on delivery of the report. Terms for private clients are confirmed in the written quote before any inspection is booked.
Is a cheaper desktop or kerbside assessment enough?
Sometimes, and we will tell you when it is. Desktop and kerbside assessments have legitimate uses, mainly in lending. They are not full valuations and are routinely rejected where market value must be evidenced for the ATO, a court or a revenue office. Paying less for a report that is not accepted is the most expensive outcome available.
Valuation, appraisal and bank valuation compared