Desktop valuations fall into the latter category and they are now a routine part of mortgage lending, supporting case flow and capacity across the market. Even so, they have always carried a quiet tension, because forming a view on risk without seeing the property first-hand requires a high degree of trust in the information available.

Most of the time that trust is well placed. Data has improved, models are more refined and lenders are clearer about when desktop routes are appropriate. But there are still moments when the gap between what the data suggests and what the property actually looks like introduces uncertainty. That gap is where risk tends to emerge, and it is also where virtual inspections are beginning to change the conversation.

Desktop valuations depend on information that is frozen in time. Historic images, stored plans and property records assume that little has changed since they were last updated. In many cases, that assumption holds but, in others, it does not.

Properties evolve in small but meaningful ways. Internal layouts are altered, garages are converted and general condition can slip without ever being recorded. When those changes are not picked up early, they often surface later as follow-up questions, delays or the need to reassess the valuation route. The issue is not that desktop valuations are inherently flawed, but that they can leave too much untested at the point of decision.

Virtual inspections address this by allowing surveyors to take control of the inspection process, even when they are not physically present. This point is central to how we can manage risk for our clients, the lenders.

It is also important at the outset to understand what properties would be suitable for a virtual valuation and which will require and benefit from a full physical valuation, as this is not about replacing one with the other, both can mutually exist together.

Rather than relying on existing data alone, the surveyor leads a live video inspection, guiding the occupier through the property and focusing on areas that matter to the valuation decision.

Layout can be confirmed rather than inferred, general condition can be sense-checked in context and obvious inconsistencies between data and reality can be identified and challenged straight away. From a risk perspective, this replaces assumption with confirmation and does so at a stage where decisions are still flexible.

For lenders, the benefit of this approach sits firmly in evidence quality rather than speed alone. A guided virtual inspection produces current visuals gathered for a specific purpose, with the surveyor fully aware of what they are seeing and why.

This added context reduces reliance on inference and lowers the likelihood of issues emerging later in the process. Risk is not removed, but it becomes clearer and easier to manage, which is often just as important.

There is sometimes concern that remote inspection methods dilute professional judgement. In practice, they depend on it more than ever.

Virtual inspections only work when surveyors apply experience and judgement throughout the process. They decide what needs to be seen, when something does not look right and whether the evidence gathered is sufficient to support a non-physical decision. Crucially, they also decide when it is not meaning that technology supports the process, but it does not replace decision making.

Risk is not only about the property itself, access also plays a role. Physical inspections can be delayed by availability, tenancy arrangements or simple logistics, all of which introduce uncertainty and slow case progression. Virtual inspections reduce many of these pressures by offering a more flexible and less intrusive option for occupiers, and this improved access translates into more predictable timelines and fewer stalled cases.

Against this backdrop, it is understandable that survey-led virtual inspection tools,  will become part of the surveying landscape over time. Virtual inspections do not make desktop valuations risk free; they simply change the nature of the risk discussion by giving surveyors better visibility of the property and lenders greater confidence in the decisions being made.

Instead of asking whether a decision can be made without seeing the property at all, the focus shifts to whether the surveyor has gathered enough live, relevant evidence to support that decision. In many cases, the answer will be yes. In others, the right outcome will be to escalate early. Importantly, both outcomes protect lending quality.

With desktop and hybrid valuations now embedded in mortgage lending, the next shift in valuation practice revolves confidence as much as speed.

Virtual inspections bring surveyors closer to the property without introducing delay, strengthening evidence, supporting judgement and moving risk checks earlier in the process. This combination leads to better-informed lending decisions and fewer surprises, which is ultimately what effective risk management is about.

Matthew Cumber is managing director at Countrywide Surveying Services