Monitoring surveying since 1982

The footprint of fact.The foundation of trust.

QS Monitoring gives development lenders an independent, measured view of the schemes they fund, from the first appraisal to the final drawdown. It is led by the surveyor who founded the discipline in the UK.

0£2m£4m£6m£8m0481216Month of build Visit 8 £0.92m behind appraisal Certified to date Appraised cashflow
Illustrative example. At each site visit we certify the value of work done and set it against the cashflow the loan was appraised on, so a lender sees a shortfall when it starts, not when it is too late.

Founded the discipline.
Shaping its future.

Monitoring. Measuring. Protecting value. A lender's money goes into the ground months before there is a building to show for it. We are the lender's eyes on site: independent of the developer, the contractor and the design team, and answerable only for the facts.

Services

Independent assurance for every pound drawn

We act for banks, specialist lenders and funds on residential, commercial and mixed-use development loans.

Measure

Before the loan is made

An initial appraisal of the scheme: build cost, programme, cashflow, contracts, consents and the team delivering it. You lend knowing what the budget will and will not cover.

Verify

Before each drawdown

A site visit and a written certificate of the work properly done, the cost to complete and any change to scope, quality or timing. Funds are released against evidence.

Monitor

Until the scheme completes

Regular progress reports that track spend against appraisal, flag risk early and confirm practical completion, so the facility is repaid from a finished asset.

Expert witness

Independent opinion on construction cost, progress and monitoring practice for disputes and proceedings.

Law of Property Act receivership

Appointment as receiver over development property where a facility is in default, to protect and realise the lender's security.

The origin of a profession

It began with one commission in 1982

In July 1982 Bruce Smith took his first commission as a monitoring surveyor, for the bank Dunbar & Co. Lenders needed someone on site who worked for them alone, and a new discipline grew from that brief.

More than forty years on, monitoring surveying is a standard condition of development finance in the UK. QS Monitoring carries the original principle forward: independence, precision and professional integrity.

  1. 1982First commission as a monitoring surveyor, for Dunbar & Co (later Dunbar Bank plc).
  2. 40+Years acting as an independent monitoring surveyor for financial institutions.
  3. 2026QS Monitoring Ltd established in the Isle of Man.
Bruce Smith at his desk

Founder

Bruce Smith

BSc MRICS, Chartered Quantity Surveyor

Bruce has acted as an independent monitoring surveyor for financial institutions for more than four decades and is recognised as one of the leading experts in the field. He founded the discipline in the UK in 1982, then founded Westminster Consultants and led it as Senior Partner, building it into one of the best-known names in project monitoring.

Alongside project monitoring he accepts appointments as a Law of Property Act receiver and as an expert witness. He established QS Monitoring to give lenders direct access to that experience.

  • Chartered Quantity Surveyor
  • MRICS
  • LPA receiver
  • Expert witness

Selected experience

Schemes monitored by Bruce Smith

From Grade I listed mansions to new homes on the Essex coast, each monitored for the lender by Bruce at Westminster Consultants.

Heritage and new build

Ten schemes for City & Country

City & Country restores and converts historic buildings and builds new homes beside them. Bruce monitored these developments for its lenders.

  • Bentley PrioryStanmore, north LondonGrade II* listed mansion, officers' mess and barracks converted into 25 apartments and houses, alongside the Battle of Britain museum.
  • Sundridge ParkBromley, KentGrade I listed John Nash mansion in almost 300 acres, converted into 26 apartments.
  • Balls ParkHertford, HertfordshireGrade I listed mansion house and its surrounding buildings in 63 acres, converted into apartments and houses.
  • King Edward VII EstateMidhurst, West SussexGrade II and II* listed hospital buildings in the South Downs National Park converted into homes, followed by The King's Collection of 56 new houses.
  • The 1840, St George's GardensLondon SW17Apartments within the Grade II listed former Springfield Hospital.
  • St Osyth PriorySt Osyth, EssexRestoration of the historic priory and its buildings.
  • Factory No.1Bedminster, Bristol271 homes on the site of the former W.D. & H.O. Wills tobacco factory: 99 by conversion and 172 new build.
  • Manningtree ParkManningtree, EssexNew houses and apartments.
  • Priory FieldsSt Osyth, EssexNew two- to five-bedroom homes beside the priory.
  • Sanderling ReachWest Mersea, EssexNew energy-efficient homes on Mersea Island, a short walk from the beach.

Mixed use, London N3

Gateway House, Finchley

Homes above shops, commercial space and a new public library on Regents Park Road in Finchley Central. Completed in 2017.

Scheme
77 homes, two commercial units, a shop and a library
Developer
Columbia Group
Funder
Titlestone (now Paragon)

Mixed use, London E8

Sheep Lane, Hackney

An £18 million build overlooking the Regent's Canal.

Scheme
40 homes and 32,000 sq ft of offices
Developer
Aitch Group
Funder
Close Brothers

Mixed use, London E5

Upper Clapton Road, Hackney

A new church and community space with homes above, built in partnership with the congregation that owned the site. Completed in 2019.

Scheme
27 homes, a church and a community space
Developer
Thornsett Group with Upper Clapton United Reformed Church
Funder
Titlestone (now Paragon)

Contact

Talk to the surveyor who will do the work

Tell us about the scheme, the facility and the timetable. You will hear back from Bruce directly.

Office
QS Monitoring Ltd
MV Innovation Centre
Jurby Road, Ramsey
IM7 2DZ, Isle of Man