The insurance market has long been popular in the world, in our country. However, not all terms associated with them are widely known, despite their prevalence. Survey, surveyor - who is it? The answer is few. So let's define this profession, a specific area of its activity?
Surveyor is ...
Dictionaries give many definitions of a profession that differ only in certain particulars. Imagine them - both general and more specific. Survey, surveyor is:
- An appraiser of an insurance company. Based on the results of his work, she decides to conclude a contract with a client.
- Insurer agent, inspector conducting inspection of the object accepted for insurance.
- An expert who inspects cargo and ships, and then issues an opinion on their general condition, damage, etc. A specialist with the appropriate level of knowledge and experience for the preparation of such acts, emergency certificates. Invited by ship-, cargo owner, insurance company, charterer.
- A company whose specialization is verification of property that is transferred or pledged by the bank as a guarantor of the fulfillment by the credited of his payment obligations.
- Inspector of foreign qualification societies for technical supervision of ships.
The word comes from English. surveyor. And this reflects his story. The term came into widespread use from the field of English marine insurance. It is permissible to replace it with the following synonyms:
- expert;
- surveyor;
- inspector;
- appraiser;
- surveyor.
The following profession definitions are also popular:
- Draft surveyor. A specialist who determines the weight of an immersed or unloaded object (s) by the draft of the vessel.
- Independent surveyor. In fact, the same expert as just a survey. An uninterested inspector who can draw up an objective act.
Specialist Features
The services of a surveyor are necessary for the insurer, the insured both at the conclusion of the contract and in the assessment of damage. The work of this specialist has something in common with the activities of an underwriter (an employee calculating insurance rates), an assessor of damage.
The main principle of the insurance surveyor is an independent and competent consideration of the issue, based only on personally seen. The expert’s activity is divided into two stages:
- The conclusion of an insurance contract. The surveyor is busy with risk assessment (risk management, risk survey) - he must objectively determine its (risk) degree. Already at the expert’s conclusion, the size of the insurance premium is established, the price of the policy, and a final decision is made on the appropriateness of concluding the contract.
- Accident occurrence. The surveyor is called to determine the amount of damage.
Surveyor Responsibilities
Let us highlight the main range of specific duties of a specialist:
- Preliminary assessment of the condition of property that is to be insured or issued as collateral.
- An inspection of the property in order to prevent damage to it.
- Determining the quality of goods, cargo.
- Description of damage to pledged, insured property. Identification of damage hidden from non-expert.
- Assessment of damage caused, as well as determination of the cost of repair or disposal.
- Checking the status of warehouses.
- Assessment of vehicles for suitability for transportation.
- Checking the storage conditions of property, goods, goods.
- Loading and unloading support.
Surveyor companies
We figured out who this is - the surveyor. In the world, the activity of the same name firms is also widespread.They provide survey services - inspection of the insurance object in order to identify any particulars that affect the cost of insurance, the terms of interaction between the parties (the insured and the insurer). For the most part, such firms work for insurance companies.
The volume of special survey organizations that check commodities intended for international trade is large. They determine the quality and quantity of goods, as well as the suitability of carriers to transport such goods.
A type of service called Full Outturn Guarantee is also popular. Here, the survey company actually takes on the mission of the insurer. It compensates for the risks of shortage of goods between the stages of loading, transshipment and unloading.
Survey in Russia
In our country, a license has not been required for this activity since 2006. Therefore, more and more domestic surveyors are appearing on the market for such inspection independent services.
However, the following negative aspects are observed in the Russian Federation:
- Separate insurance companies create their own survey firms, hiding this fact. Or they assign this responsibility to their employees. Here, an important aspect of the surveyor's work is lost - independence and disinterest.
- In Russia, there are no legislative acts regulating such activities. Hence, practically unnecessary expensive services, standards of unknown sources.
The surveyor was originally considered to be a specialist evaluating maritime cargo. Then the profession began to be understood more broadly. Today, a surveyor is an inspector, expert, appraiser of an insurance (or separately surveyor) company, whose terms of reference are very impressive.