Who We Are
Brecon & Dean Surveyors is an independent practice founded by James Buckingham, a Chartered Surveyor with 18 years of industry experience, including a dedicated focus on residential surveying since 2016. Operating across the border counties and South Wales, James personally handles every instruction, capping his workload at 12 residential surveys and valuations per month to ensure absolute focus on quality over volume.
Initial years at Savills, spanned commercial agency, lease renewal, rent review, landlord and tenant, property development, leisure and trading valuation, estate strategy and property management, James holds full MRICS status, reflecting completion of the rigorous RICS assessment process.
Once chartered James honed his skils in building pathology, property law, and regulatory compliance, ensuring every instruction adheres to the highest industry standards. This technical proficiency is built upon a solid academic foundation, holding a BA (Hons) in English from the University of Southampton and an MSc with distinction in Real Estate Management from BCU.
James is also a RICS Registered Valuer, authorized to undertake formal "Red Book" valuations. These independent reports are routinely relied upon for Help-to-Buy and Shared Ownership redemptions, as well as by high street banks, HMRC, government bodies, charities, and the courts for dispute resolution, arbitration, and mediation.
Behind the Scenes
While James handles the surveys and valuations, our true corporate overlord is Ollie - Chief Morale Officer, self-appointed door greeter, and undisputed executive liability.
Ollie brings precisely zero formal qualifications to the firm, having failed every RICS APC module known to man, interpreting 'rough coat render' as a personal insult, and displaying a chilling indifference to party wall legislation. His corporate audit trail consists entirely of chewed marker pegs and suspiciously soggy site notes. His primary consultancy fee structure is negotiated strictly in belly rubs, unauthorized corporate sofa takeovers, and illicit scraps of cheddar cheese.
Despite operating entirely outside the boundaries of professional ethics and basic workplace trousers, he still earns his keep. Ollie fiercely patrols the perimeter against the terrifying daily menace of the postman, gleefully violates every known health and safety regulation by transforming himself into a snoring tripwire across doorways, and acts as an unyielding union representative the second it's deemed the legally mandated time for a walk or biscuit-backed tea break.