Qualification success for Lea Hough duo

Two team members Lea Hough Chartered Surveyors have achieved qualification success to become Chartered Valuation Surveyors. James Leech and Thomas Sutton both completed their training and passed the final APC assessment in May, attaining the Chartered title and becoming members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS). 

Following these latest qualifications, the team at Lea Hough now has nine Chartered Surveyors and one Chartered Town Planner; the most fully qualified staff the firm has ever had in its ranks.  James and Thomas will both work across a range of wide property services, including valuation reports and building surveys for both residential and commercial properties.

The duo followed different routes to becoming Chartered Surveyors, with Thomas joining the firm as a graduate in 2016 and James joining soon after in 2017 as a Valuer. Both joined Lea Hough with aspirations to become Chartered and have followed the firm’s RICS approved training programme, gaining a wide range of experience and undertaking assessments along the way. 

The final stage in the process for any Chartered Surveyor is the APC Assessment; a face to face interview with a panel of three. Due to Covid-19, the RICS have temporarily moved this assessment online, with the interview taking place via Skype.

Matthew Parkinson, partner at Lea Hough commented: “This is a big achievement for both James and Thomas individually, and also for the firm. In what has been a challenging couple of months, this positive news is a fantastic boost for the whole team.

“The route to becoming Chartered is not easy and the final assessment is notoriously difficult. We are therefore extremely proud of both James and Thomas, especially in the current circumstances and having to have adapted to undertake their assessments online. 

“We look forward to continuing to support both Surveyors in the next stage of their careers.” 

Lea Hough has track record of helping aspiring Chartered Surveyors through the APC process, both by employing staff and helping them through their training, and also by providing those going through the training process at other firms by assisting with support, including setting up and conducting mock APC interviews.

Lea Hough operate from offices in Preston and Blackburn, servicing both residential and commercial clients across Lancashire, Cumbria and West Yorkshire. For more information or to arrange a property inspection or report, please visit www.leahough.co.uk.