Hiring a decent Retrofit Assessor right now can feel like trying to book a last-minute table for 12 somewhere “quiet” on a Saturday night. Everyone wants one, few are genuinely available, and some of the ones who are… well… there’s usually a reason.

A strong Retrofit Assessor is not just a surveyor with a clipboard. They need to understand the whole-house picture, gather evidence properly, and play nicely with PAS 2035 processes so the retrofit journey doesn’t become a costly comedy of errors.

Step 1: Be clear what “Retrofit Assessor” means in your world

Because employers use the title in different ways, define the scope up front:

• Domestic / social housing vs private residential

• Whole-house retrofit vs single measures (ECO-heavy)

• Site survey expectations: travel radius, number of surveys per week

• Outputs required: surveys, condition reports, occupancy assessment, baseline energy, ventilation risk observations, photo evidence

• How PAS 2035 is run: Are you using Retrofit Coordinators in-house or outsourced?

• Tools and reporting: how evidence is captured, stored, and shared

Tip: If you don’t define the outputs, you’ll end up hiring someone who thinks “assessment” is a quick wander round the property and a shrug.

Step 2: Write a job spec that attracts competent people (not just applicants)

A Retrofit Assessor spec should include the things good candidates actually care about:

Essentials to specify

• Qualification requirements (be precise):

  • Retrofit Assessor qualification aligned to PAS 2035 (where required by your framework/client)

  • Any additional credentials you genuinely need (e.g., DEA / RdSAP / SAP if that’s part of your operating model)

• Type of surveys: pre-works, post-works, compliance inspections (if applicable)

• Volume expectations: surveys per week + admin time

• Patch: geography and travel expectations

• Support: admin, scheduling, template library, coordinator support

• Progression: pathway into Retrofit Coordinator/QA roles (good candidates love a plan)

Salary clarity

If you’re vague, the best people assume the worst. Include range + mileage/car allowance + productivity expectations.

Step 3: Where are the best Retrofit Assessors hiding?

Most of the good ones are:

• Already working (shocking, I know)

• Not actively applying

• Listed under different titles: surveyor, energy assessor, building inspector, stock condition surveyor, retrofit surveyor

Best hunting grounds:

• Energy assessment & surveying backgrounds (DEA/RdSAP/SAP)

• Stock condition / housing survey teams

• Building control / clerk of works-ish profiles (process-driven, good evidence habits)

• Contractors delivering SHDF/ECO (used to modern retrofit workflows)

And yes—specialist recruiters can reach the “quietly open” crowd faster than job ads.

Step 4: Interview for process + evidence (not chatter)

Retrofit is evidence-based. If the assessor can’t explain their process clearly, you’re buying future rework.

Interview questions that actually work

1. “Talk me through your survey process from arrival to upload.”

2. “What evidence do you capture as standard, and why?”

3. “How do you assess ventilation and moisture risk in practice?”

4. “How do you handle an occupied property where access is limited?”

5. “What’s your approach when you spot defects that could derail measures?”

6. “How do you work with the Retrofit Coordinator and design team?”

7. “Tell me about a survey that went wrong—what did you change afterwards?”

Ask for proof (redacted)

• Example photo set expectations (what’s ‘good enough’?)

• A redacted report excerpt / checklist

• How they structure notes so a coordinator/designer can use them

Step 5: Red flags (the expensive ones)

• “I’m more of a people person than a paperwork person.” (No.)

• Doesn’t understand why ventilation is central to retrofit risk

• Treats surveys as a tick-box, not diagnostic

• Can’t explain how their outputs support PAS 2035 roles and decisions

• Has zero tolerance for process, systems, or QA

Retrofit delivery hates chaos. Chaos gets you callbacks, complaints, and programme delays.

Step 6: Make the offer hard to refuse (without overpaying blindly)

The best assessors care about:

• Reasonable survey volume + realistic admin time

• Good scheduling (no zig-zagging 4 counties in a day)

• Clear templates and QA (they want to do it right)

• A grown-up escalation path when a property is complex

• Progression (Assessor → Senior Assessor → QC/QA → Coordinator pathway)

If you can offer structure, support, and clarity, you’ll beat organisations relying on “just crack on”.

Step 7: Onboarding (where quality is won or lost)

Give them:

• A defined “what good looks like” pack (photos, examples, checklists)

• Shadowing with a top performer for 2–3 days

• Quick access to coordinator/technical support

• Weekly QA feedback early on (tight loop, no surprises)

Quick checklist: Hiring a Retrofit Assessor

• ✅ Clear PAS 2035 scope + client/programme requirements

• ✅ Defined outputs + evidence standards

• ✅ Realistic survey volumes and patch

• ✅ Interview tests process, quality, and risk awareness

• ✅ Strong onboarding + QA feedback loop

If you’re trying to hire Retrofit Assessors and keep losing them to “better organised” competitors (or worse… to chaos), we can help. The best people are rarely scrolling job boards—they’re busy delivering.

spencer@nationalskillsagency.co.uk |