6 October 2025
SHW - RCA's - The What, The How and The Why
Building Consultancy, SHW News
Re-Instatement Cost Assessments (RCA) estimate the insurance cost to fully rebuild a residential building with identical specifications if demolished.
Costs are obtained from the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS), a service operated by the RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors), which provides independent cost and carbon data for the UK built environment.
Costs may vary from year to year and can be influenced by social events and economic conditions, such as COVID-19 or the war in Ukraine, which affect the availability and price of materials. The following examples illustrate that changes in value can be significant.
2019 RCA Value |
2025 RCA Value |
Uplift Value |
Percentage Increase |
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|
Client 1 |
£1,619,593.82 |
£1,939,216.28 |
£319,622.46 |
19.70% |
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|
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|
|
|
Client 2 |
£2,810,397.26 |
£3,538,462.25 |
£728,064.99 |
25.90% |
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|
|
|
|
|
Client 3 |
£3,071,979.16 |
£3,991,098.95 |
£919,119.79 |
29.90% |
Regular assessments and accurate measurements conducted by a qualified Surveyor are crucial to ensure that buildings carry appropriate insurance coverage in the event of demolition and complete reconstruction.
Besides the main residential building, we assess all on-site structures, such as garages, bin stores, and other communal buildings within the property boundary.
RCA costs vary due to differences in building size, unique services, stonework features, roof type (flat or slate-pitched), and Listed status.
RICS advises a full re-inspection and RCA every three years, with an annual desktop RCA reviewing the prior assessment.
For more information on RCA’s please contact David Stappleton, SHW Senior Building Surveyor at dstappleton@shw.co.uk.
