Who is allowed to sign a valuation report?

By Parish Rao · 24 August 2026 · 5 minute read

Three different professionals sign documents that all look like valuations. They are not the same, and which one you need depends entirely on what the report is for. Getting this wrong wastes time you may not have.

Why this confuses everyone

A bank asks for a valuation. A consulate asks for a net worth certificate. Your CA asks for a fair market value report. Three requests, three different signatures required, and the words used are almost identical.

Meanwhile plenty of people advertise valuation services without saying clearly what they are actually authorised to certify. So here is the plain version.

The registered valuer

A valuer registered for the purpose is who you need for income tax matters, including capital gains and the 1 April 2001 fair market value. This is the signature an assessing officer expects on a property valuation. It is also accepted for courts, family settlements and most bank work.

For anything where the tax department is the audience, this is the one that matters.

The chartered engineer

A chartered engineer's authority is technical. Structure, construction quality, plant and machinery, the physical condition and remaining life of a building. Their certificate is genuinely valuable, and some banks specifically ask for it alongside a valuation.

Where it goes wrong is when a purely technical certificate is submitted for a tax purpose that required a registered valuer. The property may be assessed perfectly, and the report can still be set aside because of who signed it.

The chartered accountant

A CA certifies your financial position. The net worth certificate in a visa file is theirs, and it must carry a UDIN, the identification number that lets anyone verify it online.

But a CA does not inspect your property or establish what it is worth. They take the property value from a valuer's report and place it inside your net worth statement. The two documents work together, which is why visa files usually need both. We explain that pairing in our post on the net worth certificate versus the valuation report.

A simple way to decide

• Selling property, or any income tax matter. Registered valuer.
• Inherited property, probate, family settlement. Registered valuer.
• Court case. Registered valuer, and one prepared to appear in person.
• Visa file. Valuer for the property, CA for the net worth certificate.
• Bank loan. Whoever is on that bank's panel, in that bank's format.
• Structural condition, machinery, remaining life. Chartered engineer.

What to ask before you pay anyone

Ask what they are registered as, and ask for the registration number that will appear on the report. Anyone genuine will answer immediately. If the answer is vague, that is your answer.

Not sure which report your situation needs? The free which report tool works it out in five questions, or just call and describe the situation.