Post-valuation queries (PVQs) are an essential part of the mortgage process, but managing them is often a complex challenge. Discover how PVQ Hub standardises workflows, how smart mapping reduces delays, and why human experts remain irreplaceable even as AI introduces new efficiencies.
We sat down with Sam England, Director of Surveying Operations at Cotality, to talk about the realities of post-valuation query management - why the process has historically been so fragmented, what the technology is doing to fix it, and where AI fits into the picture.
A post-valuation query (PVQ) is a request raised by a lender after a surveyor submits their valuation report, giving the lender an opportunity to clarify any points before offering a mortgage. As Sam puts it: "PVQ is a fundamental part of the process. It gives the lender the opportunity to raise a query to support the mortgage offer moving to completion." The queries themselves aren't a problem but managing them efficiently has long been a point of friction in the industry.
Why the Traditional Valuation Workflow Creates Friction
Lenders each have their own processes, their own risk appetites and their own preferred data formats. Without a common standard, surveying firms must maintain different workflows for different clients simultaneously. Before PVQ Hub, that meant a fragmented communication flow with no consistent way to raise or resolve queries across the market:
"Pre-PVQ Hub, surveying firms and panel managers would use their own bespoke solutions or off-the-shelf tools to manage this," says Sam, "which ultimately meant different surveyors were responding to lenders using multiple and inconsistent communication methods." Surveyors were chasing queries across inboxes, panel managers were manually reconciling data, and for an industry where delays can cost buyers their chains, a more consistent approach was overdue.
How PVQ Hub Standardises the Query Process
PVQ Hub addresses this issue by creating a consistent data flow across major panel managers and their panel firms. Surveyors get a single view of all outstanding queries directly on their devices, with visibility of what's inside or outside a SLA and the ability to respond, escalate or route to a colleague without leaving the application.
The speed improvement is significant. "A lender can raise a query in Lender Hub and within a couple of minutes it's on the surveyor's iPad," says Sam.
The application also handles the variation in how different lenders want data returned. "The real differentiator with our product is not only the speed in which it can raise and resolve a PVQ, but also that we standardise the response approach regardless of how the data is sent back," Sam explains. "A different lender might want it in a Word document, an Excel spreadsheet or a PDF. Our application generates those different templates in line with each lender's requirements."
Smart Data Capture: Getting Ahead of Queries Before They're Raised
Lenders are requesting more data to support their risk assessments, particularly around environmental factors: flooding, coastal erosion and ground stability. Surveyors carry significant liability for their valuations, getting the data right on site matters.
Cotality UK’s mobile application addresses this through smart mapping. Rather than relying on surveyors to recall which questions a specific lender requires at the point of inspection, the app surfaces those requirements dynamically during the physical visit. As lender requirements evolve, the question sets automatically update too.
"Having smart mapping in the iPad reduces the number of PVQs," says Sam. "The challenge is that lenders' risk appetite is rarely static and environmental factors are ever changing. That in itself creates challenges- making sure everybody's up to date with rule changes or preference changes is part of what the application is designed to support."
The goal is accuracy and consistency throughout. "If the surveyor says it's a three-bed semi-detached house, that's the information the lender's getting back. The messaging is clear and concise. Through that being consistent, that then inevitably reduces the number of PVQs."
Where Does AI Fit?
Sam identifiies genuine potential for machine learning to support parts of the process. "We know certain lenders consistently ask the same question on properties in specific areas, and we know the answer is often the same," he says. "We could train our systems to automate predictable responses - there are definite efficiencies to be had with machine learning to support the PVQ process."
On whether PVQs will ever become obsolete, Sam is clear: "I think there'll always be a need for PVQ. The human element is non-negotiable. It takes an expert on the ground to provide the necessary context and commentary that only a physical inspection can offer."
The Improvement Loop
Panel managers use query data to identify patterns - where the same question keeps coming up,that's a signal to refine the smart mapping prompts and address the gap. "Having a consistent approach to raising and resolving a PVQ does allow for rethinking processes and implementing continuous improvement," says Sam.
The impact of this approach compounds over time, resulting in fewer avoidable queries, faster case progression and valuation reports that consistently meet lender requirements first time.
