Surveyors · London Bridge
Paul French
Set Square Surveyors
The Feature
The Man Who Reads Buildings
Paul French built Set Square Surveyors on a simple but radical premise: that buying property should never feel like a leap of faith. Meet the surveyor quietly changing how Britain approaches one of its most consequential decisions.
There is a particular kind of dread that arrives with a property purchase. You have fallen for the light in the kitchen, the period cornicing, the way the garden catches the afternoon sun. You have made an offer, sweated through solicitors, and now someone is handing you the keys to what might be the largest financial commitment of your life. What, exactly, are you actually buying?
Paul French has spent his career answering that question. As the founder of Set Square Surveyors, based in London Bridge, he has turned the traditionally dry business of building surveys into something closer to a professional act of care. The pitch is straightforward: before you commit, know what you are committing to.
'People treat the survey as a formality,' he says. 'A box to tick before completion. But a good survey is the only moment in the whole process where someone is genuinely on your side, looking at the building with no interest in the sale going through.'
That clarity of purpose has shaped everything about how Set Square operates. French is not chasing volume. He is after something more demanding: the kind of surveying work that actually helps people make better decisions, whether that means pressing ahead, renegotiating on price, or walking away entirely.
'A good survey is the only moment in the whole process where someone is genuinely on your side, looking at the building with no interest in the sale going through.'
Set Square focuses on detailed Building Surveys for buyers who want a clear understanding of the condition of the property before they commit. For older, larger or more complex homes, Set Square’s Building Surveys go deep into the fabric of the property, working through the kind of detail that can surface problems a casual viewing would never catch: movement in the walls, issues with the roof, damp that has been painted over rather than fixed, and other defects that could become costly later. The aim is simple: give the buyer a clear, practical understanding of the building so they can make the decision with their eyes open.
French's background is thoroughly grounded in the technical realities of construction and property. But what sets him apart in a field that can skew towards the bureaucratic is a habit of plain speaking. Survey reports from Set Square are written to be understood, not filed and forgotten. The point is to equip a client with real knowledge, not a document full of caveats that leaves them none the wiser.
The business is built for the buyer who is serious. Not the speculator hoping everything will be fine, but the person who wants to go into a purchase with their eyes open. That might be a first-time buyer terrified of making a costly mistake, or a seasoned property owner who has been burned before and knows better than to skip the details this time.
Britain's housing stock is old, complicated and often concealing its age behind fresh paint and careful staging. In that context, a surveyor who genuinely looks, genuinely reports and genuinely explains what they found is not a luxury. It is arguably the most important professional you will hire in the entire buying process.
Set Square Surveyors takes on residential survey work across London and beyond. Whether you are buying a Victorian terrace, a purpose-built flat or something altogether more ambitious, French and his team are the people to call before you sign anything. Find them at setsquaresurveyors.co.uk.
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Know Exactly What You're Buying
Property surveys done properly, by people who actually care about bricks.
A building can look immaculate and still be hiding something. Set Square Surveyors exist for the moment before you sign, when the stakes are highest and the details matter most. Based near London Bridge, they offer residential surveys with the rigour of a specialist practice and the plain-English clarity that buyers actually need. No jargon, no fudged findings. Just an honest read of what a property is, what it's worth, and what it might cost you next.
Survey first. Buy confident.The Interview
5 Questions with Paul French
The man who reads buildings for a living, Set Square Surveyors' Paul French on drones, dilapidations, and why 'close enough' is never good enough.
1. Surveying isn't exactly the industry most people dream about as kids. What actually pulled you in?
There's something deeply satisfying about looking at a building and knowing exactly what's going on beneath the surface. Every property has a story, and our job is to read it accurately and give clients the clarity they need to make serious decisions. Once that gets under your skin, it's hard to walk away.
2. Set Square uses drone surveys and Matterport 3D scans, that's not typical surveying kit. What changed your thinking on technology?
We're always searching for the added value in a project, and at some point it became obvious that the tools most firms were using were leaving insight on the table. High-resolution aerial imagery, virtual walkthroughs you can explore remotely, these aren't gimmicks, they genuinely deliver faster, smarter results. Clients get more, and we get to do better work.
3. Dilapidations disputes have a reputation for dragging on. How does Set Square cut through that?
The traditional route can be painfully slow and expensive, which is why we've invested heavily in expert determination as an alternative. It's quicker, cheaper, and we handle it entirely in-house with our RICS-qualified team. Whether we're pursuing a claim for a landlord or defending one for a tenant, the goal is always resolution, not prolonged conflict.
4. You work across residential, commercial, sports and leisure, and charities. Is there a sector that surprises people most?
Charities, probably. People don't always connect property management with the third sector, but organisations doing vital work still need rigorous surveying, sound project management and someone keeping a close eye on costs. We're genuinely proud to support them, it matters that the buildings housing good causes are in safe hands.
5. Final one: if someone's reading this and thinking 'do I actually need a chartered surveyor right now?', what's your honest answer?
If there's a lease ending, a wall to be built, a building to be bought or an insurance figure to be set, yes, you need one, and probably sooner than you think. The cost of getting it wrong almost always outweighs the cost of getting proper advice. That's not a sales line; it's just what the numbers say, over and over again.
