Sean Steer
Sean is a Director at Brian Gale Surveyors and a Chartered Building Surveyor with decades of experience across residential and commercial property.
He began his career in the Estates Department at Liverpool Victoria Insurance, working with a large and varied property portfolio. During this time, he developed a strong understanding of building maintenance and repair, managed small building projects and built valuable technical drawing skills.
In 1985, he qualified as a Chartered Building Surveyor through the RICS Direct Entry route. Rather than taking a traditional degree pathway, he completed the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ professional examinations – a respected route that required significant practical experience alongside rigorous assessment.
Broad Professional Experience
From 1985 to 1987, Sean worked for a local Quantity and Building Surveying practice specialising in public sector projects. He gained experience managing medium-sized construction, maintenance and refurbishment schemes in schools and within the Health Service. He also organised large-scale stock condition surveys of council housing across the country.
In 1987, he joined Clifford Dann & Partners in Lewes, at a time when Clifford Dann was President of the RICS. There, Sean re-established the firm’s Building Surveying department and worked on a wide range of projects, including:
- Repair works at the University of Sussex
- Construction of a new dairy unit
- Rebuilding homes following fire damage
- Surveys of public buildings
Establishing His Own Practice
In 1989, Sean set up his own private practice, working independently for nearly two decades. In 2008, he joined Brian Gale Surveyors, bringing with him extensive experience, long-standing client relationships and valuable local contacts – helping the practice grow and broaden its services.
Current Areas of Work
Today, Sean specialises in:
- Surveys and valuations of residential property
- Dilapidations (advice on lease-end repair obligations)
- Party Wall matters and Awards (formal agreements when building work affects neighbouring properties)
His depth of experience allows him to give clear, practical advice grounded in many years of hands-on involvement with buildings of all types.
Sean’s career has spanned maintenance, project management, public sector work and private practice. That breadth of experience gives clients confidence that advice is based not only on theory, but on real-world knowledge built up over many years in the profession.
