Buying a new home is often a huge financial commitment, for a relatively small fee it is wise to obtain a survey to understand the condition of the property and to be well informed. Assuming a mortgage is being obtained for part of the purchase price, the mortgage lender will require a Valuation Survey prior to a formal mortgage offer, however this type of survey is only for the lenders benefit to ensure the property is of a suitable value for lending purposes. The lenders valuation is not a condition survey and this is where we are able to help by providing an independent condition inspection and report. Understanding the condition of the structure can help to assess the value of the property, perhaps you should consider negotiating on the price to better reflect its condition, or conversely the survey may provide you with some piece of mind about your decision.

As a practice we currently offer the Level 2 RICS Homebuyer survey report (without valuation). We offer the Homebuyer survey for traditionally built properties built from around 1850. The RICS survey provides a clear, numbered and coloured traffic light condition rating system for each element of the building. The visual only survey inspection will categorize any defects found into one of three categories; Condition Rating 3 - serious or urgent defects, Condition Rating 2 - requires repair but not considered serious or urgent, and Condition Rating 1 - no works currently required and the element should be maintained in the usual way. The report will also identify any areas that require further investigation or specialist testing. The RICS description of the Homebuyer report can be found here

All of our surveys are accompanied by an extensive set of high quality individually labelled colour photographs to easily identify with the written report.

For non standard or non traditional type of construction, properties in extremely poor condition or properties built before around 1830 a Level 3 Building Survey should be obtained.

Below are just a few examples of the types of defects typically identified during a survey.