If you are in the process of buying a property we would always recommend you have an independent Building Survey, often known as a Structural Survey, carried out before you legally commit to purchase.  This should be carried out by a Chartered Building Surveyor who are all members of the RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors).

Buying a property is probably the most expensive purchase you will ever make and it is important to ensure you know what you are buying: Caveat Emptor which means 'buyer beware'.  You would not buy a second hand car without knowing its history and whether it had any faults, so why would buy a house without having a full structural survey?  You may consider a survey report to be expensive, but it will money well spent, as the survey could will find any minor, on indeed major problems that may mean you can ask for a discount on the purchase price.

Do not be fooled into thinking that a Valuation Survey, or Home Buyers Report, are the same as a full Building Surveyor.  These are often just a tick list of items in a property to satisfy the mortgage lender, estate agent or valuer and be aware that they are NOT working for you the client.  Whereas, an independent Chartered Building Surveyor will be working solely for you, with your needs and interests at heart.

We encourage you to meet our Surveyors at the property during the survey so that you they can talk through the survey process with you and answer any questions you may have.

You may think that you only need a Building Survey on an older property,  however it is equally as important that you have one on a newer building, as there may be hidden problems that you would not be aware of, such as dampness or cracking.

Our Executive Summary advises you of the main issues we find within the property.   We offer you an Action Required to try to help remedy the problem, together with anticipated costings for those repairs/rectifications.   Our reports use plain English rather than technical jargon and we fully explain any survey terms we use.

We use aerial drone photography to view areas not normally accessed, such as chimneys, parapet walls, valley gutters etc.

We also use survey sketches to explain certain areas within the building, for example Stretcher Bond brickwork.  In addition to this, we use circles and ovals on our photos and sketches, which help to draw the eye to a particular point, i.e. a crack in a wall.

We include sun maps in our surveys, which show the daily rotation of the sun around the property, as for many it is important to have a south facing garden.

The contents of this website are for general information only.  They are not intended to be relied upon for specific or for general decisions.

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