FAQs

Yes. The “valuation” or “valuation survey” undertaken by your lender is not the same as a condition survey. Firstly, even though you will usually be required to pay for it, the valuation is for the lender’s benefit, not for your benefit as the purchaser. Increasingly, lenders carry out desktop valuations and never actually visit the property. But even if the property is visited, the inspection is typically very brief and can’t be relied upon to identify issues with the property. Therefore, the best way of ensuring you understand the condition of your prospective purchase is to commission your own independent condition survey. As well as enabling you to get a clear picture of the property’s condition, the survey will also often provide you with a basis for renegotiating the price to reflect any serious defects that are found, something that a ‘valuation survey’ is insufficiently detailed to achieve.

Yes, you have the choice of using the same surveyor your lender has chosen to undertake the ‘valuation survey’ OR you can commission your own independent Level 2 or Level 3 survey to take place as a separate visit. You should review the website and credentials of both the lender’s surveyor and an independent option (such as me) and see who you feel most comfortable with. At the end of the day, the surveyor appointed by the lender is, to some degree anyway, concerned with keeping the lender happy. If you chose an independent surveyor, they are working for one person only – you!

As an independent surveyor, I don’t have any financial links to banks, building societies, solicitors, estate agents, builders or anyone else in the industry. As a result, I only work for one person – you!

A lot of people think a condition survey is just about establishing if there are major problems with the property (structural movement, major damp, etc.) that mean you need to either pull out of your purchase or, at the very least, negotiate a discount on the price. A condition survey certainly will identify if that is the case, but a condition survey has other equally important benefits. As well as any really serious issues, a condition survey will help you identify other issues that, whilst less serious, can still be troublesome and costly to put right. It is important that you know about these issues so that you can budget for repairs and, of course, a big enough collection of these mid-level issues could still add up to a case for renegotiating your purchase price. Even if the property is in relatively good condition, a condition survey will help you to understand your new home – how it is built, how it should be used, how you should maintain it – and that can help you to ensure future problems are avoided. All in all, the value you get from a survey in terms of money saved, in both the short and long term, easily exceeds the cost of the survey itself.

This depends on two factors – (i) the type of property you are purchasing; (ii) your own appetite for information/detail about the property and its condition.

If the property is old, in poor condition, of non-standard construction, or has been very significantly extended or modified, or if you are planning your own major works, then you should opt for a Level 3 survey. You might also choose a Level 3 survey if, even though you are buying a property that’s in better condition, you want the additional peace of mind and extra detail that is provided by this most detailed type of inspection and report.

A Level 2 survey is suitable for conventionally built properties that are in reasonable condition and have not been very significantly extended or modified. Whilst still a very thorough inspection and report, the Level 2 survey is better suited for customers who want a higher-level summary of the property’s construction and condition.

It’s wise to commission a condition survey as soon as possible after an offer is accepted. A survey will highlight if there are any serious issues that affect your willingness to proceed with the purchase or to pay the price initially offered, triggering a renegotiation where appropriate. Even for a property that is in relatively good condition, it is useful to be clear about any less serious issues, ongoing maintenance requirements and running cost considerations that could, in combination, impact on your overall budget. A timely condition survey will, depending on the findings, either (i) enable you to reconsider your purchase or the purchase price with minimum time lost; or (ii) more positively, provide peace of mind and enable you to proceed with full commitment to the purchase process.

It’s certainly true that some surveyors are too reliant on report writing software and standard phrases and some surveyors adopt a very ‘defensive’ approach to report writing. In combination, this can be very frustrating for a client. I take a different approach, producing reports that are hand crafted, specific to your property and circumstances and I keep caveats and exclusions to a minimum. That said, there are of course some things that simply can’t be seen or can’t be definitively established within the constraints of a non-invasive visual inspection as part of a single site visit and, in those circumstances, some caveats or limitations may need to be set out, or recommendations for further investigations made. The important thing is that these are kept to a minimum and not included in a report without good reason, and that is the approach that I take.

The difference between a RICS Level 2 and Level 3 survey is both in the scope of the inspection and the detail included in the report. A Level 3 survey includes a more comprehensive inspection and a more in-depth report, particularly in regard to the level of detail included within the maintenance and repair recommendations. Level 3 reports also include more extensive analysis of sustainability and energy efficiency.

My Level 3 survey does not include estimated repair costs. This is because, in the current climate (i.e. high inflation and an imbalance between supply and demand for building contractors in this region), it is very difficult to provide reliable estimates. I instead recommend that you obtain 2-3 quotations for any substantive work that is required as this is a much more reliable approach and also constitutes a much more robust basis for any required renegotiation of your purchase price, where applicable.

No. A survey is a visual, non-invasive inspection of a property. As such, if a defect exists that is invisible and is not yet manifesting itself in any detectable way, this would not be picked up by a survey. This is why, as well as highlighting any defects that are visually evident, your survey report will also recommend that your conveyancer confirms that building regulations and other statutory approvals are in place, together with completion certificates in some situations, as this can provide greater comfort that the unseen areas of the property have been properly constructed. This is particularly important in the case of recently constructed properties or extensions where sufficient time may not yet have passed for the effects of any hidden defects within the construction to become apparent.

Yes, for a small additional fee (please see the Pricing page) a market valuation can be provided with any Level 2 or Level 3 survey.

Ordinarily, the inspection can be booked in within 1-2 weeks of your instruction. However, during busy periods lead times can be longer. Level 2 survey reports are delivered within 3 working days of the inspection and Level 3 reports within 5 working days.

No. RICS guidelines are very clear that surveyors must allow time for ‘reflection’ and time for any necessary further research before finalising their conclusions and issuing a survey report. In my view, a same-day or next day service does not allow this important window for ensuring that the correct conclusions are reached and the most appropriate advice given.

The cost of a survey is a product of the amount of time it will take to research the property, undertake the inspection and write the report. This is in turn a product of the property’s age, construction type, condition and the extent to which it has been altered. For these reasons, I quote for each survey on an individual basis. However, my Pricing page gives an indication of the typical range of costs for each survey type.

Absolutely, and I would encourage you to do so. I speak to all my clients before the survey takes place in order to understand any questions or particular concerns you may have. I also offer a 30 min (Level 2) or 1 hr (Level 3) post-survey telephone call or Zoom meeting to talk through the report and ensure you understand it, and to answer any further questions that you or your conveyancer may have.

No, simply because I cannot guarantee the quality of work undertaken by third party companies. However, I will provide advice as to which accreditation schemes or membership bodies you should look for when appointing contractors or seeking quotations for work.

Yes, definitely. The report will usually include important information that your legal advisor will need to review.

No. The report is confidential and is for your use only. Where you need to highlight issues or defects to the estate agent or vendor, I recommend that you do this by summarising the report findings or, where absolutely necessary, by sharing only small, selected sections of the report.

If specialist reports have been obtained before the survey then I will review any such reports as part of my preparation for the inspection. Where specialist reports are obtained at a later date, it is recommended that you take the advice of your chosen specialist (structural engineer, drainage surveyor, damp and timber contractor etc.) who will be best placed to provide you with advice on the particular defect or issue in question.

Yes, if my initial findings are such that you wish to immediately pull out of your purchase and you no longer require me to write the report then my Terms of Business allow for a partial refund in this situation.