When purchasing a property, it is important to make sure you have a basic understanding of the issues that are apparent and may be up and coming.
For most, this is one of the largest purchases that you make in usually the shortest time frame. It would not be unusual for people to make a decision about a property within 15 minutes of going through the door and typically (if buying through an agent) this is the amount of time that vendors anticipate you being there.
It would not be possible to be able to highlight defects within this time frame so it is very understandable as to any that you may miss. As property surveyors, we often spend several hours inspecting a property to make sure we have a clear picture of the construction and defects.
Our Surveyors are experienced to ensure that you are provided with the appropriate advice on your purchase.
Part of our ethos is to ensure that we allow enough time to carry out a thorough inspection of the property and provide the correct report that it needs. As an example, our Level 2 inspections can take anything from 2-5 hours to inspect and our Level 3’s can take anything from 4 hours to a full day and on more complex larger properties, it may be that a second visit is required.
We offer three levels of inspection/reporting and these are in accordance with the RICS suite of products which are Home Surveys.
Level 1 - Home Survey
This is the entry-level of survey report and it is designed to give you a basic overview of the property that you are looking to purchase.
The level of inspection is less extensive than that of the Level 2 & 3 Home Surveys but you may find it adequate for your needs.
The report comes in an easy to read format and are coded with appropriate colours, so you can quickly see the items that require immediate attention. There is no advice given on how to deal with repair or maintenance issues and therefore it is typically aimed at modern properties that have had no alterations and are of standard construction.
For a full description of what is included, click the relevant link below:
Level 2 - Home Survey
This survey comes in two formats where you have the option of the condition only or including a valuation which will also provide a re-instatement cost for Building Insurance purposes.
The Level 2 is aimed at providing detailed advice and information for purchasing a conventional house, bungalow or apartment.
The reports come in an easy to read format and are coded with appropriate colours, so you can quickly see the items that require immediate attention.
The Level 2 can cover most properties of traditional British housing stock built from c.1900 to the present day.
Our team will advise you as to whether the property that you want inspecting would fall into this category or advise a Level 3 inspection.
For a full description of what is included, click the relevant link below:
Level 3 - Home Survey
A comprehensive inspection and report highlighting the condition and defects and providing appropriate advice on how to improve them, it will also highlight any specific areas requiring further investigation that should be undertaken prior to commitment to purchase.
This is typically aimed at older, period, extended or unusual properties or ones with visible issues that require advice on.
Similar to the Level 2, the report colour codes the elements of a building which enables a quick way of reviewing the most important items first. This does not mean that you should ignore the green ones as they may also contain information about routine maintenance.
For a full description of what is included, click the relevant link below:
As with all of the surveys above it is imperative that you review the whole of the report so that you have a complete understanding and overview of the entire property.
By reviewing the report completely, this will give you more information and help you to make a rational decision on how you want to proceed.