Why do I need a Building Survey!
If you are reading this you are probably in two minds about whether the cost, type or time required for a survey is worth it.
Well, lets start at the basics.
We often hear from members of the public who call us, and they usually ask, we have a quote for a building survey from our mortgage provider for £150.00! why are your fees higher than that?
Well first of all, your bank is not undertaking a building survey! They are going to instruct a valuation survey, or if you are lucky a homebuyer. The Level 3 RICS Building Survey that we undertake is the most detailed and comprehensive. RICS Level 3 Building
The second thing we hear is, we will just risk it. Do not do it. Graham Ellis, Associate Director, RICS Residential: says that on average, those who did not take out a survey spent £5,750 in additional work to the property which could have been identified in a survey. In one case a home buyer was left with a £385,000 legal bill after not exchanging contracts on a £3.6m house purchase because rising damp was discovered, an issue which could have been identified if they had done a survey beforehand. We also include a schedule of budget costs for repairs and items to be addressed. In our experience, these costs are a good tool for highlighting with vendors and negotiating a fair reduction.
Of course, we all have a friend who was a builder or who claims to have been the site manager at Stonehenge, but in reality, regardless of how much time they have or how good they are, how much time do they have to look at the property? When was the last time they looked at a property of this style and age? We are trained to survey all building types and specialise in traditional buildings. Its our jobs and we do it every day. Experience and knowledge take time to build up and we compliment this with lots of cool gadgets such as thermal imaging, pole cameras, hygrometers and carbide tests to give a full, greater in-depth picture that may not always be visually clear.
It is a new build and I have got a guarantee so don’t need a survey! Wrong. Google problems with new builds and be prepared for some shocking reading. Do not trust the guarantees or developers reports. Get an independent to check it out first.
We are not salesman and we don’t like to push or twist peoples arms. We believe in what we do and provide a high quality product for our clients.
Contact us for further information or for a no pressure call if you require some general advice on your property purchase. Contact Us