The Right Survey for you
When considering which Survey to choose to best inform you about your new home, you should make sure it is the right Survey - the one which will give you the right information for the property; and outline the real costs associated with it.
As you know, residential building surveys are usually described as Level 1, 2, or 3 - a Basic, a Home Condition / HomeBuyer or a Building Survey (a structural survey). Beyond these you may require a Listed Building Survey, a Holiday Home Survey, a Buy to Let Survey, a New Build Snagging Survey, a HHSRS Assessment, and so on. The different survey types offer different levels of inspection, focus and information / report details.

The Houses of Parliament have recently been subject to significant surveys, to inform the way forward regards the renovation and maintenance of the property.
'More than 50 skilled engineers, architectural surveyors, ecologists, acoustic experts and lighting specialists spent a combined 4'700 hours over the parliamentary recess periods in 2021 investigating the 150-year-old building, creating the most detailed record of it ever.' (Building Engineer, June 2022).
The findings note some difficulties including the 'sewage ejector system' which was installed in 1888 and is still in use today, and the need for some 4000 bronze windows to be repaired.
Whilst the surveys undertaken by HomePrep.co.uk have not yet seen a sewage ejector system from Victorian times, nor an excess of historic windows; we have noted a number of same category assets serving Devon and Cornish homes which do need to be properly advised upon to protect the client interests.
For example, some vendors / buyers are not aware of the recent legislative changes, such as the General Binding Rules, which impact their liability regards their old sewage / septic tank systems. And non rated safety glazing in windows and doors often comes as a surprise to vendors and buyers, especially if they are thinking of letting the purchased property.
Clearly, as with the Houses of Parliament, you need to be sure about the type of survey you should instruct in order to glean the right information about the structure and fabric you hope to buy. This is critical to manage your expectations, your purse strings, your risk / liabilities; and your future maintenance implications. Paying for a survey which isn't relevant is a waste of money and effort!
When you ask HomePrep.co.uk to undertake a survey for you we will advise you as to which survey we feel is right for you and right for the property.
Comments