Homebuyer Surveys – Level 2

Homebuyer Surveys

The Homebuyer Survey includes a visual inspection of all key internal and external elements. The external inspection starts at roof height covering the roof, chimneys, rainwater goods, going down the building to inspect the external walls, windows, air bricks, damp proof course and finally the external ground. The internal inspection covers all floor levels and rooms from basement to roof space and covers walls, timbers, ceilings and general fixtures and fittings including services. I also include a non-invasive damp and timber inspection with all homebuyers inspection, which can be included in the report with a budget costing exercise if required or written as a separate report, as sometimes required by the mortgage lender. Please advise on these requirements as it will affect the survey fee.

As I am qualified to AssocRICS, as well as PCA (CSRT, CSSW) and a member of the RPSA, I am able to combine surveys where others may make further recommendations. This not only saves on survey fees, it also reduces the length of time taken on organising other surveys and the time for arranging these and receiving the reports. It also lessens the stress of having many different surveyors turn up at different times, sometimes looking at similar things. The surveys I include are homebuyers, damp and timber and cavity wall surveys, whilst I look for signs of movement or cracking etc if anything major is noted, it would usually be recommended to obtain a structural engineer’s report.

I write my reports using my own format which includes a full description of all findings, property checks including flood risk, planning applications and radon etc and a bullet-pointed list of all defects found throughout separated from the external defects and internal defects.

I would always recommend getting a Homebuyers Survey on a property you are buying, which will make you aware of any issues and help you to gage potential costs before committing to the purchase.

Please note, I do not undertake full building surveys (level 3), which may be required for older and more complex properties.

Do I need a homebuyers survey?

When you’re already spending a lot of money on buying a property, any survey can sometimes feel like an unnecessary expense. However, the initial money spent on the survey is worth it in the long run so that you are aware of any problems before you buy a property, allowing you to make an informed decision about whether you want to go ahead with the purchase, how much you’re willing to pay for it, allow you to negotiate and, if necessary, budget for any repair work that needs doing.

If major problems are uncovered, you may be able to use the information in the survey to negotiate with the seller.