What is a Building Survey?
A Building Survey (now called an RICS Level 3 Home Survey) is a comprehensive inspection, appropriate for all properties. In the past it was also referred to as a ‘Full Structural survey’ but this term is no longer used by the RICS to avoid confusion with the work undertaken by a Structural Engineer. The RICS recommend this type of survey if the property is large, complex or been altered from original. It is also recommended for any pre-war property. A building survey should not be confused with the inspection made by a mortgage company as part of their own valuation process.
Why use an RICS Surveyor?
A survey by an RICS Surveyor is an impartial inspection of the property, giving a professional opinion of its condition and highlighting any defects, maintenance issue or areas for improvement ahead of a purchase.
As a purchaser, this type of objective information provided could be used to help you negotiate the price to reflect any undiscovered defects, potentially saving you money. It may also prevent you from making a bad decision and buying a property that has inherent defects which could prove costly to repair. As a seller, a building survey will highlight issues in advance which could cause a sale to fall through.
Not all Surveyors are the same
Although the RICS defines the ‘standard’ of the inspection, in reality it is a bespoke document and there is a wide variety in the quality of the reports produced by different Building Surveyors. Some larger practices undertake several inspections a day and under such time pressure, it is not possible to deliver the quality of report our clients expect.
Check out the competition
We encourage clients to check example reports from other practices ahead of any instruction, to be sure you appreciate the difference. Please see our reviews and example reports.