Our surveys – Professional Surveyors Residential

Which home survey should I choose?

We recommend that anyone in the process of buying a house should commission a RICS Chartered Surveyor to undertake a Level 3 (Building Survey) or Level 2 (Home Buyers Report) survey of the property regardless of its age or whether it seems to be in reasonable condition.

That is because buying a house is one of, if not the biggest investment, a homeowner will ever make and items of disrepair, poor workmanship or unauthorised work can often be overlooked.

This can be costly both financially and emotionally, leaving buyers with having to potentially incur substantial costs associated with further investigations and rectifying the issues that may become apparent when moving into the property.

Home Survey Level 2 (formerly a Home Buyers Survey)

This survey is suitable when buying a standard house, apartment, or bungalow constructed from common building materials and in reasonably good condition.

The report provides a simple and easy-to-understand rating system, using a traffic light rating system, which indicates the condition of different parts of the building, its services, and grounds. The ratings clearly show which issues require different levels of attention.

The primary focus of this service is to evaluate the overall condition of the main elements of a property. This level of service includes a thorough visual inspection of the building, its services, and grounds, but does not involve any testing. If it is safe to do so, concealed areas usually accessible or used by occupants, such as roof spaces, basements, and cellars, will be inspected.

The report provides an unbiased description of the condition of various elements and assesses the importance of any defects or issues. For further details on the RICS Home Survey Level 2 (survey only) report, please contact us.

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» Home Survey Level 2

Home Survey Level 3 (formerly a Building Survey)

If you are dealing with a large, older, or rundown property, or a building that has undergone significant alterations, this report is the appropriate choice. It is more costly than other RICS reports because it provides comprehensive information about the structure and materials of the property. This service involves a thorough visual examination of the building, its services, and grounds, and it is more extensive than a Level 2 survey. Concealed areas that are typically accessible or utilised by occupants, such as roof spaces, basements, and cellars, will be inspected if it is safe to do so.

Although the services are not tested, they are observed in normal operation, which means they are switched on or off and/or operated where the occupant has given permission and it is safe to do so. The report objectively describes the form of construction and materials used for different parts of the property. It describes the condition and provides an assessment of the relative importance of any defects or issues.
The survey report will include the following:

» a description of the identifiable risk of potential or hidden defects in areas not inspected

» the most probable cause(s) of the defects based on the inspection

» outlines the likely scope of any necessary remedial work and explains the likely consequences of not repairing the defects.

For further details on the RICS Home Survey Level 3 report, please contact us.

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» Home Survey Level 3

Which home survey should I choose?

Home Survey Level 2 (formerly a Home Buyers Survey)

Home Survey Level 3 (formerly a Building Survey)

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