I thought the Building Society do the survey?
What type of survey do I need?
I'm still not sure what’s what!
How long does the inspection take?
When will I get the report?
How long is the report?
Can I meet the Surveyor on site?
What's your small print like?
Are you insured?
Will I understand what the Surveyor is telling me?
Can I pay cash?
I thought the Building Society do the survey?
You should be aware that a Building Survey is not the same as the valuation report, which is commissioned by a mortgage lender. This type of report primarily confirms to a lender that the property is suitable security for a mortgage. The report and inspection are brief and provide information that is required by a mortgage lender, although a copy will normally be made available.
Very often when your mortgage lender will offer you the services of their Surveyor to carry out your survey. That’s fine, but they are not wholly independent - the mortgage lenders own their own firms of Surveyors.
In most cases our charges are significantly more competitive then theirs and, despite what they say you do NOT have to use their Surveyor for your own private survey
What type of survey do I need?
That depends, but probably one of the following:
Building Survey
A Building Survey is a comprehensive and detailed report on the current condition of the property and will take several hours to prepare.
This is the survey that used to be called a "Structural Survey"
Each visible element of the property is inspected to ascertain its condition and suitability, any necessary repairs will be identified as will any anticipated major expenditure - for instance the roof replacement or rewiring.
This is the preferred choice for all properties over 25 years old.
Homebuyers Report
The Homebuyer Survey and Valuation, commonly referred to, as a Homebuyer Report is a pre printed form prepared by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Although each element of the property is inspected the level of reporting detail is far briefer and is intended to draw your attention to factors affecting the value of the property only. It is not significantly forensic and does not provide indicative costs of repairs.
This is reflected in the fees charged. This form of inspection is most suitable for more modern properties but is not a service currently provided by CBH Surveying Consultancy.
Single Defect Report
A defect report concentrates on one particular defect, specified by the Client. For instance evidence of movement. It will report upon the cause of the defect and any remedial works necessary. This can be most useful following a mortgage valuation inspection.
Home Condition Report
This report was to form the basis of a Home Information Pack (HIP), and was to be commissioned by the vendor. It is no longer a statutory component of the Pack. CBH Surveying Consultancy does not currently provide this service.
I'm still not sure what’s what!
OK, the mortgage valuation just tells the mortgage company they can lend you the money, it tells you nothing. A private survey works the other way round telling you everything and the mortgage company nothing. The mortgage company will try and sell you a survey that will be expensive, you don't have to use them, use a local firm of surveyors and you'll get a better report at a lower cost. If the house is modern have a Homebuyer Report, if it's old you'll need a Building Survey. If you want specialist advice such as comment on alteration and costs you'll need a building survey.
How long does the inspection take?
The length of time the inspection takes is dependent on the size of the property and the extent of any defects that may be identified. As a rule, an inspection of a typical three-bedroom house in reasonable order may take between three and four hours.
When will I get the report?
We try, wherever possible, to dispatch our report within five working days of inspection. If required a summary or key point report can be made available immediately.
How long is the report?
How long would you like it to be? If we used bullet points we could get it across to you in about 3 pages, if you want 50 pages we can waffle away like so many Surveyor’s do. We think you'll appreciate our usual reporting style, which runs between 10 and 20 pages depending upon the size, complexity and condition of the property being surveyed.
Can I meet the Surveyor on site?
We would be more than happy to meet you on site, so please ask when you arrange your survey. We will give you a time to meet us, which will usually be between 2 and 3 hours after we start the survey. Any earlier and we can't tell you anything!
We prefer you not to stay for the whole inspection - to be honest it can be extremely distracting and prevent us from giving you the best service.
What's your small print like?
Our small print is not small at all. Our insurers require us to cover ourselves quite a lot of the time - we would prefer not to because we are confident in our abilities. Yes, our surveys do have get out clauses but we do not hide behind them. Our surveys are definite wherever possible and definitely not wishy-washy. Our small print will be written legibly and be easy to understand and we will stick by our quoted fee.
Are you insured?
We are required to carry professional indemnity insurance; we carry £1,000,000 cover against negligence.
Will I understand what the Surveyor is telling me?
We know that most homeowners do not understand technical building terms so most of the time we talk in plain English. Sometimes we have no option but to talk technical but we will endeavour to explain wherever possible.
Can I pay cash?
Yes, of course you can pay with cash, but please don't expect us to knock off the VAT or "do a deal". We leave that to the bloke in the pub who knows a bit about buildings!
