Buying a house is likely to be the largest purchase in anyone's life, and many of the houses found in the UK date back many decades and have developed a wide array of defects.

Most people buy a property with the help of a mortgage and as such will need to have a lenders valuation undertaken, but this does not constitute a survey, it is effectively a risk assessment for the mortgage lender to ensure their money is safe, and is often simply a drive-by exercise or even undertaken from a desktop on some occasions.

As a member of the Residential Property Surveyor Association, I offer independent advice on the condition of your intended new home, and whatever survey you decide to opt for, it will be a full and rigorous inspection of the property.

What Surveys are Available?

Level 2 Home Buyers survey- provides a full and extensive inspection of areas that are accesible. The survey looks for serious problems that are evident, including damp and anything that could cause future issues that might impact the value of the property and is the most popular.

This survey is suitable for all types of property.

To summarise exactly what this type of survey covers- 

• Background information on the property and location 
• An assessment of any damp- proofing, drainage or insulation in the building, (although drains can only be inspected from the accessible areas)
• Condition of the building's timber and checking for woodworm or rot
• Damp test results taken from the walls
• Details of urgent problems which should receive specialist attention before signing a contract
• Details of major faults in easy to get to parts of the property that may affect value

Level 3 Full Building survey (Structural)-

is the highest level of non-invasive survey that Surveyors usually carry out during the home buying process. It includes everything a home buyers survey includes, and is suitable for all properties. However it is often most applicable for older or more unusual properties, or properties that problems are to be suspected.

The building survey report will describe the condition of each element of the house and indentify the property's defects, their apparent cause, the urgency of repair, maintenance options and sometimes an approximate cost of repair.

To summarise exactly what this survey type includes-

• Background information on the property and location 
• An assessment of any damp- proofing, drainage or insulation in the building, (although drains can only be inspected from the accessible areas)
• Condition of the building's timber and checking for woodworm or rot
• Damp test results taken from the walls
• Details of urgent problems which should receive specialist attention before signing a contract
• Details of major faults in easy to get to parts of the property that may affect value
• A thorough assessment of property defects and notable hazards
• Tailored advice on repairs and maintenance
• A description of any previous structural work completed on the property

Buy to Let surveys- 

Buy-to-let surveys are a new type of survey, designed to give landlords and investors a clear understanding of the property they are intending to purchase. 

They include the information a home buyers survey includes plus-

• A review of the 29 potential hazard profiles listed under the Housing Health & Safety Rating System (used by local authorities to prodecute landlords in the Private Rented Sector)
• A Decent & Safe Homes (DASH) report that highlights health and safety deficiencies, allowing you to correct them before receiving a potential complaint
• Compiled by a specialist residential surveyor who has undergone specific training to deliver this unique produc