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It is both safe and effective to use a drone to conduct a roof inspection. The roof is a high place, not the kind of area you would want to be in if you had a fear of heights or a concern for your personal safety. Climbing to such an altitude is inherently risky, especially when using a ladder, but drones can eliminate those dangers altogether and keep the inspectors safely on the ground. For that reason, you might want to consider using a drone roof survey if you ever find yourself needing a roof inspection.
When it comes to inspecting your property’s roof, a professional surveyor may now operate completely differently than in the past, all thanks to the introduction of drones. A drone roof survey can be used whenever a property owner needs a thorough assessment of their roof. It is especially useful for those whose roofs fall under the types of conservation that may make a standard survey more difficult: flat roofs or various pitches that are more common to certain types of residential buildings in Notting Hill.
There is no need to pay for a conventional roof survey when a drone can do the same job better and more safely. Property owners have the option now of surveying a roof using a drone, which offers a closeup view in high resolution that is not possible with other methods. This roof survey alternative can also save the property owner some money, particularly because the roof area being surveyed may not be visible from ground level.
Flying a drone over the roof permits the surveyor to see the roof and properly identify any issues. The final report generated by the surveyor, who will have all the necessary detail and information to be used by a roofing contractor to generate a quotation for the work to get done.
While a drone roof survey greatly surpasses a standard roof inspection in Notting Hill, there are some locations in the city that are effectively no-drone zones. Security is the top concern in certain parts of Notting Hill, so residents can’t legally fly anything above rooftop height, including drones. The main no-drone areas coincide with the restricted airspace around the airports and cover Central Notting Hill and the government buildings. The CA—the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority—is the drone industry’s eyes and ears. It regulates the current UK drone law to ensure that every operator flies legally and safely, and that the privacy of local residents isn’t compromised.
In a city like Notting Hill, with such a diverse range of roofing systems—both flat and pitched—it is vital for residential and commercial property owners to have roof surveys conducted to assess the condition of their roof systems. Thanks to advancements in technology, inspectors can now perform these surveys both safely and reliably. Roof inspectors no longer risk life and limb climbing up onto a roof to access the areas that need to be assessed. Instead, the inspectors can safely and securely survey the roof using drone technology to take high-definition aerial photos. The photos allow the property owner to visually access the roof area, which they might not have been able to do prior to this technology being available.
No fraudulent insurance claims: the Roof Survey Report will verify the damage to your roof and how much it will cost to right the problem. This will shield you from any accusations of defrauding your insurance company. The report firmly places the responsibility for the repairs on the insurance company if you have not yet paid the repairs yourself and are seeking reimbursement.
Accurate property condition assessment: you will have a clear picture of the condition of your roof and how much work (if any) will be necessary to get it into good shape.
Ensuring the freeholder assumes responsibility: you will be able to use the report to follow through on the responsibilities of the freeholder.
The most standard condition report for a home is the RICS HomeBuyer Report (Level 2), which runs approximately from about £700 to £1,300. It provides a general assessment of the property’s condition and points out anything that could potentially affect its value. The RICS HomeBuyer Report does not focus on the minute details, as it is not a snagging survey; rather, it gives an overall picture of the problems. To accomplish this, the report employs a traffic light rating system that indicates the severity of the property’s defects and safety issues.
For larger buildings, a “RICS Level 3 Building Survey” might run you between £800 and £1,500, with some rare instances pushing the cost even higher. Because this survey offers a detailed breakdown of any defects, it is not your least expensive option. If, for instance, your building is at the top of a hill with a steep, sloping yard, or the property is large, expensive, old or even newly built, then a Level 3 RICS building survey is definitely the right call and will let you know if there’s been any movement in the foundation.
Surveys that are more in-depth and of better quality do cost more, but they could ultimately save you certain amounts of cash if they allow you to avoid potential costly issues in the future. If you have your eyes on a property in Notting Hill, a homebuyer’s or full building survey would be a good investment.
Our panel is composed of expert and local RICS surveyors in Notting Hill, who are experienced in conducting residential property surveys.
The surveyors provide several types of services, including a HomeBuyer Survey and Valuation. This inspection is more thorough than the average home inspection and tends to focus more on the potential impact (positive or negative) that certain property conditions might have on the property’s value.
Accreditation/qualification: The Notting Hill Surveyors panel consists of qualified, experienced chartered building surveyors accredited by RICS, CIOB or RPSA. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is a global professional body of over 200,000 members, the preeminent authority on professional land, real estate, construction, and environmental issues. Other members of our panel of surveyors belong to accreditation bodies that are similarly influential and issue similar accreditations. All of these accreditations and memberships can be seen as marks of the highest possible standards of expertise and integrity in the valuation, management, and development of professional land, real estate, construction, and environmental issues.
Specialty: the group of surveyors provides clear and direct opinions on property conditions and values. They are unfailingly familiar with the unique aspects of Notting Hill property. Their work is of the highest quality and involves an incredible amount of detail. The inspection is visual and takes place in all accessible parts of the building. Any potential problems are clearly noted, from serious issues like subsidence or dampness to much less worrisome problems like missing caulk in shower stalls. To avoid trouble after purchasing a property, buy a detailed report to know of any serious or potentially expensive problems that exist before the sale goes through.
Clarity: the inspection yields a report that is easy to read, free of jargon, and clear in its comprehensiveness. If defects are found, the report details them and provides professional advice on repairs and maintenance. These features make the report a useful, potent tool during any negotiations concerning the price of a property.
Post survey support and advice: your surveyor should not merely hand you a report at the end and then take their leave. They ought to offer as part of their service, a post-survey consultation. In this, you can go through the report together, discuss its content and potential ramifications, and receive some handy advice as to what it all might mean for you in the near future.
Value for Money: getting a HomeBuyer Report is an extra cost, but it can actually help save you money in the long term. If any problems show up in the report, you now have the opportunity to either negotiate for the seller to fix the problem or get a price reduction. Both choices help counteract the home’s cost issues.
To ensure you can select your new home wisely, engage well-respected surveyors to conduct the HomeBuyers Survey! The Notting Hill property market is among the most diverse, and it’s one of the fastest paced of the price bracket in the whole UK. Thus, it is essential to have a professional take you—from the outside appearance of the home down to its structural bones.
The Notting Hill property market is complex. Thus, before any decisions are made, it is always good practice to gain valuable insight. A Home Buyer’s Report, supplied by your qualified chartered surveyor, will do just this, giving you an authoritative, accurate, and up-to-date perspective on the property to assist you in making the correct decision for your family and your future.
For a mere £700, you can secure the services of a CIOB, RPSA or RICS HomeBuyer Report, granting you peace of mind regarding the financial future of your property and the comfort and safety of your family. This survey can also potentially save you thousands of pounds off the price of your property. The team of surveyors currently provides two distinct options for residential property survey reports. The RICS HomeBuyer Report is the most basic offering, and we also provide the very comprehensive Level 3 Survey and Roof Surveys. You are welcome to contact us for a propitious quotation on any survey you may choose from this suite of services.
RICS’s industry guidelines suggest building surveys for properties that are large, very old, in some disrepair, or have unusual features. Building surveys are also recommended if you plan to do any significant renovations or extensions.
If you’re purchasing a relatively modern home that’s in decent shape and built to ordinary standards, then a Home Buyer Survey is an acceptable choice. If you want the assurance of an inspection and report that are pretty much guaranteed to turn up any issues that might be hidden or just hard to see, then you should go for a Full Building Survey instead.
The Full Building Survey is more detailed; it is more specifically tailored to the property your surveyor would be inspecting. It also comes with more advice on the visible defects found and on the potential hidden defects that they suspect may be present. Your surveyor will illustrate reports with photographs so that you can clearly see what has been discovered. Both the Home Buyer and Full Building Surveys describe the repairs needed, the order in which the repairs should be done, and the kind of “maintenance measures” that will be required to keep the property in good condition.
A HomeBuyer Report does include a market valuation as well as reinstatement costs. However, a Full Building Survey does not. The main reason for the differences in what is and isn’t included in the two types of reports is how focused the reports are on the condition of the property. The Full Building Survey is the most in-depth and comprehensive survey of a property that you can have done.
The survey can return one of two general results. It can say that all is well or it can return a list of defects, allowing you an opportunity to still walk away from the purchase, negotiate a lower figure, or have the seller carry out the necessary repairs.
If any major issues turn out to be part of the defects list (and major issues can mean something as serious as no basement waterproofing), then the surveyor should advise on what to do. Major issues can also mean a serious impact on the structural integrity of the building, and the conversation with the surveyor can help the potential buyer gauge how much it’s going to hit them in the pocketbook to fix it.
Looking for a Chartered Surveyor? If you are buying a property, contact us for a building survey. Our panel of CIOB, RPSA and RICS surveyors will help you with the Level 2 or Level 3 property survey you need in Notting Hill. We can also assist you in Red Book Valuations, Party Wall Awards and other services. Reach out to us today for building surveyors, valuers and party wall surveyors in London!
