Menu
In Buckinghamshire, our group of surveyors carry out high quality building surveys and valuations. If you want an estimate on a Level 3 Building Survey or Level 2 HomeBuyer Report, we can help.
These property surveys are completed in Buckinghamshire, mostly by local, RICS-chartered surveyors. Your report will be relevant to your property and up to industry standards.
The property surveys consist of Residential Surveys, Valuations, Party Wall Services, Dilapidations, Expert Witness Services, Project Services, Condition Schedules, and others.
For a local survey of your desired property, be it residential or commercial, in the lovely county of Buckinghamshire, commission an RPSA, CIOB or RICS Chartered Surveyor via us. You will receive an accurate report that details the condition and/or value of your property and allows you to make an informed decision regarding investment.
With our panel of Chartered Surveyors, your surveyor will carry out a Level 3 Full Building Survey. This is the best type of structural survey.
A Level 3 Survey is the most detailed and rigorous for assessing the condition of a residential or commercial building when looking to buy or sell.
A Level 2 Survey (HomeBuyer Report) uses a traffic light system to identify essential defects in properties, though not as thoroughly as the Level 3 survey. It also allows for an optional property valuation to accompany the report.
If you’re buying a new build, the best practice is to have a list of issues highlighted with a snagging report and then fixed before you move into the property.
A valuation relies on an understanding of the local market. Your property will be examined by a Registered Valuer and follows RICS Red Book valuation guidelines. The different types of valuation offered include:
A technical study of your property and the local property market will be conducted by your RPSA, CIOB or RICS valuer. This can be undertaken to determine reinstatement build cost valuations, market valuations, and tax valuations for capital gains, probate, inheritance, and matrimonial settlements in the locality. Should you require surveying services for collective enfranchisement matters or lease extension negotiations, our panel of qualified personnel are available to help you assess their worth.
The party wall surveyors on our panel, many of whom are Chartered Surveyors under RICS, CIOB or RPSA, have considerable experience with the Party Wall Act. They can be appointed to serve notices, carry out schedules of condition, and make an Award for owners in the Buckinghamshire area.
These surveys focus on specific defects in a property and offer expert reporting on their causes and recommended fixes. They give our clients the essential information they need to make knowledgeable decisions about buying, leasing, or renovating a property.
The Specific Defect Survey is what you need when you want a professional to look at a particular problem area in a building, like cracks, roof defects, or issues with rotten wood. Our RPSA/CIOB/RICS-qualified surveyors will not only determine what’s causing the problem but also present you with options on how to fix it, along with a ballpark figure for what those fixes will cost if you require.
You can assign a property dispute to an RPSA, CIOB or RICS chartered surveyor for resolution. The panel of surveyors can provide expert reports and act as expert witnesses for all types of property and construction disputes in compliance with Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) for legal proceedings in court.
These record the state of the property on a date prior to moving or construction. For the landlord, but also for the tenant, the Schedule of Condition serves to provide a record for the house or flat and help determine disputes over property condition that arise between landlords and tenants after habitation or works, such as with party wall.
The Full Building Survey report includes the following:
When it comes to the detail that the surveyor will go into concerning defects, repairs, and maintenance, the Homebuyer Survey is fairly standard. Full Building Surveys, however, are more refined and go into more detail about possible and likely defects. Repairs and maintenance are covered in more detail. The Survey cost depends on the age, size, and value of the property.
The analysis they undertake is a visual inspection. This means that, for the most part, the building components that can be seen will be looked at and assessed in accordance with the surveyor’s remit. The Home Survey Report will show you the visible defects and then go on to discuss the kinds of partially hidden or totally hidden defects that the surveyor thinks you should be aware of. It will also try to clarify what kinds of repair work need to be done and the nature of the repairs. The survey is effectively a way to consider “defects” and their potential impact on the building.
A Building Survey Report contains the most important information for understanding the condition of a property. The surveyors that undertake the work follow a set procedure. The first part of the report contains a general overview of the property and its surroundings. The second part details the major and minor problems with the property’s components, inside and out. These problems range from serious structural defects to issues with doors or windows that don’t close properly, and everything in between. The report is written in clear English, complemented by diagrams and photographs. If any of the problems found are what a surveyor might consider important, that’s what the report indicates—using clear and unambiguous language.
Surveyors usually use a tick box to indicate methods of repair when drafting a building survey report. They are also required to comment on the timescale of any repairs. A condition rating is typically included: what needs to be addressed immediately, what is in the process of deteriorating but is in reasonable condition, and what has not deteriorated at all.
A building surveyor is responsible for a variety of checks and tests during a building inspection. These could be checks or tests for damp and woodworm, or they could be visual inspections of the building’s structure. In building surveying, there are visual inspections of roofs – checking for tiles and slates (if applicable) and also checking for leadwork (if applicable) and looking at the junctions between roof and wall. If the wall structure has brick in it, the surveyor will visually check for any “spalling” (brick breaking apart visibly) and any bulging (brick failing to hold its place visibly), for example.
If defects need fixing immediately, then the options recommended for this survey specify what to repair and give some idea of how long the problem has existed. For the most part, this survey describes recommended repair approaches that are standard in the industry and that do not require excessive expenditure. Future maintenance is also discussed, including what to expect when the problem being surveyed is not repaired and what to expect with repairs that are made but with questionable methodology.
Your surveyor will explain some of the legal aspects of purchasing the building, covering—in as much or as little detail as you desire, and their implications, but this is subject to your solicitor verifying.
You might consider having a separate market valuation done to determine whether the property’s asking price is warranted. You’ll also need a reinstatement cost valuation for insurance reasons.
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.
Structural engineers assess the soundness of a structure and recommend actions to ensure that it is safe and suitable for its intended functions, particularly when you are carrying out works.
Engineers do this mainly for new designs but also for established structures when changes are planned—especially when those changes might seem likely to compromise the integrity of the structure.
If necessary, they carry out calculations to demonstrate that a given design is or is not appropriate for use.
The structural engineers in our Buckinghamshire office are chartered, hold professional standard licences, and are qualified as MIStructE, IEng, CEng or MICE.
If you’re undertaking collective enfranchisement or lease extension, you might want to consult a surveyor on our panel. Your surveyor can help negotiate the terms and ensure the investment is worthwhile.
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!
