Residential & Commercial Building Consultancy & Chartered Building Surveyors for Health Refurbishments & Infection Control, Education and Housing sectors, RICS HomeBuyer Reports, Building Surveys and New Home Snagging Reports covering Bicester, Oxford & Thame in Oxfordshire, Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, and all of the Midlands from Birmingham to London.

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Residential & Commercial Building Consultancy & Chartered Building Surveyors for the HTM64 Health, Education and Housing sectors, RICS HomeBuyer Reports, Building Surveys and New Home Snagging Reports covering Bicester, Oxford & Thame in Oxfordshire, Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, and all of the Midlands from Birmingham to London.

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Residential Property Surveys  

Why do I need my own survey?

Purchasing a property is likely to be one of the biggest

single investments an individual or family will make.

A survey will help you to make a reasoned and informed decision on whether to go ahead with buying a property.  Before you decide to commit yourself legally, you can limit the risks by asking a chartered surveyor to answer the following questions for you.

■  What is a reasonable price to pay for the property?

■  Are there any serious or urgent defects or specific risks with the property?

Arranging your own survey is the simple, cost-effective way to avoid unpleasant and perhaps expensive surprises after moving in. In some cases, the cost of the survey can be recovered by using the surveyor’s report to renegotiate the price of the property.

 

Do I still need my own survey if I already have a mortgage valuation report?

Even if you are looking for a mortgage and, as a result, may be paying for a mortgage valuation report, we still recommend that you arrange a survey by your own surveyor. Both the Consumers’ Association ‘Which?’ magazine and the Council of Mortgage Lenders give this advice.

“The reason for this is that the mortgage valuation report is prepared for your lender not for you, the borrower. It answers only the lender’s questions about whether the property offers suitable security for your loan. You cannot rely on it to answer the questions that concern your personal interests or to give you details of the condition of the property. Also, some lenders do not provide a copy of their mortgage valuation report.”

 

What choice of surveys do I have?

Jonathan Durndell offers two forms of survey that are specifically designed to help home buyers. These are the RICS HomeBuyer Service and a Building Survey. For new homes, a snagging survey can be undertaken.

The RICS HomeBuyer Service

The RICS HomeBuyer Service includes an inspection, a report and a valuation. For more information please click the PDF links on the left.

The RICS HomeBuyer report is a standard format, and is different to a building survey in three main ways:

1.  It is designed for particular types of home. These are houses, bungalows and flats that:

    - are of a traditional type and construction; and

    - are apparently in reasonable condition.

2.  It identifies what the surveyor considers to be the most important issues. By applying condition ratings to elements of the building, the services and any garages and permanent outbuildings, the surveyor will tell you whether defects are serious or urgent.

3.  It also includes the surveyor’s opinion of the market value and reinstatement cost (which you will need for insurance purposes). It focuses on matters that, in the surveyor’s opinion, may affect the value of the property if they are not dealt with. The report also includes other valuable information.

If you need advice on which survey you should choose please contact us.

A Building Survey (formerly called ‘structural survey’)

A building survey is a customised service suitable for all residential properties and gives full details of their construction and condition. You are likely to need this type of survey if, for example, the property is unusually built or run-down, if the property has been significantly altered, or if you are planning a major conversion or renovation. Building surveys are usually tailored to your needs. The report includes detailed technical information on materials and construction, as well as details of the whole range of defects.

A Building Survey is tailored to the property you are contemplating buying and will report to you in much greater detail than in a Homebuyers Report.

New Home Report
If you are purchasing a new property, it is usually preferable to have a Snagging Report undertaken. This type of Building Survey is set out in a tabular format, and focuses only on the condition of the individual elements of the property. This type of condition report enables the client to present a comprehensive list of repairs to the builders for action.

Our Service

Detailed below are the commitments that all Jonathan Durndell surveyors have pledged to meet:

■   Appointments arranged the same working day as when the instruction is received;

■   Inspection of the property made within 48 hours from the date of instruction (dependant on the availability of the occupier);

■   Homebuyers Report - To forward the completed report within 48 hours of the inspection;

■   Building Survey - To forward the completed report within 72 hours of the inspection;

■   Snagging Report (new homes) - To forward the report within 48 hours of the inspection;

■   If the surveyor is likely to be late for an agreed appointment, the occupier will be notified as soon as possible;

■   Photographic ID will be carried and presented on request;

■   To provide the occupier with an estimated duration of the inspection.

We pride ourselves on providing an excellent service and base everything we do on our Values.

More  Information on the HomeBuyer Service

- Description of the HomeBuyer Service

- Standard Terms of Engagement

- Choosing between Surveys

Example Report Format

Cancellations

Cancelling of contracts – you are entitled to cancel a contract by giving notice to Jonathan Durndell at any time before the day of the inspection.

The surveyor will not provide the service (and will report this to you as soon as possible) if, after arriving at the property, they decide that:

a)  they lack enough specialist knowledge of the method of construction used to build the property; or

b)  it would be in your best interests to have a building survey and a valuation, rather than the RICS HomeBuyer Service.

If you cancel a contract, the surveyor will refund any money you have paid for the service, except for any reasonable expenses. If the surveyor cancels a contract, they will explain the reason to you.