FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What areas do you cover?
We cover all of Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Somerset.
Is the surveyor qualified?
We are RICS Chartered Surveyors and are vastly experienced in what we do. We only use fully Chartered Surveyors and do not use trainee surveyors. You can be rest assured that we will not compromise on quality for what is an important financial investment.
Being regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) means that we’re fully committed to providing our clients with expert advice that is clear, accurate and in their best interests. This will give you peace of mind that you will be fully informed when making decisions about property.
RICS qualified surveyors will have the characters MRICS after their name and will have undergone extensive training and be highly experienced, extremely qualified and trusted to carry out your survey.
We are strictly regulated and have to follow the RICS rules of conduct and keep up-to-date with the latest developments in our industry. Also, when you use a registered chartered surveyor, you can take any serious complaints to the Ombudsman scheme. We carry professional indemnity insurance which will protect you in cases of professional negligence.
How will I know what survey I require?
We offer two levels of the RICS home surveys; the HomeBuyer Report (level 2) and the Building Survey (level 3).
The best property survey for your situation depends on the age and condition of the property, as well as what you have planned for it. The surveys vary in how much technical detail and advice they give you, and in how in-depth the survey inspection is.
We will happily advise on what survey is most suitable for the property if you are unsure but there is some guidance on our services page.
Do you automatically include a valuation in your RICS Level 2 Homebuyer and RICS Level 3 Building Surveys?
This is not offered as part of the survey with an additional fee chargeable from £95.00 depending on the size and value of the property and if booked at the time of the survey.
My mortgage lender requires a valuation, do I need a home survey too?
There is a difference between the valuation that a mortgage lender requires and a home survey. A mortgage valuation simply assures the mortgage lender that the market value of the house is not less than the amount they’re lending you. It doesn’t include a thorough assessment of the services or potential maintenance issues that could result in unexpected costs after purchase of a property. According to an RICS study, a homebuyer typically faces £5,750 repair costs when moving into their new home without a survey being completed and an RICS Level 2 or RICS Level 3 survey greatly reduces this risk.
Do I need to organise access to the property if I’m a buyer?
No, we will liaise with your estate agent or the property owner to get access to the property. All we need from you is the property details, estate agent details, your details and payment prior to survey.
How quickly can you carry out the survey and issue me with the report?
We aim to carry out the survey within a few days of receipt of the property details and your payment. Our reports are often issued by email to you the following day or sometimes even the same day. We will always issue the report within two working days of our survey.
How much does a survey cost?
Our prices start from £350.00 for an RICS Level 2 Homebuyers Survey, £550.00 for an RICS Level 3 Building Survey and £250.00 for an RICS Red Book Valuation. All of our prices are inclusive and once our fee has been agreed you will not pay any additional costs no matter how complex the survey may be.
We firmly believe in offering you value for money during what is a traditionally costly process for buyers. We therefore generally base our fees on the size and complexity of the property being surveyed and how long we think it will take us to perform the survey ands write the report, unlike some firms that may base their fee on the value of the property.
Whilst we believe that we are among the most competitive in the area, we will be happy to discuss our fee if you have received a more competitive, comparable quotation from an RICS Chartered Surveying practice elsewhere.
When do I pay for the survey?
Payment must be made prior to the survey being carried out and the repor can only be issued following receipt of cleared funds.
How will the report be issued?
We issue the report to the email address you have provided. We can issue a paper copy for an additional £50.00 if requested but prefer not to do so for sustainability reasons.
What happens if I need to reschedule or cancel the appointment?
We are very flexible and receptive to customer's changing needs and will always be happy to help you. If you need to reschedule to another date, we can arrange this for you free of charge prior to the inspection taking place provided this is done no later than 48 hours prior to the survey date. If you no longer need the surveying as long as you give us a minimum of 3 working days notice prior to the survey taking place, we will arrange a full refund of the fee paid.
What happens if I have questions about the survey after the report has been issued?
You will have direct contact details of the Chartered Surveyor that performed the survey and they can be contacted by telephone during normal working hours or by email.
What if I need to complain?
In the unlikely event that you wish to complain about our services, we request that you speak directly to the surveyor who performed the survey using the contact details provided when emailing your report. In the event that we cannot resolve your complaint satisfactorily, we will comply with our Complaints Handling Procedure as approved by RICS for which a copy is available upon request.
Tel: 01305 564642 or 07379 144642
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