Do I need to get a Survey on a house I am buying
On many occasions I have been asked, or more often told, “I am buying a new or almost new house, I won’t need a survey will I?” Sometimes with the added retort that “it’s covered by the builder’s guarantee.”
My response is that perhaps in 99 cases in a 100 a report is probably unlikely to reveal any serious shortcomings; however, I then quote a very disturbing case from my early career. The local bank manager called me to say that a new assistant manager had been appointed at his branch who was moving to the area and had agreed to buy a new house. He wanted me to undertake a survey, although it was new, just as a precaution, and the Bank would be paying my fee as part of the relocation package.
I duly attended and found the builders still on site attending to minor finishing works. The foreman was asked by the site manager to keep an eye on me, and every now and again would look over my shoulder and, upon seeing a note such as “paint missing from edge of front door”, immediately instructed the painters to rectify.
All was going well until I entered the garage, which was integral with the main building. Here I discovered that the steel beam which carried the weight of the front wall and roof over the garage was significantly too short, having a bearing of less than 50mm upon the supporting brickwork.
As an absolute minimum, this beam should have had a bearing of at least 150mm. In order to rectify this very serious deficiency is was necessary to undertake major structural repairs, providing temporary support to the structure and replacing the steel beam with a longer one. If this had not been discovered, then there would have been a serious risk of structural collapse in future years. In this case, the cost of repair was the builder’s responsibility. Yes, during the first 10 years of the building’s life it should have been possible to recover costs under the terms of an NHBC or similar new build warranty scheme, but it is unlikely that the new house owner would have identified the defect before any damage occurred.
Which survey to order?
If you want complete peace of mind, then go for a Level 3, full structural Survey. This will give you all the information you need and even costs for repairing the most urgent problems.
Yes, it is always advisable to obtain a report from a Chartered Surveyor “even for a new property”!
What to look for when choosing a surveyor
You want to choose a surveyor who can claim the below.
Trust matters
Recognised as a centre of excellence, with RICS accreditation for residential and commercial surveys and valuations. All Chartered Surveyors being fully qualified MRICS and FRICS members.
Quality matters
That every inspection is fully compliant with all necessary regulations and in accordance with best working practices. To maintain high levels of quality control, all the surveyors are audited on a regular basis to ensure we are providing the best service to all our customers.
We have a Complaints Handling Procedure in accordance with RICS regulatory requirements, and we hold Professional Indemnity Insurance up to £ 2 million on a per-claim basis.
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