Building
surveys.

What it is

A residential building survey is a written, illustrated report on the condition of a property, prepared after a detailed physical inspection. Reports follow the RICS three-level structure that the industry has settled on:

• Level 1 — Condition Report. A concise, traffic-light summary. Suitable for newer, conventional properties in apparent good order.
• Level 2 — HomeBuyer Report. The most commonly bought survey. Suitable for most properties built in conventional materials in the last 80 years and in reasonable condition. Includes commentary, advice and an indicative valuation if requested.
• Level 3 — Building Survey. The deepest and most thorough. Suitable for older properties, those built in unusual materials, those that have been extended or significantly altered, listed buildings, and anything you intend to renovate or extend. Includes detailed defect descriptions, repair guidance and a discussion of likely costs and timescales.

Most clients in this region are buying or selling Victorian, Edwardian and inter-war stock, plus a steady run of Kentish oasts, weatherboard cottages and Georgian terraces. For those, Level 3 is usually the right answer.

How I decide which level you need

On a free five-minute call. Tell me the address (or postcode and age), what you know about it, and what you intend to do. The right answer falls out fast. I’d rather quote you a smaller survey that suits the property than upsell you to one that doesn’t.

What’s included on site

A typical inspection takes between two and four hours. I’ll look at:

• The roof externally (from a ladder where safe and accessible) and internally where there is access to the loft.
• External walls, chimneys, parapets, fenestration and rainwater goods.
• Internal finishes, floors, doors, partition walls, fireplaces and joinery.
• Ceilings, cornices and visible structural elements.
• Damp diagnosis with a calibrated meter, plus thermal-imaging spot checks where useful.
• The plumbing, heating, electrical and ventilation systems insofar as they can be inspected non-intrusively.
• Drainage to the boundary, including manhole inspections where covers can be lifted.
• Outbuildings, boundaries and immediate ground conditions.

Anything I can’t safely access, I’ll say so — and recommend who can.

What you’ll get

A full written report, illustrated with photographs and diagrams, delivered as a PDF. For most surveys you’ll have it within five working days of the inspection. Once you’ve read it, ring me — we’ll talk it through. That call is included in the fee.

Specialisms

• Listed and traditionally-built properties. Lime mortars, breathable construction, single-skin walls, suspended timber floors and the consequences of getting them wrong.
• Pre-purchase surveys with renovation in mind. A Level 3 written so that your architect, builder and lender can each work from it.
• Retrofit-aware surveys. Where you intend to insulate, ventilate or change the heating system, the survey flags fabric issues that need solving first.