Bats in Buildings

It’s not common but we do occasionally encounter bats when conducting a purchase survey of a property for a client. This happened to me whilst on a building survey during 2022.

The property was an extended Victorian semi-detached house in a rural village in Buckinghamshire and we were informed prior to the survey of their presence within the main house loft. The client was also aware of the presence of these harmless flying mammals.

On arrival at the property and on raising their presence with the vendor we were informed that they had lived with them without concern for the past 16 years or so. Their numbers varied but they were never great and they had never had a problem with them. I was just warned to be aware of them when entering the loft space.

On raising the loft hatch I was made aware of no more than a couple of bats flying high in this area clearly disturbed by my torchlight as they are nocturnal. There was no obvious point of ingress and the roof covers were in good condition with an underfelt lining. Their size probably meant there was a small hole somewhere within the eaves via which they entered and left the loft.

There are 18 species of bat in the UK all of which are protected under UK and European law. Roosting sites have become scarce mainly due to habitat loss but a roost should not prevent the sale of a property. They are not rodents and do not gnaw wood or wires and will not generally cause any structural damage. They use existing spaces in which to roost and will not bring in bedding material or food. They are also clean and sociable animals spending many hours grooming themselves. Their droppings are made up of dried insect remains and so are unlikely to cause damage being capable of being swept up when the bats are not present.

Being protected by law it is illegal to damage, destroy or disturb any bats or roosts. This can be a cause for concern when a home owner needs to carry out works of repair or when conducting a loft conversion. The laws protecting bats should not prevent a homeowner from carrying out such works, you just need to take the bats into consideration first by seeking advice from your local Statutory Nature Conservation Organisation (SNCO).

By correctly seeking advice you can ensure the necessary precautions are taken to carry out the works lawfully. This may include conducting works at a particular time of year, avoiding certain materials and chemicals, retaining or creating access for the bats and having the work supervised by an expert. Further information on these harmless creatures can be obtain from the Bat Conservation Trust www.bats.org.uk

James BushMRICS is a Chartered Surveyor, Registered Valuer and Director of Woodward Chartered Surveyors.

Woodward Chartered Surveyors cover an area from East of Oxford, High Wycombe, Beaconsfield, Chesham. Amersham, Berkhamsted, Watford, Rickmansworth and into London, Northwood, Uxbridge, Harrow, Ealing and Mayfair.