Choosing the right Property Survey Video

A Video introduction to the different types of property survey offered by Woodward Chartered Surveyors.

View all the Property Survey Advice Videos from Woodward Surveyors

There are 3 levels of property inspections.
1. Standard Valuation (Mortgage Survey)
2. Flat/House Purchase Survey
3. Building Survey (Full Structural Survey)

 

Walking down any street in a City or town is likely to reveal whole wide range of different properties from flat conversions to purpose-built nineteen sixties maisonettes, Victorian cottages and post-war housing.

At some point in your life you are likely to aspire to buy one of these types of properties, and in order to do so, you are strongly advised to have a survey from a chartered surveyor.

The aim of this film is actually to help you through the process of choosing the correct survey for the property in question.

Now we at Woodward Chartered Surveyors recognize that there are three levels inspections. Level one is the mortgage valuation, level two is the flat or house purchase survey and level 3 is the building survey.

Now by any stretch of imagination a level one mortgage valuation is not a survey, it is an inspection just determine the value for property, and would only take into account the most significant defects.

The level two inspection, which is the house or flat purchase survey is designed to report some properties of a traditional construction and would pick up any major defects.

Level 3 Building Survey used to be called the structural survey in the old days, it changed its name because it describes more fully what the reported includes, which is a report on the whole fabric of the building and is suited towards older properties you are probably considering renovating or extending.

The property behind me is Victorian cottage on this type the house we recommend the level 3 Building Survey. The reason for that is that there are lots of things that we can report on when doing the survey which will not be covered in any other level.

For example we will be looking at potential problems with timber lintels over the bay window, but the building survey also recognizes that the house is owned by somebody else and is fully furnished and if there's a part of the building that we can’t get access to, but we feel there may be a material risk, we recommend further investigation that involves opening up parts of the structure, with the permission of course of the owners, to establish the full extent to the repairs and liabilities that may be involved.

Now the further investigation is akin to another service that we offer at Woodward Chartered Surveyors and that's the structural investigation and we are often called upon to provide this service not only in the case of the purchase of a house, but also when a homeowner suddenly notices some cracks appearing in their property or an area of dampness.

I trust you found this film useful in actually explaining the different type of surveys that we offer here at Woodward Chartered Surveyors.

Thank you for watching and good luck with your purchase.