This document sets out our contractual terms of employment and details what you can and cannot expect from your survey.
The survey is primarily concerned with the assessment of factors causing or likely to cause damp or condensation issues within the property in question. It is not a homebuyer’s survey and does not report on any legal aspects or aspects related to building control.
Assessment will be made of the external and internal finishes, the condition of the wall structure (insofar as it is possible to do so visually), the condition of the roof covering and associated weather detailing, the condition of the drainage, the condition of the chimneys, and the level of ventilation within the property. Where the given time budget of the report prevents reporting on all of these aspects, the report will be focussed on those aspects considered by the surveyor to be most important to the health of the building. Certain other caveats apply to inspection of the aforesaid – please see the exclusions section later in this document.
Within approximately five working days a report will be sent out covering the elements of the property as set out above. Issues with these elements will be flagged and detailed, and recommendations as to what remedial work to commission will be given. A photo appendix and a plan view drawing of the property will be included in order to aid interpretation of the report. At the end of the report a suggested priority order of works will be given. An hour of telephone support to discuss the report is included in the agreed time budget.
In order to maintain impartiality, we are not able to recommend specific contractors. We can provide guidance on vetting a contractor. We recommend that you have specifications of work produced by ourselves in order to facilitate this.
An invoice will be sent out with the report. Payment of the invoice is required within five working days of receipt.
Inclusions
The survey will:
- Report on any elements of the building contributing or likely to contribute to moisture ingress, excessive internal humidity, or condensation.
- Highlight where future maintenance of certain elements will be especially important.
- Give a summary on the surveyors overall opinion of the property as well as a detailed breakdown of the surveyors opinion on different elements of the property.
- Identify any areas deemed to warrant further investigation.
- Make recommendations as to how to address any issues identified.
- Include inspection of roof spaces where it is reasonably practical to do so.
- Highlight asbestos risks where they are noted (but not act as an asbestos survey).
- Employ the use of a five metre ladder and a drone to assess difficult to access areas.
- Be provided in PDF format unless a hard copy is commissioned for an extra charge.
- Give advice as to how to improve the thermal efficiency of the property.
- Be restricted to the time budget as agreed at the time of commissioning the survey.
- Include telephone support to aid interpretation of the report.
Exclusions
The survey will not:
- Provide an exhaustive list of defects. Only defects considered to be significant will be highlighted.
- Provide inspection of roof spaces access where access hatches do not exist. Where access within the roof void is restricted by items in storage or by debris or other obstructions, full assessment may not be possible. Thermal insulation within the roof void will not be moved.
- Assess the risk of asbestos at the property. Where asbestos is observed, its presence will be highlighted.
- Provide any structural calculations.
- Assess areas not reasonably accessible to the surveyor.
- Involve the use of a drone where airspace restrictions apply.
- Include the assessment of the safety or condition of electrical wiring, gas appliances, flues, wood burners, central heating appliances, water heaters, or any other appliances. Where obvious defects are noted by the surveyor they will be highlighted.
- Assess outbuildings or auxiliary structures unless agreed prior to the survey.
- Include exhaustive assessment of timber elements. Where they are visible, timber elements will be assessed and any observed defects will be highlighted.
- Assess elements of the property not visible without invasive investigation. Symptoms pointing to any issues with these elements will be highlighted and an opinion given as to whether further investigation is recommended. It should be noted that some issues may be asymptomatic and may therefore not be identifiable by a non-invasive survey.
- Disturb the fabric of the building without prior permission from the owner.
- Provide accurate costings for remedial works. Ballpark costs will be given on request, but these should be regarded as rough estimates. Quotes for remedial works should be sought from contractors prior to giving any legal commitment regarding the purchase of the property.
- Include investigation as to contamination from noxious substances or past industrial usage of the land. Environmental hazards are not specifically assessed but will be reported on if observed.
- Provide any form of market valuation.
- Provide detailed specifications for work unless requested by the client.
- Advise on the risk of radon gas.
- Consider any restrictions, covenants, building regulation issues, or planning issues associated with the property.
- Comment on any areas of the property which are not visible from within the property or from surrounding public land unless access to relevant adjoining private property is agreed and provided to the surveyor prior to the date of the survey. For example, if part of the property is only visible from a neighbour’s garden then the neighbour must agree to provide access to the surveyor when they arrive for the visit.
- Provide information as to the risk of the presence of mundic concrete.