Ask the following about the building surveyor:
- Does the Building Surveyor specialise in pre-purchase building surveys on new and old properties?
- Is the surveyor qualified to certify that building works are in compliance with building regulations and compliance with planning permission?
- Is the surveyor registered as a building surveyor? Registered Building Surveyors have attained considerable experience in their area of practice. (In our case we specialise in pre-purchase building surveys and have carried out in excess of 15,000 building surveys and structural surveys).
Pre-purchase building surveys are predominately visual inspections. It is therefore of paramount importance that the surveyor you choose to inspect your future home has significant experience in pre-purchase building surveys and carries out building surveys on an ongoing basis.
Your building survey / structural survey should be carried out by a qualified, experienced building surveyor. Before engaging any company to survey your future home you should obtain from them:
- A sample survey report so you will know exactly what they will be inspecting and that the report is written and presented in a clear, understandable format.
- A copy of their terms and conditions which should include any limitations to the survey.
- Confirm that they have professional indemnity insurance and obtain details of such.
- The name of the surveyor who will carry out your survey, their qualifications and their experience in carrying out pre-purchase building surveys.
Requesting and checking out all of these suggestions will help you to be confident that your report will be good value for money, contain reliable information, and provide you with necessary details regarding the structure of the property, before finalising your purchase offer.