house buyers survey

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Whilst there are several different types of house buyers survey, all with varying costs the Building societies, Banks and surveyors all have THEIR OWN INTERESTS AT HEART.

Do not think for one minute that they care about you or your property, they are simply interested in the property to be mortgaged and wish to ascertain whether the amount to be borrowed is worth the risk on your particular property.

Surveyors do not particularly care if they miss something or overstate something, the only thing that they are bothered about is being sued from clients who have paid to have a survey done by them!

I have had several surveys done and I normally go for the cheapest as I have a good eye for looking at property and can normally spot a Lemon, But surveys are to say the least full of "perhaps, maybes and could". One survey that I had done stated " I could not survey the loft as the access hatch had been painted shut"; another read " I could not survey the loft because a wardrobe was beneath the hatch!"

One survey on a house which had recently had a new damp proof course and re-plaster read " The protimeter reading for the ground floor was particularly high, the vendor states that they have a valid 10 year guarantee for the damp proof course and this should be checked before completion!". Personally I don't give a damn about a scrap of paper claiming to be a 10 year guarantee, is it damp or isn't it damp!!!!!

Basically if an house is new a surveyor will point out a few faults and the sale will probably go ahead, if the property is old the surveyor will exaggerate the problems with the intention of putting you off, if you purchase the property he has covered his back by exaggerating all the faults and so you cannot sue. If you don't purchase the property the surveyor still gets his money and has no come back as you have not purchased the property! Therefore it is far better for him to put you off the sale then he still gets paid with no comeback at all!

If you are looking to purchase a older property then I advise you to do your own survey before instructing a surveyor to do a proper survey. This could save you between £200 and £1000 depending on what type of survey you have done. You are going to need a Spirit level, damp meter, torch and perhaps a step ladder.

Take a good look around the property and look for obvious signs of damp, visiting the property during rain is a good idea as you can check the integrity of the roof and guttering. Using the spirit level check that the window sills are level, a non level window sill could mean subsidence problems! Stand side on to the walls at the front and rear of the property and look to see if any of the walls are bowed or bulging, rebuild costs for the front or rear of an house can be very expensive. Also check the pointing between the bricks or stone.

Use the damp meter on the ground floor rooms by pushing the probes into the plaster about six inches from the floor and press the on button, if the meter shows damp then the property could need a damp proof course which again can be very expensive depending on whether or not the plaster has perished. Knock the plaster with your knuckles on external walls and if a hollow sound is heard then the plaster has become loose and will require remedial action!

Look into the loft space and check for obvious signs of a leaking roof (smell of damp or stains). The roof should be felted, if you can see slates or tiles then the roof is not felted and this will cost a couple of thousand pounds to re-roof.

Take a look at the consumer unit or fuse box, if you see black wires coming from it then the house will probably need re-wiring as black wire is very old and perishes with time.

You are not going to become a surveyor overnight but knowledge is power, use the methods above to check your property and if you find a fault then negotiate with the seller on the price of the house, if the seller will not reduce the price accordingly then you do not need to instruct a registered surveyor and so have saved a considerable amount of money. Move on the the next property!