Do I need a survey?

francohoops

Buying an ex-local authority house, built in the 1950s.

Looks in good condition, only real issue is a couple of conifer trees about 10 ft tall on the drive (could there be an issue with the roots?)

Now given what everyone says about how well these type of houses were built is there any need to have a survey carried out? If so should I go for the full stuructural or Homebuyers.

How much do these type of surveys usually cost so that I have a guide when getting a quote?

Thanks
F

GAH

I haven't had a survey done for a long while, but after reading what some surveyors are charging at present they certainly don't seem as expensive as they used to be.

I think it depends where you are located, but homebuyers are around £400-£500, with a building survey around £1000.

Its upto you whether you have one, but when you are purchasing the biggest assett of your life can you afford not to.

davilown

My survey cost £350 from a local company, remember you're paying £100k+ for a house you want to have some peace of mind. For that price, it's probably well worth it.

sirmosh

You'd be foolish not to get a survey, for the sake of a few hundred pounds you could avoid spending hundreds of thousands on something which may need massive amounts of work done that isn't obvious to you, or worse still could be unsafe.

It also gives you a good idea of what more minor works may need doing and if you get those things sorted then when you come to sell your buyers will probably get back a very encouraging survey themselves.

andy.m_2

I couldnt believe how cheap a full structural survey was compared to when we bought our last house.

We paid £570 all in on a £200+ property with full RICS cover!
Homebuyers report was £400 so for us it was a no brainer.