Survey

chirp

When a building survey is being done is it common practice for the buyer to be present?

kingstreet

No.

It takes about four hours and the surveyor will be in the loft etc.

angrypirate

If you can arrange it and the vendor is ok with it, I would suggest meeting the surveyor at the property at the end of the survey so you have a verbal de-brief of his findings. The surveyor will be a lot more frank with you verbally then he will be in the report.

hazyjo

Have never heard of a buyer coming round to talk to the surveyor after (or during) the survey.

Really can't see him saying anything in front of the vendor and nothing can be done until it's formally received in writing. I would just wait for the written survey to arrive.

Is it a full structural survey?

Jx

Werdnal

What do you hope to achieve by this?

Even if you do get a chance to talk, whatever the surveyor may tell you verbally, is inadmissible to the survey results unless it is documented in writing. I have never heard of any buyer being present - whilst you may be employing the surveyor to do the job, you have no right to insist to the vendor that you accompany them - infact following the surveyor around every room in a house, is not only an invasion of the vendor's property, but will hinder and delay the surveyor no end - if you are hovering around, quizzing them every 5 minutes!

If you have any particular concerns about the property, there is no harm in contacting the surveyor ahead of the visit, and asking them to give specific attention to any issues, but just leave them to get on with the job!

Wait until you have the survey report, sit down with a cup of coffee and have a good thorough read through it, then ask any questions which arise.

G_M

I can see the advantage - the survyor could actually point to the issues as he finds them, so he buyer fully understands, and can ask for clarification etc.

You only have to read the number of threads here to realise how many buyers are mystified by the reports/fail to get problems in percpective.

Having said that I agree with others above
* it is VERY rare
* the surveyor will not have time to chat - he just wants to get on with the survy
* he is unlikely to say anything in front og the owner/seller
* a full survey takes 4 hours+. Most of that time the buyer would just be hanging around

But there is no reason a buyer cannot (should not) either meet the surveyor at the end, or later.

More practically, better to wait for the report, absorb it, and THEN meet/telephone the survyor to discuss anything that's not understood, or ambiguous.

kmmr

I always try to be there for surveys. We have had 3 done and either myself or my husband has been to every one. Since you only tend to get to see the property twice before you put an offer in I think it is reasonable to use the opportunity to have another look!

However, the most recent surveyor seemed a little put out by it. He gave me a lecture not to pester him while he was doing it, so I sat and had 2 cups of tea with the vendors. I had wanted to talk to them anyway so we used the opportunity to make sure messages were not being messed up by EA and solicitors. It was a good idea as the EA had been hiding the fact that I wanted a January completion from the them! They thought were were going to complete in a couple of weeks.

In the end the surveyor stayed and had a chat with me (sort of apologetic for the earlier lecture) and it was very useful. I can't really see why a buyer shouldn't be there - the survey is very expensive, and it's important that you get as much out of it as possible.

Chartered-Structural-Eng

Ha ha! The surveyors will hate this because it means that they will have to do the job properly! Depending on the type of survey, sometimes they are in there for less than 10 mins, or dont even leave their car!

I say this with full apologies to the decent surveyors out there who do a proper job! I am sure you exist.

kingstreet

Chartered-Structural-Eng wrote: »

Ha ha! The surveyors will hate this because it means that they will have to do the job properly! Depending on the type of survey, sometimes they are in there for less than 10 mins, or dont even leave their car!

I say this with full apologies to the decent surveyors out there who do a proper job! I am sure you exist.

For a low loan to value mortgage valuation, they may only be contracted to do a drive-by and not a full internal inspection. Their remuneration is set accordingly.

TBH I think surveyors sometimes get a bad name unfairly. Lenders charge valuation fees of upwards of £300, making the average borrower feel the surveyor is getting well and truly overpaid. The fact that the lender often keeps upto 2/3 of it for themselves, calling it a "valuation admin fee" is overlooked or unknown to many.

SuzieSue

It wouldn't have occured to me to be present at the survey, but having read the horror stories on here where surveyors haven't gone in the loft etc, I have decided that if I ever buy another house, that I would make sure I was there so that I could see exactly what they had looked at.

Chartered-Structural-Eng

kingstreet- of course I am aware of what you say, but the arrangements between a surveyor and lender is nothing to do with the vendor who just wants an honest professional service for their money.
As for drive-by surveys - I am at a loss as to how a surveyor could agree to do one and produce a valuation.