does anyone please know the average waiting time for a survey

tortoiseshellcat

Hi all, does anyone please know the average time you have to wait for a survey to be done?

We had an offer accepted on the house we have been after for ages :j on 23rd July. Saw mortgage broker and paid for survey on 25th July but understand Halifax are behind with their surveys. as yet nothing has been arranged. So far this is holding everything up as I don't want to pay my solicitor £350 deposit to start searches etc until I know the survey is ok, otherwise if any major probs I'd be over £1000 down the drain.

Anyway probably being impatient but I want to get the ball rolling, does anyone know how long I might have to wait for the H survey to be done, is anyone else waiting for one just had their's done?

Thanks.

4greenbottles

We're in the same position. Agreed price and paid the survey fees on the 16th July. We then got a message from Halifax they have a huge back log, so being concerned about the chain I complained saying we needed a date to keep it moving. Halifax escalated it as a complaint an we got a date through (6weeks from booking) Due to the circumstances of the seller we agreed a quick sale for a 9k off the asking with aiming for a end of august completion. We have been lucky enough that they've appointed a difference surveyor now and it's being done next week.

If you're concerned call the advisor and make a complaint, keep chasing as no-one else will push for it to be done.

tortoiseshellcat

Thanks 4green bottles I asked my mortgage broker to chase it up on Tuesday and then emailed him again yesterday and he said he had chased it up and was looking good and he'd be in touch later in the day yesterday...however he wasn't and I don't want to be a nuisance and hassle him again today.

Caveat_Mortgagor

Booked our survey July 29th, it was done 2 days ago.

Results landed with this mornings post.

kingstreet

Is it a survey, or a mortgage report & valuation alone?

tortoiseshellcat

We have gone for the survey and valuation. (£665)

kingstreet

Anecdotal evidence suggests Colleys (and other corporate firms) has fewer surveyors available to do combined mortgage reports & valuations and homebuyer's reports.

As a result, I am advising my clients to have the mortgage report & valuation alone done by the lender's surveyor and the homebuyer's done by a surveyor of their choice as this appears to speed up the process.

4greenbottles

It was Colley that were initially appointed and they explained it was because a there's a lack of surveyors, after many were laid off when the market slowed a couple of years ago.

Don't worry about being a nuisance tortoise, you're the client. I called the Halifax three times and Colleys direct once to try and get them shuffled along. explain you're worried about the change breaking and they should give you a date. Just as a matter of interest we paid £545 for our valuation and survey for a £180k house.

Seabee42

Ha i ordered a survey on the 2nd July and received the results today.

There is nothing good I can say about surveys and speed at the moment.:(

kingstreet

The fees are based on the Halifax set scale shown here, so if they differ it's because your purchase price is different;-

http://www.halifax-intermediaries.co.uk/products/mortgages/valuation_fees/default.aspx

Itismehonest

A month or so ago there was a great deal in the press about a shortage of surveyors & the frustration this was causing homebuyers.

RICS denied this but said........
http://www.mortgagestrategy.co.uk/latest-news/rics-attacks-claims-of-a-surveyors-shortage/1073452.article

RICS president Alan Collett says: “There are enough valuers out there to meet market demand, many working in small and regional practices. The problem isn’t one of capacity but the fact that the market in which they’re operating is wholly unsustainable.

“Insurance premiums have risen so considerably in recent years due to the sheer volume of unsubstantiated negligence claims against valuers. What’s more, the fees professionals receive per job are being squeezed and they simply are not willing to carry out the work where it is unprofitable. Clearly, there is a serious problem with the market but blaming a shortage of valuers is not addressing the real issue.”

The long & the short of it seems to be that some waits can be lengthy