Building survey - terms and conditions

FelinePrincess

Hi,

We are intending to buy a house which needs quite a bit if work, and I want to get a survey done to be safe, especially as there is a small crack in the exterior wall and some nearby on the inside - I want to make sure there aren't any subsidance problems.

i have got a quote of £480 inc vat a from a rics regulated company for a building survey. This company was recommended and I thought the price was good. Reading the terms and conditions everything seems fine except "the surveyor will not undertake any structural or other calculations" - is this normal?

Am I right in thinking this means they wouldn't comment on any subsidance? I don't see much in getting it if it doesn't cover subsidance

Sorry if this seems really dumb but I'm new to all this!

Annoyed.com

I'm new to this too but that price seems about right for a homebuyers report.

I think what you need is a full structural survey which costs abit more, that should tell you about subsidence......I think anyway lol!

AdrianC

FelinePrincess wrote: »

i have got a quote of £480 inc vat a from a rics regulated company for a building survey. This company was recommended and I thought the price was good. Reading the terms and conditions everything seems fine except "the surveyor will not undertake any structural or other calculations" - is this normal?

Am I right in thinking this means they wouldn't comment on any subsidance? I don't see much in getting it if it doesn't cover subsidance

I think it's more a case of not calculating whether joists, roof trusses etc are of adequate dimensions for the job. He'll say "They don't look substantial enough, you should get a specialist opinion", but won't say "They should be of x size/rating, and are actually only 92.3% of the required size."

dominoman

Seems fair to me. They are there to inspect and tell you what they see, along with their judgement, but are not there to do engineering calculations. They will certainly look for signs of subsidence.

Cracks in walls of older properties could be for many reasons and subsidence might not be the cause. Even if it is, some subsidence in older properties is very common and isn't necessarily a big concern.

£480 seems a good price for a full structural survey.

teneighty

£480 inc VAT! The term paying peanuts and getting monkeys springs to mind. I suspect you will get exactly what you pay for.....not a lot.


I am beginning to sound like a broken record if you read my other posts but if the property needs work and there is visible cracking I would recommend a Full Building Survey from an independent local Chartered Building Surveyor. Check the surveyor's designation to make sure they are a Building Surveyor and not a General Practice/Valuer. Also speak to them first to make sure they will report on any structural movement and not just fob you off with a generic clause referring the matter to a structural engineer.