Has anyone used Habitus as a surveyor?

yyt

Hi,

I am a first time buyer and have been getting quotes for Buildings Surveys (previously known as Structural sureys I believe) and have had a few quotes from Habitus.

They say they are one of the largest companies around and the quotes seem almost too good to be true compared to some of the quotes I have got locally. They are not based locally and I am in Southampton.

For example, they have quoted me £475 and said that this was equivalent to the "normal" Building Survey and that they had an even better survey they call a "headline" survey which is equivalent to their building survey PLUS they check to see if u need further work (electrics, plumbing, etc) in the next 2 years.

I can't help but think this is too good to be true as most of the local places I have called often say "we are not expert electricians and plumbers, so we can only advice what you need to investigate and not advice what needs doing".

Has anyone had any experience with them and if so, were they efficient and worth using?

Thanks!!!!

livalicious

Hi yyt, I have recently instructed Habitus to do a Homebuyers survey on a property we buying. They also suggested i do the Headline survey, and when i said no i wish to have the Homebuyers the lady got a tiny bit huffy with me. The quote i received was for £320 incl VAT which was cheaper than most, and they are local to the property. The survey is only taking place on monday so i cant really advise at the moment if they are any good or not. One good thing i can say, is that u can track online when the actual inspection date is and when the report will be ready. Saves you from having to ring up everytime.

RenStar

Hello there,

just to say I have also just instructed Habitus for a homebuyers survey. Like you, I found them to be the cheapest and they could also move the fastest. I instructed them on Thursday and they're carrying it out the Surevy this Tuesday morning. They say they will aim to get the report out to me within 3 working days of the survey being done and my credit card won't be charged till then. They didn't try to sell me anything other than what I asked for and I have found them to be professional so far so I have no reason to be suspicious. I gues I will know at the end of this week coming whether they live up to their expectations. Will let you know.

Ren

jangor_2

I have now used Habitus twice and have found them to be very good. On both occasions they were prepared to bargain a little with the price of a headline survey on the first occasion and a homebuyer's report on the second occasion. The reports have been fine, staff have contacted me by text, email and on the phone and have been very courteous. The reports have been emailed and a hard copy mailed very quickly. When I queried several comments in the surveys, staff have been quite happy to query same with the surveyor and get back to me with the surveyor's response. I would certainly use again and have no problem with recommending this company.

livalicious

jangor - ive now found out that the reason why it was suggested i do a headline survey was because the property was built in the 1950's. The property looks in good condition however would I be better off doing the headline survey and what price did you manage to negotiate to, as im considering doing this rather than just a homebuyers survey? Thanks

jangor_2

For my most recent purchase, which is still ongoing, I had a homebuyers report (the house was built approx 1964). The survey was fairly comprehensive and pointed to some areas of further investigation, which I am now having carried out. To me the main difference was that in the headline survey they advise any remedial works required and give you an estimation of the possible costs and within what period the work should be carried out. They also enclose various charts which give details about the area, but I found these I could obtain for free elsewhere. When I spoke to the member of staff I mentioned the price was a little high and they were quite happy to discuss a reduction, being in the region of £20 or £30, which I was more than happy with. I did actually, on the second occasion, find a cheaper quote but Habitus were happy to "beat it". As said previously, the emailed report arrived very quickly followed by the hard copy. They advised me by text when the appointment had been arranged and when the survey had been completed. I had various questions and these were passed to the surveyor and I received a fairly quick response. I was more than happy.

RenStar

Hi,

just an update - I had the surevy report back from Habitus last Thursday after they carried out a homebuyers survey the previous Tuesday. They e-mailed me a soft copy of the report and sent a hard copy to my home address. It was quite comprehensive, seemed to cover most things I wanted them to look at. Thankfully, there was nothing major that needed doing to th housing we're buying, and they agreed that it was worth what we'd agreed to pay for it. They also sent though some key facts on the area along with survey, sort of like what Upmystreet does, sold prices, neighbourhood profiles etc which I found quite useful. I think they are very good value for money and I certainly will use them again if I needed to.

R

livalicious

Hi Renstar,

I totally agree with you, we also had our survey report back on wednesday, and apart from a few maintenance considerations, the valuation seemed fine.
I would also recommend Habitus Surveyors!

Melissa177

I have used Habitus - found them to be very good, and very knowledgable. I'd use them again.

homebye

Hi,

Please help, I've just received a quote from Habitvs but am confused on their 3 different surveys. Basically I want to instruct a Buildings Survey on a property. I want to know which Habitvs product is equivalent to a buildings survey from other surveyors, as Habitvs have a middle Headline Survey and a top-of-the-range Buildings Survey.

A little confusing.


[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
[/FONT] The Habitus Headline Survey is a Building Survey that concentrates on serious structural defects and essential repairs which require attention within six months. In addition the survey also provides guideline repair budgets and reinstatement costs for insurance purposes.
The Homebuyers Survey also includes a Habitus Local Market Analysis Report at no extra cost.



The Habitus Building Survey is an extensive investigation of the property. In addition to containing all the elements of a Headline Survey it also reports on other repairs that, in the Surveyor's opinion require attention either now or at some time in the future to put the property into, or maintain it in, good condition for its age and type.
The Homebuyers Survey also includes a Habitus Local Market Analysis Report at no extra cost.