Has it changed?What is difference between Homebuyers and Full Structural survey?

hollydays

In the past I have usually had a full structural survey when buying older houses.I have recently been tol by a surveyor that the hOMEBUYERS REPORT IS MORE THAN ADEQUATE.

He SAID THAT THE MAIN DIFFERENCE WITH THE FULL STRUCTURAL IS THAT THEY WOULD EG UNSCREW ANYTHING FIXED DOWN TO EXAMINE BEHIND IT (THOUGH IF YOU SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED THIS FROM THE VENDOR,YOU COULD DO THIS WITH A hOMEBUYERS SURVEY TOO).iS THIS CORRECT?oops capitals sorry-in a hurry

real1314

Afaik a homebuyers survey will often resort to suggesting that reports are obtained on damp, electrics etc, rather than actually reporting on them

a full survey should include reports on all of these, either done by the surveyor or by someone on their behalf.
a full survey means the surveyor is liable in the event of an error in the report, whether by them or by someone who's reported on their behalf.

hollydays

could a surveyor be expected to go into detail about electrics though,for example

benood

I've had both and TBH don't think there's all that much to chose (I'd go homebuyers <£200k full survey >£200k as a rough guide)- the homebuyers is very prescriptive - set headings but both will report on damp,electrics etc in similar ways if there's any doubt - ie recommend specialists.

Whether things get moved or looked behind depends more on the diligence of the surveyor than the type of report I reckon.

Debt_Free_Chick

hollydays wrote: »

could a surveyor be expected to go into detail about electrics though,for example

No - the surveyor's expertise lies in the fabric of the building.

You'll need an electrician/electrical engineer to inspect and comment on the electrics.