Worth doing a private survey?

eddddy

I think people often think surveys are a waste of money when they don't find anything.

It's a bit like insurance policies, they seem like a waste of money when you don't make a claim.

FWIW, on 2 occasions I've had surveys where the surveyor has spotted recent subsidence repairs - neither of the sellers had declared them (although it became clear that both sellers knew about them).  The repairs were done very well, so very difficult to spot.

In one case, the surveyor lifted a manhole cover beside the house, and noticed new brickwork in the drain - which alerted him to the earlier subsidence.

I walked away from one purchase, and reduced my offer to 20% under the asking price for the other - which was eventually accepted.

Heres_the_deal

I obtained homesurvey quotes from several RICS surveyors. They ranged from £380 up to £540, so worth a look at reviews etc.  Its also worth asking when their first appointments are and how long they take to send you the report. I was told around 3 weeks back in end of July, but it will change according to how much work they have.

On one house I nearly opted out of having one done, early 2000 build, every other property in the road looked good. Checked it out a few times, and then found woodworm all over the place, it looked historic, or may have been present in the materials during building. Either way, the cost was going to ramp up, along with delays, so I turned on my heels and walked away. had I not noticed it, and not had the survey, it had the potential to be a pain in the backside.