Suspicions about my surveyor… are they justified?

UnderOffer

Just book a separate viewing with the EA. 

Slinky

Our surveyor was at the house so long the estate agents were worried something had happened to him.

deeboy12

My last surveyor invited me to join him for the last hour (and I would always seek out one who does) but the EA could not accommodate my visit as the surveyor was picking up the key from them and they were too busy to be there and accompany me (the house was not vacant).

So I simply arranged to meet him immediately afterwards instead for a chat, and we went to a nearby cafe for an hour. Could you not arrange to do the same?

Lomast

Our surveyor had a no client during survey rule but was happy for us to meet him onsite at the end and he would explain anything he found

Woolsery

Slinky said:

Our surveyor was at the house so long the estate agents were worried something had happened to him.

Some houses have a lot to investigate!

Seriously, it's a good thing to see if the surveyor will be amenable to a chat, either in person or by phone Zoom etc, at some time following their visit. Reports are always couched in bottom-covering language and often seem formidable to the uninitiated. A quick chat may be reassuring.

lookstraightahead

We had a chat afterwards. My report was 80 pages long but still only took him two hours 😂. He was amenable to lots of "what does this mean" 🤣

Bendy_House

7sefton said:

Hi all

I’ve got a level 3 survey booked on an old (1700s) 4 story, 3-bed terrace house. 

I just called the surveyor firm to ask if I could attend the survey so I could have a second viewing of the property at the same time. To my surprise they said absolutely not because their surveyors do not like clients present. I explained I wasn’t going to be following them round checking on their work - I just want to take the opportunity to look at decor etc and the garden - but they still refused.

Then when I asked what time the survey would be happening, they said it would start at 9 and finish at 11. I said this seemed very short for a Level 3 - other surveyors I spoke to said their Level 3’s usually take at least 4 hours. They just said they use very experienced surveyors and that’s the average (if they need more time they will take it).

These two things have raised my suspicions - are they unfounded or does this sound odd?

It's not odd, but neither are you :-)

You are a layman, and clearly thought it perfectly reasonable to ask if you could take advantage of the house being open for a few hours - it would save the EA a bit of trouble too, wouldn't it? But there are many reasons why the surveyor wouldn't entertain this, and it's just a shame they didn't articulate it properly.

One could be insurance cover - simple as that; who would be liable if you tripped down the stairs or fell through a ceiling? Another is that it isn't the surveyor's house, so they aren't even in a legal position to invite you in. And then there's likely previous experience and expectations of their customers - seriously, how many potential buyers would be able to resist asking "Have you found anything bad yet?!". Nope, nor me.

I do like the examples above where a surveyor invited their client around at the end, presumably to explain some of their findings, but that has to be rare, I'd have thought?

user1977

Bendy_House said:

7sefton said:

Hi all

I’ve got a level 3 survey booked on an old (1700s) 4 story, 3-bed terrace house. 

I just called the surveyor firm to ask if I could attend the survey so I could have a second viewing of the property at the same time. To my surprise they said absolutely not because their surveyors do not like clients present. I explained I wasn’t going to be following them round checking on their work - I just want to take the opportunity to look at decor etc and the garden - but they still refused.

Then when I asked what time the survey would be happening, they said it would start at 9 and finish at 11. I said this seemed very short for a Level 3 - other surveyors I spoke to said their Level 3’s usually take at least 4 hours. They just said they use very experienced surveyors and that’s the average (if they need more time they will take it).

These two things have raised my suspicions - are they unfounded or does this sound odd?

I do like the examples above where a surveyor invited their client around at the end, presumably to explain some of their findings, but that has to be rare, I'd have thought?

Don't think it's that rare, I did get offered it with the last survey I instructed - but I was (a) at work and (b) several hundred miles away at the time, so I didn't take him up on the offer.

Section62

Bendy_House said:

But there are many reasons why the surveyor wouldn't entertain this, and it's just a shame they didn't articulate it properly.

What's wrong with "absolutely not because their surveyors do not like clients present"?

Seems clear and unambiguous, no mealy-mouthed 'excuses' about insurance etc.

It could be improved by "Absolutely not, our surveyors don't like clients following them round distracting them from doing their job", but that could be deemed less polite.

The surveyor needs to focus on what they are doing, if they get distracted and miss something it will be them dealing with the (financial) consequences.

badger09

Our purchaser was a surveyor with a well known national chain. This made me nervous when he asked if he could visit at short notice to do a survey. He found a minor issue with some damp which he said was typical of property of that age & construction but not a problem. 

When our vendors pulled their property just before exchange in Nov 2020 we found another property. I appointed the surveyor who did the 1st, and gave us a discount for ‘repeat business’. Coincidentally, he was familiar with the 2nd property as he had surveyed it for the current owners 6 years earlier, though it had been altered since then. 

He had also surveyed their onward purchase. We do live in rural Shropshire though so this is not that unusual😉. 

Knowing we were desperate to keep the chain alive, (we were now at the top, moving into temp accommodation) he phoned me that evening. His opening words ‘I wouldn’t  touch it with a barge pole’. 

Lessons:
Surveyors are human beings

Don’t appoint one with a sense of humour or give the impression you can take a joke when your stress levels are at their peak

Sale went through as planned & living in ‘bargepole’ property.