CHARTERED SURVEYORS
SAVA
(Surveyors & Valuers Accreditation)

A Guide to PROPERTY SURVEYS For RESIDENTIAL HOME BUYERS

TAWN LANDLES have been providing professional surveying services to Clients for a considerable number of years in West Norfolk and surrounding areas. The firm provides a variety of building surveying services on residential and commercial property. This information brochure is to provide initial advice specifically for Residential Home Buyers who have taken the sensible and prudent decision to commission their own independent survey.

1. To reach an informed decision on what may be your largest investment
2. Home buying can be very “subjective” - as your Surveyor we will provide a more detached, objective view of the property
3. To become aware of significant problems or drawbacks prior to legally committing yourself to purchase
4. To better judge whether the agreed price is reasonable, or re-negotiation is sensible
5. A mortgage valuation, which you may also be having carried out is not sufficient for you the homebuyer to rely on. The mortgage valuation is purely for the lender. It is not a survey just a brief report confirming the level of security for the lender. You cannot rely on it to cover all your personal needs

At TAWN LANDLES we can offer the 2 industry standard types of survey:

• RICS HOMEBUYER SURVEY & VALUATION
  (The Homebuyer service)
• BUILDING SURVEY
  (formerly known as a structural survey)

Having found the property you intend to purchase the next step is to then decide which type of survey is most suitable.
We will be pleased to discuss the options with you.

Briefly the outline of the two types is as follows:

• A standard format providing a concise report
• Concentrates on urgent and significant matters
• Designed to be more economical than a building survey
• Applicable to conventional houses, bungalows and fiats not older than about 1930 in apparent reasonable order
   
• The 3 MAIN OBJECTIVES: to assist the Client to:

1. Make a reasoned and informed judgement on whether or not to proceed with the purchase
2. Assess if the agreed price is reasonable
3. Obtain advice on decisions and actions to take before exchange of Contracts

• The inspection includes internal, external, roof space and visual inspection of services and site
• Considers significant evidence of structural movement, damp, rot and timber defects
• The Report includes advice on:

1. our overall opinion
2. ACTION required
3. Insurance reinstatement cost
4. Itemised elements in 9 page format

• Essentially a more detailed inspection and report with greater analysis provided
• Suitable for any residential property of any age in any condition
• Particularly relevant for period or dilapidated property, extensively altered dwellings or those of unusual construction
• Detailed elemental reporting with more technical information that can be tailored to the Clients requirements. We will be pleased to discuss specifics with the Client prior to the inspection
• Advice on defects & remedies so the Client can gain as broad a picture as possible
• Further specialist investigations highlighted when necessary

ADDITIONS AVAILABLE include:

• Opinion of value
• Insurance reinstatement cost
• Specialist testing of services

Tel: 01553 772816   Fax: 01553 762423   Email: enquiries@tawnlandles.co.uk
Blackfriars Chambers   Blackfriars Street   King's Lynn   Norfolk   PE30 1NY