Our Pre-owned Home survey inspection is set up purely with you, the purchaser in mind. Some people solely rely on the mortgage company
valuation to satisfy themselves that they are buying the right property, or
they agree an extra with their mortgage company for them to do a survey at the same time as the valuation, but be very careful of this approach, the valuer isn’t working for you and has the lenders interest in mind. We however, work direct for you and don’t carry out valuations for mortgage companies so don’t have any conflict of interest. We are members of the Residential Property Surveyors Association.
Why do I need a Home Survey Inspection? – As mentioned above your mortgage company will only arrange a valuation of the property, this is simply to make sure that should you default on the property they can recover the money they lent you. Sometimes these are carried out from the kerbside, but most the time they don’t even visit the property. What peace of mind does that give you as the Purchaser? Your home is normally the biggest investment you will make so whether you are buying with a mortgage or cash you still want to know that your investment is safe.
This is where we at Home Inspections Southeast come in. Our inspectors report aims to help you:
· Make a reasoned and informed decision on the next step to take in your purchase.
· Take account of any repairs or replacements the property needs.
· Consider if you need future advise from other professionals i.e. Structural Engineer or specialist contractors.
About the Home Survey Inspection – We inspect the inside and outside of the main building and all outbuildings, but we do not force or open the fabrics. We also inspect the parts of the electrics, gas/oil, water, heating and drainage that can be seen, but we do not test them.
To help describe the condition of the home we may use a rating system, this will be from A-C and is only a guide to help with the report.
A – Defects that are serious and/or need to be repaired, replaced or investigated urgently.
B – Defects that need repairing or replacing but are not considered to be serious or urgent.
C – No repair is currently needed, the property/Item must be maintained in the correct manner to maintain this.
Important Notes:
· We carry out only visual inspections. This means that we do not lift carpets, floor coverings or floorboards, move furniture or remove contents of cupboards. Also, we do not remove secured panels or undo electrical fittings.
· We inspect roofs, chimneys and other surfaces on the outside of the house from the ground level, if necessary, with the help of binoculars and cameras.
· We inspect the roof structure from inside the roof space if there is access (although we cannot move or lift loft insulation, stored goods or other contents). We examine floor surfaces and underfloor spaces so far as there is safe access to these (although we do not move or lift furniture, flooring or other contents). We are not able to assess the condition of the inside of the chimney, boiler or other flues.
· We will note in our report if we are not able to check parts of the property that the inspection would normally cover. If we are concerned about any part, the report will tell you about any further investigations that are needed or recommended.
· We do not report on the cost of any work to put right defects or make recommendations on how these repairs should be carried out. Some of the repairs we suggest may be expensive so these need to be verified with the specialist contractors before you proceed to completion.