At last - the reassurance of a truly comprehensive survey report, with definitive advice, based on the most thorough inspection possible

If you want a survey that includes definitive advice, based on a detailed diagnosis of any problems uncovered, and you would like to be warned about hidden defects and future problems waiting to catch you out, look how my new survey differs from all the rest.

You get a detailed inspection, including a thorough investigation of anything untoward that is found. During the inspection, state of the art equipment is used to locate and check for any anomalies, as well as to help trace the causes of problems. A comprehensive, jargon-free report, tells you what problems have been found, where they are, how important the problems are, their causes, and what to do about them.

As well as visible problems, the report tells you about any hidden ones that have been given away by tell-tale signs picked up by the latest detection equipment. The report also warns you about problems that will arise in the future, as a result of building work that is defective or incompatible with the house.

Don't assume all surveys are like this - all too often, I hear tales of woe from people who tried to do the right thing before buying their home, by paying for a proper survey. These tales nearly always seem to fall into one of two categories:

  1. Those where the survey gave the home a clean bill of health, only for the owners to be plagued by damp problems after moving in and,
  2. those surveys that reported dire damp and woodworm problems. The survey then recommended specialist remedial treatments, and subsequent quotes have run into several thousands of pounds.

Ironically, when I carry out a proper diagnostic survey inspection for these people, I usually discover that both sets of problems are caused by the same underlying defects - not only that, they are often near identical in severity! These problems are nearly always easily sorted - without expensive specialist remedial treatments.

This stream of worried people, would be prevented if surveys for home buyers were thorough enough to uncover all problems (including future ones), and provided proper advice on dealing with and preventing them. Unfortunately, very few surveys meet these criteria. In fact these days, nearly all surveyors do standard surveys, carried out under license from various professional bodies. These are always based on a set of quick spot checks. None of these standard format surveys cater for the full range of problems that affect houses - they do not allow hidden defects or future problems to be included, and are only designed to find and report major outstanding defects.

To overcome these deficiencies, and give you the reassurance of the comprehensive report and information you are wanting, I have put together a range of premium survey packages. Every survey in the range has the same type of detailed inspection at its heart so you are guaranteed to get:

  1. Defects investigated instead of just their presence reporting. This is particularly important for common problems like damp and timber decay. Without a proper investigation, it isn't possible to determine their true extent and severity, or their correct treatment.
  2. A search for signs of hidden problems. Hidden problems that give away their presence with tell-tale signs are typically dampness, but can also be things like overheating electric cables, water pipes buried in walls, and general building defects. Being hidden, the only way to locate these, is to use specialised equipment to look for the clues.
  3. Checks for 'defects in waiting'. These are things that are perfectly sound, but which will cause problems in the future if left. Some typical examples I regularly see are:
    • Walls repaired with the wrong sort of mortar. This often leads to severe dampness and can even cause some types of wall to collapse.
    • Incorrectly fitted loft insulation or insulation of the wrong type. Incorrectly fitted loft insulation will cause the electric cables to overheat, while some types of insulation can attack unprotected electric cables. In both cases, this can result in your house catching fire.
    • Cut price roofing. A variety of problems are frequently caused by re-roofing work. These may just cause premature shedding of tiles/slates, but many of the problems can lead to the ultimate collapse of the roof and walls.

As a bonus, your survey comes with a free 2-year post-survey advice service. This means for the next 2 years, you can not only discuss any issues arising from the survey with me, if any new problems appear, or your builder discovers anything you are unsure of while carrying out alterations, I will advise free of charge.

This new survey is not suitable for every home. The equipment I use cannot detect problems in steel and concrete framed houses and flats. These were typically built by local authorities in the 20 years following the end of the last war (although some house-builders are now starting to produce concrete houses again.) For surveys on these types of property, you need to consult a building surveyor with regular experience of these construction types. They will have access to the required specialist diagnostic equipment to detect and advise on any defects in the frame. In most cases, this will mean you need to use a building surveyor specialising in commercial property, rather than residential.

Without the extra checks and investigations that are standard with my surveys, you could all too easily find yourself joining those unhappy people with a tale of woe to tell. Even if you escape this fate, you won't have the reassurance of being able to consult an expert with specialist knowledge of your house, free of charge.

To find out more about getting a house survey that includes definitive advice, based on a detailed diagnosis of any problems, as well as information on its condition that includes hidden defects, and warnings about future problems, contact me via my Contact Details without obligation.

© 2008-2012 David M. Kinsey. All rights reserved.
Unauthorized duplication or publication of any materials from this Site is expressly prohibited.