Home-Approved Building Surveyors and Chartered Surveyors Guildford, Surrey, London. Giving you the knowledge and confidence to make big decisions.
Building Surveys for Home Buyers
Buying a property is probably the biggest financial commitment you’ll ever make. A Home-Approved building survey gives you the confidence to make important decisions – and possibly avoid a costly mistake. Our full structural survey comprises a thorough inspection of the property and a comprehensive report based on our findings. Unlike a standard Home Buyer Report, our reports include photographs and cost estimates associated with any identified defects.
Party Wall Services
Are you planning to carry out work on a wall, ceiling or floor structure shared with a neighbouring property? Are you going to build on or at the boundary with another property? Do you need to excavate ground near your neighbour’s property? We will ensure the party wall will be protected and that the risk of a dispute arising is minimised.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When can you have a survey done?
-
Booking your survey at an early stage of the buying process is better. It can help you avoid unnecessary professional fees and potentially give you valuable negotiating power over the purchase price.
- Know where you stand?
-
At Home-Approved our building surveys are designed to give you the knowledge and confidence to make some fundamental decisions – whether to continue with your purchase, whether the extent of repairs means it would be better to walk away, or whether you could negotiate a better deal based on the information in our report.
- What makes Home-Approved different?
-
So what makes us so different to other property surveyors? We provide a personal and professional service that is fully focused on giving you the information you’ll need. We carry out a thorough visual inspection and use specialist equipment – including extension ladders and pole-mounted cameras – so that we can even check those parts of a property that would otherwise be ignored or overlooked.
- How long does our process take?
-
We know that time is often precious and that you may be under pressure from vendors, estate agents and solicitors. So we’ll deliver our survey report within three working days.
- What's included in our report?
-
Our findings are presented in a clear and concise format, supported by photographic evidence of defects. Plus, unlike most property surveyors, we’ll provide estimates for repairs to identified defects so that you have a better understanding of what needs to be done. We remain completely impartial and independent at all times and do not recommend contractors or tradesmen. Nor do we have any vested interest in declaring a property to be in poor condition, or inflating estimates for repairs.
- Will a survey save you money?
-
A Home-Approved building survey can save you money in the long term – the vendor may agree to carry out repairs at their cost or reduce the asking price. In addition you can put the report to good use once you’ve moved in, using our cost estimates as a benchmark when you start getting quotes for remedial work.
- What other services do we offer?
-
We provide a full range of complementary surveying and management services which include:
Latest from the Blog
Don’t let condensation turn your home into a damp squib 18/4/2018 - Modern building methods have made newer homes far more energy efficient than ever before. The downside is that lack of sufficient ventilation means that condensation is more likely to occur. In this respect, older properties have a distinct advantage – draughty windows, doors that don’t fit perfectly and fireplaces provide plenty of natural ventilation (but...
Thinking of Getting Into the Property Renovation Game? 6/3/2018 - Don’t forget the building survey! The prospect of doing up a property – either to turn into your own dream home or help you move up the property ladder – can be exciting and inspiring. Depending on the extent of the project, it can also become rather overwhelming as you wonder where on earth are...
The UK Housing Market – Outlook for 2018 22/1/2018 - Brexit continues to cast varying degrees of doom and gloom on UK economic growth and productivity and, as a result, the housing market is also feeling the effect. Reports at the tail-end of 2017 indicate that property prices rose by 2.5% over the year, but by November price trends had flattened out. According to RICS’...
Winter Property Maintenance – Don’t Get Caught Out During the Big Chill 19/12/2017 - If the current cold and snowy weather is anything to go by we could be in for a very chilly winter. It’s the time of year when all sorts of things can go wrong in the home – the sort of things that can be disastrous precisely because it is so cold. But, with a...