It’s well known that buying a new home can be a stressful experience but often the focus centres on mortgages, solicitors and estate agents. Having the property surveyed by a building surveying business seems to fall down the moving list but our experience is you should never underestimate the importance of having a clear idea of the state a property, any issues it may have and a realistic budget for repairs. An accurate survey that includes realistic repair costs can also provide a bargaining chip when the time comes to agree a purchase price.

We’ve covered in previous posts how to select the best type of survey for your potential new home and the RICS guide below details what to expect from each survey type;

Building Survey features v HomeBuyers survey v Condition Report.

However how do you choose the right building surveying business once you have decided on the type of survey you require? Here are our top 5 tips for choosing the best;

1. As with the property itself, location, location & location. Make sure your building surveying business has carried out surveys in the same region as your potential new home. A local surveyor will know the housing stock, inherent issues such as subsidence risks and may well have surveyed a similar property nearby. They will also be able to give you advice on the local area and planning considerations if you are looking to make alterations.
2. Good customer reviews. Spend 5 minutes looking for the company online. Search for them on an independent review site such as Trustpilot.
3. RICS regulated. There are 3 ascending levels of RICS qualification – associate (AssocRICS), member (MRICS) and fellow (FRICS). Only MRICS & FRICS are chartered, so always look for these two after the surveyor’s name, particularly the highly experienced FRICS surveyor.
4. Service v price. It’s tempting to choose the cheapest company, particularly if you have had a number of quotes from a price comparison site such as Really Moving. However it’s worth considering what’s included within the fee and whether or not saving a few hundred pounds is a false economy on such a large future purchase. Look out for the following; unlimited access to your surveyor to clarify any queries, opportunity to walk around the property with your surveyor, a plain English report with a detailed photographic schedule within 5 days, specialist pictures of the property roof, gutters & chimneys, an easy to understand traffic light system for any issues including realistic repair costs and a fully insured business.
5. Eagerness. Perhaps a deciding factor is just how keen the business is to secure your business. Were they friendly, did they respond quickly, answer any questions you may have, send you an example survey and did they give you a clear idea of what you were potentially buying.

If you would like a Building Survey quote from us, please complete our Quick Quote form & we will get back to you with all of the above!