In this week’s Property Surveying blogpost, we are going to be discussing Pre-purchase Surveys.
If you are in the process of purchasing a new flat or house, and would like to ensure that it is clear of any costly and significant repairs, then you will need to have an experienced and qualified RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) surveyor inspect the property, and undertake a Pre-purchase Survey for you.
A Pre-purchase Survey will see the surveyor go through the property in a comprehensive and thorough manner, fully inspecting every facet of it, and in compiling his or her findings in an easy-to-follow and understand report.
Generally speaking, there are two different types of Pre-purchase Survey that are readily available on the market.
RICS Homebuyer Report
An RICS Homebuyer Report is considered a mid-level survey and will go throughout the property looking at everything from the roof, to the walls, to windows and doors and all internal areas as well.
As the surveyor is inspecting the property, he or she will give the defect a condition rating. Condition ratings are the same style of a traffic light and are set out as below.
Condition Rating 1 – Green
A green condition rating means that the element being inspected is in a good state of repair, and no further input or remedial work is required.
Condition Rating 2 – Amber/Orange
An amber or orange condition rating means that the item being inspected is in need of repair, however that repair is not considered urgent, and therefore is something to take into account in the not-too-distant future.
Condition Rating 3 – Red
A condition rating 3, or red rating, is the worst possible rating a surveyor can give the item being inspected.
It effectively means that the item being inspected requires urgent attention and repair, and this cannot be delayed.
These types of condition ratings mean that you are going to have to spend money on the issue as soon as you are the legal owner and have proceeded with the purchase.
Full Building Surveys
Full Building Surveys will use the same condition rating scale.
However, unlike a Homebuyer Report a Building Survey will go into a lot more detail when it comes to the overall issue that is noted, as well as including some handy tips on future maintenance and overall repair costs.
Here at Stokemont, we are always trying to strive to be better and offer more than that of our competitors.
In 2022, we are very proud to announce that we launched the Stokemont Cost Rating on all of our Pre-purchase Surveys.
The Stokemont Cost Rating goes one step further than the RICS Condition Rating System, effectively informing our clients and pre-purchasers of exactly what type of cost to expect when an item of disrepair is noted by the surveyor during the inspection.
Our Cost Rating System helps inform our clients of exactly what type of cost they are into, they can therefore then top these up and arrive at an informed position as to what the overall likely cost of repair, making good or remedial work is going to be prior to proceeding with the sale.
The aim of this is that they can then go back to the seller, and negotiate a reduced sale price taking into account the repair.
We are now going to look at the cost ratings in a little more detail.
Low-Cost
A low-cost rating, or a green cost rating, is towards the lower end of the spectrum.
We have categorised this as repairs that require up to £1,000 being spent on them.
Mid-Cost
A mid-cost or medium-cost rating, is an amber or orange rating.
We have categorised this as costs towards the mid-end of the spectrum, and what we believe would be anywhere from £1,000 to £5,000.
High-Cost
High-cost ratings, or red cost ratings, are repair costs which are going to be £5,000 plus.
Obviously, these are towards the upper end of the spectrum, and therefore if you find yourself with a number of red, or high-cost, ratings within your report, we would advise having a further chat with the surveyor who completed the survey, so that you can fully understand exactly what this means.
Here at Stokemont, our take on Pre-purchase Surveys is that they are by far one of the most important type of services that a surveyor undertakes.
The surveyor is effectively being tasked with fully informing and advising the client of exactly what they are buying into.
A key part of our duty is to ensure that our clients and property purchasers know exactly what they are buying into, and are not met with any nasty surprises further down the line.
Over the years, we have undertaken all different types of Pre-purchase Surveys from your bungalow, studio flat, penthouse flats, commercial buildings, terraced, semi-detached and detached houses. We have even undertaken Pre-purchase Surveys of historic properties.
Over this time, we have taken great pride in being able to fully advise our clients on the issues that have existed, and have done so in the knowledge that they are fully informed on exactly what they are buying into.
If you would like to discuss how our team of Chartered Building Surveyors can be of assistance to you with your Pre-purchase Survey requirements, give us a call today and we will be more than happy to assist and advise you.
