Purchasing a property is a multi-stage process. Buyers face many decisions along the way especially whether you need a chartered survey and what to look for when choosing one.
Whilst several mortgage providers conduct valuations on properties, it is highly recommended that you conduct your own survey of a building. Surveying the state and condition of a building is important and a valuable asset to acquire for a lot of buyers, as this verifies what you can see or have been told about a property.
Whilst most surveys broadly agree with what is presented in a value report, some may highlight unforeseen details or issues which could be expected to occur in a property in the future. Read this guide on what to consider when looking for the right Chartered Surveyor.
What is a Chartered Surveyor?
In the UK, the term ‘Chartered Surveyor’ is legally protected. As a Chartered Surveyor, you are members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and are therefore highly qualified, competent, and trained to report to a central regulated body. Chartered Surveyors have to continuously prove their professional development throughout their career and swear by a code of ethics concerning their practise.
Whilst it is possible to use other surveyors, only those that are legally and officially chartered can be called Chartered Surveyors.
What do Chartered Surveyors do?
Despite knowing the general or rough value of your property from its valuation report or other information provided by an estate agent or mortgage provider, having your own survey provides a clear picture of the state of the property. This includes structural history, present condition and predictions of changes, repairs, issues, and ongoing maintenance requirements to maintain standards.
Chartered Surveyors can also provide information on property development and modification ranging from planning permission advice for extensions or future builds, renovation advice for changing parts of a building and whether the plans will be approved in the building’s local and environmental context.
Chartered Surveyors will also work closely with the local authorities such as councils, to properly secure any future plans and establish whether or not they can work legally. Therefore, Chartered Surveyors establish the state of a property comprehensively which is an extremely valuable asset. Precise surveyance reports can save time and money in the long run.
How to Choose a Chartered Surveyor
Whilst all Chartered Surveyors undergo similarly high levels of training and report to the same regulating body, there are various specialisms in the field, as well as other criteria which can help you choose the right chartered surveyor for your property.
At BB&J Commercial we specialise in two main areas:
At BB&J Commercial, we provide valuations not just for commercial properties and land, we also offer our services to residential properties too.
We can provide valuations for secured lending, pension fund purposes, buildings insurance, Inheritance tax, dispute resolution, matrimonial and notional rent agreements amongst many others.
Covering the full spectrum of property from industrial, offices, retail, residential, HMO’s and development projects we carry out work for a wide range of clients in both the private and public sectors including high street banks, specialist lenders, pension funds and charities.
Summary
Focus on what you need for the survey. If you are concerned about a property and feel that you would genuinely benefit from a comprehensive survey, then you should get in contact. However, if it is obvious that the home is in great condition, for example in the case of new builds, then there is no point spending money on a comprehensive full structural survey.
All mortgage lenders and estate agents can assist you in finding out what level of survey you will need, but you can also request advice from chartered surveyors like us to see whether a full survey would be useful. For larger commercial or otherwise complex buildings, it is always advised to take every possible step to mitigate problems and learn about the running costs and the potential for extension and modification.
If you would like to enquire about a property survey, contact us today and one of our property experts will be more than happy to help.
Tel: 01332 292825
Email: commercial@bbandj.co.uk
