Building Surveys and Inspections of Buildings – A Guide – By Bruce Spenser MSc  MCIOB (click menu buttons above for guides and information on Party Walls etc.)

There are *three main types of Building Surveys, Home Reports or Home Inspections offered. These are graded as to their worth to a potential buyer as Level 1, Levels 2 and Level 3.

The level 1 Building Survey is simply a valuation survey which is generally commissioned by a lender for example a building society or bank. The valuer should be a very experienced RICS Building Surveyor and should base his valuation on a comparable property which has sold recently minus or plus the costs involved of renovating either property. In today's market the valuation surveyors are valuing low!  The purpose of the valuation survey is to give an independent professional opinion to the value of the property taking into account its location, type and condition. The professional has a responsibility to his client which is the lender (not the potential buyer). Thus the level 1 survey is not worthwhile for the residential purchaser - it only gives information for the lender. If a lender wishes a valuation they should commission their own.

There are two types of level 2 Building Surveys: The first, the home report, came about whilst a previous government introduced home reports as part of the infamous HIP saga;  as part of the process they introduced a person called a home inspector who was, "trained"  and very strictly regulated to produce a survey which grades each element either red, amber or green dependent on whether the element has a problem that requires immediate attention, can be dealt with in the course of normal planned maintenance and repair of the element is in good condition.  The next government removed the home report as it was considered worthless by lenders and professionals alike, however the home report is still on the market and is produced by the very strictly regulated home inspectors who sometimes call themselves surveyors**  The author would not recommend this type of survey unless it was advised by a professional RICS member or CIOB Building Surveyor who was fully cognisant of the age, type and condition of the property.

The second type of level 2 survey is the RICS Home Condition Report.  Very similar to the home report described in the paragraph above but with a valuation.   A valuation will be given and therefore a RICS valuation surveyor must be used as part of the process - the problem here is that the valuation surveyor will generally not have the necessary expertise to provide a comprehensive report, which is why the this Building Survey is limited - you get a valuation with a tick box report!  This can be an expensive way to go about getting a valuation and the older the property the more likely the report will advise to get a full of Level 3 Building Survey.  The author would definitely not recommend this type of survey for London properties and would only recommend this  type of survey  if it was advised by a professional RICS member or CIOB Building Surveyor who was fully cognisant of the age, type and condition of the property - If this survey is recommended the author would recommend that a guarantee is sought that if a Full Building Survey (level 3) or further structural etc. investigations are recommended the fee of the further survey would be deducted from the level 2 survey.

The level 3 Building Survey is a comprehensive report on construction and condition and will be carried out by an experienced and registered Building Surveyor, either CIOB or RICS. It is described by the CIC as a Building Survey and it is defined as "....an investigation and assessment of the construction and condition of a building and will not normally include advice on value. The survey will generally include the structure, fabric, finishes and grounds; the exposure and testing of services are not usually covered"   This is the type of survey carried out by Bruce Spenser in the London area.