01509 387 387
Clarence St, Loughborough LE11 1DX
Principal: Steve Butler MRICS Chartered Surveyor
Open 8.30am to 6.30pm
RICS Home Surveys Information Sheet
Homebuyers Survey Fees Loughborough
We provide RICS HomeBuyer Surveys (Level 2) across Loughborough, LE11 and LE12, including Quorn. Mountsorrel, Shepshed, Rothley, Barrow upon Soar, Sileby, Hathern, Kegworth, Nanpantan and Woodhouse Eaves. All inspections are carried out personally by an MRICS Chartered Surveyor, with clear advice before you commit to purchase.
Homebuyers Survey Case Study on a 1904 terrace house
During this Loughborough HomeBuyer Survey, we encountered severe structural movement causing a pronounced slope to the landing floor. Movement was also evident in cracking and dropped brickwork above window openings.
The original slate roof had been re-covered with significantly heavier concrete tiles, without any structural upgrading. This increased the risk of failure during periods of heavy snow. Poor guttering arrangements placed the solid-walled property at increased risk of water penetration, dampness and condensation.
Many clients contact us after viewing a property that “looked fine” but later proved to have hidden defects. Our HomeBuyer Surveys are designed to identify issues early, allowing buyers to make informed decisions, renegotiate where appropriate, or walk away before committing to unnecessary expense.
A RICS HomeBuyer Survey Report is suitable for most houses, bungalows and flats that are conventional and traditional in type and construction, and which appear to be in reasonable condition.
Even modest homes represent a significant financial commitment. Certain defects can reduce a property’s value by many thousands of pounds or make it difficult to sell. Common repairs such as re-roofing or rewiring can be costly. A HomeBuyer Survey helps identify problems that may be expensive to remedy before you exchange contracts.
Purchasing a property without a survey can result in £5,000 or more of unexpected expenditure. A HomeBuyer Survey can identify such issues early and may help you renegotiate the purchase price. It is very unusual for our surveyors not to identify defects in all but the most modern properties, where repair costs exceed the fee for the survey itself.
Serious structural failure of a Loughborough house missed by a mortage valuation
The property had been built on a filled in sand pit. The property had moved significantly probably because an escape of water had undermined the foundations on which the property was probably built. For whatever reason the movement was missed in the mortgage valuation and the purchasers had to sell the property to a builder at a £20,000 loss. This is an excellent example of why you should have a RICS Homebuyers survey or Building survey and not reply on a mortgage valuation.
Using a locally experienced RICS surveyor means the inspection and advice reflect real knowledge of Loughborough property types, ground conditions and common construction defects. You deal directly with the surveyor who inspects the property, not a call centre or report writer you never meet.
This local insight often makes the difference between a generic report and advice you can act on confidently.
Our surveyors use the standard RICS HomeBuyer Report format, designed to highlight serious defects, urgent repairs and matters that may affect the property’s value. The report clearly states whether any action should be taken before exchange of contracts.
The report uses a simple traffic light condition rating system:
Defects which are serious and/or need to be repaired, replaced or investigated urgently.
Defects that need repairing or replacing but are not considered to be either serious or urgent. The property must be maintained in the normal way.
No repair is currently needed. The property must be maintained in the normal way.
Not inspected.
The survey also advises on risks to the property or occupants and highlights matters that should be investigated further before exchange of contracts.
Steve Butler Chartered Surveyors’ HomeBuyer Reports include both a market valuation and an insurance reinstatement cost as standard, helping you insure the property adequately.
The report also identifies issues your legal advisers should investigate and highlights risks relating to safety or long-term maintenance.
Loughborough RICS Homebuyers survey report on a 1925 detached house. The chimneys were in poor condition, tiles were slipping, gutters were clogged and broken. The roof face had dished. Additional timbers had been added to strengthen the roof. The property had long standing movement at the head of an opening to a rear bay window. A timber floor had humped slightly.
A mortgage valuation is not a survey. It is a limited property risk assessment carried out for the lender only. Some mortgage valuations are undertaken from the roadside, using desktop data or automated valuation models, which can miss many defects.
A RICS HomeBuyer Survey is independent of the lender. Our Chartered Surveyors inspect the property thoroughly to identify issues such as movement, damp, lintel failure, roof defects and other hidden problems, internally and externally. Where possible, we inspect roof spaces and lift accessible drain covers.
The results of relying on a mortgage valuation can be seen in the following notes and photographs
An extensive inspection of the property by a RICS Surveyor
Comments on general condition of the property
Comments on location and significant environmental issues
Identifies significant defects and recommends further investigations
Advice on repairs and ongoing maintenance
Information on location, local environment and the recorded energy efficiency
Highlights health and safety issues
Comments for legal advisors
Helps you to renegotiate purchase price based on defects identified
Provides advice which helps you in your decision-making process
Provides advice which allows you to budget for current and future expenditure
RICS compliant and colour coded system to easily identify the severity of defects
A market valuation so that you know whether or not you are paying the market value for the subject property. This valuation will reflect all the defects found (a mortgage valuation will not).
This Homebuyers survey also includes an insurance rebuild cost of the subject property to help you sufficiently insure your property.
We are always here to offer post-survey customer support by email or by phone. However clients are welcome to meet the surveyor at the property so that issues can be seen and discussed at first hand.
We can usaully arrange to access the property within two or three days unless the vendor is unavailable. Once at the property the inspection takes as long as needed. Unlikely the corporate surveyors we don't have to rush of to the next inspection to meet profitability targets. We always write the report on the same day as the inspection to ensure that the property is still clear in the surveyors mind. Surveys can usaully be arranged and delivered within a week and often much more quickly.
The most appropriate time to commission any property survey is as soon after having your offer accepted or if borrowing money as soon as you receive the formal mortgage offer. There is no point surveying a property that you are not going to be able to get a mortgage on. Once you have your offer accepted and a mortgage offer if needed then an early survey can prevent un-necessary legal costs or an enable an early reduction in the purchase price if required.
We employ a quick turnaround on the report (within 5 working days of the Inspection).
We only employ RICS qualified chartered surveyors.
We are a RICS regulated firm, which ensures that we meet the most rigorous of standards set for the Surveying industry.
Our prices are very competitive.
We pride ourselves in offering the highest quality customer service.
We offer straightforward easy to understand advice based on many thirty years of experience.
Prepared in an easy to read jargon free standard format designed by the RICS the Homebuyer report aims to help you:
make a reasoned and informed decision on whether to go ahead with buying the property;
make an informed decision on what is a reasonable price to pay for the property;
take account of any repairs or replacements the property needs
consider what further advice you should take before exchanging contracts; and
determine how much to insure the property for.
If you are buying a property in Loughborough (LE11 or LE12), we can advise whether a HomeBuyer Survey is suitable and confirm availability before you book.
Email steve@buildingsurvey.co.uk with:
Property address
Property type (house or flat)
Approximate age of the building
Whether a HomeBuyer Survey or Building Survey is required
We regularly carry out HomeBuyer Surveys in:
Loughborough, Quorn, Mountsorrel, Shepshed, Rothley, Barrow upon Soar, Sileby, Hathern, Kegworth, Nanpantan and Woodhouse Eaves
If you are searching for a “RICS surveyor near me” in the Loughborough area, we cover LE11 and LE12 and can usually arrange inspections quickly.
Independent RICS Chartered HomeBuyer Surveyors providing fast, fixed-fee HomeBuyer Surveys across Loughborough, LE11 and LE12.