01332 314039
Principal: Steve Butler MRICS Chartered Surveyor
Open 8.30am to 6.30pm
RICS Home Surveys Information Sheet
Building Surveys Castle Donington
Homebuyers Survey Fees Castle Donington
Looking for a RICS surveyor near you in Castle Donington?
We provide independent HomeBuyer Surveys across Castle Donington and the surrounding LE65 and DE74 postcode areas.
Surveys are carried out personally by a local MRICS Chartered Surveyor with detailed knowledge of Castle Donington property types and ground conditions. Reports identify movement, damp, roof defects and safety risks commonly missed by mortgage valuations.
Fast availability, fixed fees and clear advice.
Email steve@buildingsurvey.co.uk to check availability before you book.
We provide RICS HomeBuyer Surveys (Level 2) across Castle Donington and the surrounding LE65 and DE74 postcode areas, including Kegworth, Diseworth, Hemington, Lockington, Wilson, Breedon on the Hill, Isley Walton and Melbourne.
All inspections are carried out personally by an MRICS Chartered Surveyor, with clear, practical advice to help you make an informed decision before you commit to purchase.
Homebuyers Survey Case Study on a 1904 terrace house
During this Castle Donington HomeBuyer Survey, our surveyor identified severe structural movement, resulting in a pronounced slope to the landing floor. Further evidence of movement included cracking and dropped brickwork above window openings.
The original slate roof had been replaced with significantly heavier concrete tiles without any structural strengthening, increasing the risk of failure during periods of heavy snow loading. Poorly maintained guttering increased the risk of water penetration, dampness and condensation to the solid brick walls.
Many clients contact us after viewing a property that looked fine but later proved to have serious hidden defects.
A RICS HomeBuyer Survey is designed to identify issues early, allowing buyers to:
make an informed decision
renegotiate the purchase price where appropriate
walk away before committing to unnecessary expense
Even modest homes in Castle Donington 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, damp treatment or rewiring can be costly.
Purchasing without a survey can easily result in £5,000 or more of unexpected expenditure. It is very unusual for our surveyors not to identify defects where the cost of repair exceeds the survey fee itself.
Serious structural failure of a Castle Donington House missed by a mortage valuation
This 1970s property had been constructed on made-up ground. Significant movement had occurred, probably due to an escape of water undermining shallow foundations.
The movement was missed entirely by the mortgage valuation. The purchasers were later forced to sell the property to a local builder at a £20,000 loss.
This clearly demonstrates why buyers should not rely on a mortgage valuation and instead commission a RICS HomeBuyer Survey or Building Survey.
Using a locally experienced RICS surveyor means your inspection reflects real knowledge of Castle Donington property types, local ground conditions and common construction defects.
You deal directly with the surveyor who inspects the property, not a call centre or an anonymous report writer. This local insight often makes the difference between a generic report and advice you can rely on.
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.
This 1925 detached house showed multiple defects including poor chimney condition, slipping roof tiles, blocked and broken gutters, and a dished roof slope. Additional roof timbers had been installed historically to provide extra support.
Long-standing movement was present above a rear bay window, and the suspended timber floor had humped slightly, indicating movement and moisture-related issues.
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 Castle Donington (LE65 or DE74), we can advise whether a HomeBuyer Survey is suitable and confirm availability before you book.
Email: steve@buildingsurvey.co.uk
Please include:
Property address
Property type
Approximate age
Survey required (HomeBuyer or Building Survey)
We regularly carry out HomeBuyer Surveys in Castle Donington, Kegworth, Diseworth, Hemington, Lockington, Wilson, Breedon on the Hill, Isley Walton and Melbourne.
If you are searching for a “RICS surveyor near me” in the Castle Donington area, we cover LE65 and DE74 and can usually arrange inspections quickly.
Independent RICS Chartered HomeBuyer Surveyors providing fast, fixed-fee HomeBuyer Surveys across Castle Donington, LE11 and LE12.