Tips on Choosing a Chartered Surveyor

Buying a new home canbe a challenge. What if there’s something wrong with it? What if you need tomake a bunch of repairs that you only find out about after the purchase? Toavoid this issue, you need to have your future home surveyed.

Most lenders will havea list of surveyors on hand to use. You aren’t obligated to use the list,however, and can choose your own. Many people prefer to select someone of theirown so they can be sure the findings are unbiased.

What to Look for in a Chartered Surveyor

It’s a good idea tochoose your own chartered surveyor toavoid problems and bias. However, finding the right one requires more thansimply selecting the first surveyor you find.

Local Interest

The home or landsurveyor should be familiar with the area you plan to move to and should have aworking knowledge of the potential issues that might arise there. For example,some areas will be damper than others and that can result in mould. They willalso be familiar with the value of the homes in the area and will be able tobetter give you an idea of the true value.

Online Reviews

This is particularlyimportant if you’re moving across the country to an area that you don’t knowwell. You may not be able to spend much time talking to the surveyor before youhave them look at the house, so check for reviews online. These will give you agood idea as to whether others had success with the surveyor or not.

RICS Regulated

Ideally, theprofessional you select will be registered with RICS (Royal Institution ofChartered Surveyors), which has a rather strict code of conduct. Anyoneregistered with them will have to answer to those rules. This gives you ameasure of protection, since you can always resort to talking to RICS if youare not happy with the service received.

Timing

How fast can thesurvey be done? This will also factor into your decision, since there are oftentight deadlines for these surveys. If the chartered surveyor you choose isbooked for several weeks or months, you’ll probably want to find someone whocan do it sooner.

Right Survey Type

Not all surveys arethe same, so be sure you find out what options you have and then choose theright one. For example, you might have to get a building survey, or you mayneed a HomeBuyer’s report. Either way, you should be sure you get all the informationthat is required, since some surveys don’t include valuations.

Easy Contact

It’s essential thatyour surveyor stay in contact with you. They should be easy to reach and happyto answer any questions you might have. This is part of the job and a serviceprovider who is difficult to contact will be even more difficult later on.

Types of House Surveys

There aretwo main types of property surveys, which are the HomeBuyer Report and the Buildingsurvey. These two surveys serve different purposes, so which one you need willbe dependent on the project you’re undertaking.

TheHomeBuyer Report

This surveyis best for properties that have been recently built and is in good condition.The home should be in the same condition as when it was built, includingminimal alterations since then.

Thesurveyor will look at reasonably accessible areas, but will not dig into everything.They will create a report based on visually analyzing everything, withoutchecking services and such. You’ll also get a report on any outbuildings.

Essentially,this is a light inspection, which, if the house is relatively new, will be morethan enough to identify trouble spots that might be an issue in the future.

TheBuilding Survey is more detailed and involves checking on the roof, underfloors, and other visible and non-visible components. You’ll be notified of anyproperty hazards, like trees that are too close to the building, as well aspotential structural problems like termites and dry rot.

In thistype of report, you’ll have information on all the different problems that werefound, and whether or not they need to be addressed immediately, as well as howto fix them. You’ll learn more about the materials used on the property, aswell.

The BuildingSurvey is best for older home that have fallen into a state of disrepair, sincethey can help you figure out exactly what needs to be done. The surveyor willoffer you a suggestion for each problem, and what you can do about it. Thenit’s up to you to decide if you will be able to take on the necessary repairsof if you want to leave that to the seller. You may also prefer to look foranother home, if there are too many issues with the one you’ve been hoping tobuy.

The mainreason for hiring a chartered surveyor is to determine whether or not you areup to the challenges that the home will offer. Every house will have someissues, but how severe they are really depends on the house and its age andoften these problems are hidden to the buyer.

How to Get Planning Permission

Depending on what youplan to do for your home, you’ll probably need planning permission. If you’rebuilding onto your home or building the actual house, you will most likely needpermission. However, it’s possible that you will also need permission in orderto renovate or make other large changes to the property you’re currently on.

Getting the permissionrequires the following steps:

1. Talk to your localplanning authority. This will let you know just how much space you’re allowedto use and what changes you can make. If you do need planning permission, thisis where you’ll find out if that’s necessary.

2. Applyfor a permit online . The planning authority site will let you applyonline, and once you have your permit, you can go ahead and start building.These permits may take a little time to come through, but once in hand, you’reclear to build.

3. Appeal against anenforcement notice. If you are issued an enforcement notice, which is basicallya denial of your permission, it’s possible to appeal and possibly getpermission. If you’re dealing with needing to make some adjustments, thesesimple changes could require applying again.

If you are only makinga few minor changes, you probably won’t need to do much in the way of gettingplanning permission, but of course, makes sure of that before you do anything.Keep in mind that it is illegal to ignore an enforcement notice.

This is another reasonto hire a professional, since they know how to manage the paperwork and helpyou navigate the difficulties of getting planning permission for the localspace. It can be a hug help to have someone who is familiar with the processworking with both you and the authorities.

Why You Need a Property Survey

When you go to buy ahouse or flat, you need to know exactly what you’re getting into. There areoften hidden issues that even the current home owner may not know about. It’sbest to go into a home purchase with your eyes open, knowing exactly how muchwork needs to be done and what the current price evaluation is.

If extensive repairsor changes are needed in order to fix something, you can ask the seller todeduct this from the price. Some may choose to resolve the problem before youpurchase, while other home owners will leave the issues for you to solve, butwill discount the repairs.

On the other side ofthe coin, we have the homeowner who may order a valuation of the house. Thebuyers can either believe this evaluation or they can go ahead and do theirown, with their own surveyor.

If you are sellingyour home, it’s a good idea to know exactly what it’s worth. You can also takesteps to improve the value once you know what issues are lowering the value.This lets home owners boost the value of their home with a fairly simple surveyand then some changes, directed at improving the home valuation.

Are you planning on buying or selling a home? Do you need a chartered surveyor to do a survey of your home or future property? If so, contact us today to find out how we can help.'