LATEST BLOG POSTS: Common Property Defects

Welcome to Peter Barry’s blog posts. You’ll find a range of topics focussing on issues that are important to our clients where we try to answer the questions that we regularly get asked.

Houses of Non-Traditional Construction – Common Property Defects #6

Wednesday, 15th February 2023 | by: Steve Hobbs

Over the years, the Peter Barry team has carried out numerous pre-purchase property surveys for clients intending to buy houses of non-traditional construction. Non-standard properties can often be a source of concern for both buyers and mortgage lenders as there’s a risk of defects not found in general housing stock that might require expensive repairs. In this blog, we explore different ...

Over the years, the Peter Barry team has carried out numerous pre-purchase property surveys for clients intending to buy ...

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Planning the Maintenance and Repair of Flats

Thursday, 23rd February 2017 | by: Shaun Blake

When you own the freehold of a property, you have complete freedom to deal with the scope and timing of maintenance and ...

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CLAY SOILS, SUBSIDENCE, HEAVE, TREES AND ROOTS – PART 3

Thursday, 9th February 2017 | by: Peter Barry

In the first 2 parts of this post we looked at history of subsidence and the influence of trees; in this final part we'll ...

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CLAY SOILS, SUBSIDENCE, HEAVE, TREES AND ROOTS – PART 2

Friday, 3rd February 2017 | by: Peter Barry

In the first part of this post we looked at the history of subsidence as we know it today and how subsidence related ...

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Clay Soils, Subsidence, Heave, Trees and Roots – Part 1

Wednesday, 25th January 2017 | by: Peter Barry

A Bit of History Anyone who's ever erected a fence in clay soil using timber posts knows that you can hammer these into ...

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Pitched Roof Structures: Common Property Defects #7

Tuesday, 17th May 2016 | by: Steve Hobbs

The roof is one of the most important parts of a building. It is responsible for protecting the structure beneath from ...

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Asbestos – Common Property Defects #5

Saturday, 5th March 2016 | by: Steve Hobbs

During the course of our inspections we regularly encounter building materials which contain or may contain asbestos fibres. Asbestos, the name of which has its origin in the Greek word ‘ásvestos’, meaning inextinguishable, is a naturally occurring rock mineral which is both fire retardant and an excellent thermal and acoustic insulator. The fibres do not dissolve in water or evaporate, ...

During the course of our inspections we regularly encounter building materials which contain or may contain asbestos ...

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Faulty Rainwater Goods – Common Property Defects #4

Saturday, 5th December 2015 | by: Steve Hobbs

A common cause of dampness in residential properties is defective rainwater goods; namely gutters and downpipes. The ...

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Cracking Around Bay Windows – Common Property Defects # 3

Thursday, 30th July 2015 | by: Steve Hobbs

Cracking as a result of movement is one of the more worrying defects faced by homeowners and recently we have inspected a ...

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Movement Around Brick Arches – Common Property Defects # 2

Monday, 18th May 2015 | by: Steve Hobbs

We are often contacted by homeowners who are concerned about cracks in their properties. Recently we have inspected a number ...

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We recently used Peter Barry Chartered Surveyors to handle our party wall agreement and were extremely pleased with the service we received.

From start to finish, the team was professional, knowledgeable, and very responsive. They explained the party wall process clearly, kept everything moving efficiently.

Communication was excellent throughout, and we felt confident that everything was being handled properly and fairly for all parties involved.

I would highly recommend Peter Barry Chartered Surveyors to anyone needing party wall advice or surveying services.
Professional, diligent and very quick. I was offered a call with David Breeze after his survey, which was incredibly helpful - as he was able to explain "in real English" what was in the report and which elements I needed to be most/less concerned about. Would highly recommend!
Very pleased so far with Katie's thoroughness and support
Long may it continue!
We used Peter Barry Surveyors for a Schedule of Condition Report. The service was provided at short notice which we were extremely grateful for. Following our initial contact with Tracey Stephens who was really helpful to us, we had a visit from Argash Thasan arranged within a few days of our first contact. Argash provided us with a great service. He was polite, friendly, and professional, answered our questions clearly, and with knowledge and expertise of party wall matters. We received a thorough report and a detailed range of accompanying photos. We would highly recommend the services of Peter Barry Surveyors.
Peter Barry has been very professional throughout the process of conducting a level 3 building survey and feasibility report. The report itself was very detailed with plenty of images to support the text. We also had opportunity before and after to speak to the surveyor at length which was very helpful.
We've used Peter Barry twice now for RICS Level 2 (Homebuyer) Reports, each time they provided a detailed and clear report within a week of attending the property with the team being responsive and helpful with any queries we had - would highly recommend.
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