Commercial Building Surveys, Residential Building Surveys (Level 3) and Homebuyer Reports (Level 2) are generally designed to provide advice pre-purchase or pre-lease and involve an inspection of the property as a whole. However, if you have concerns that are more focused on individual aspects of a property or certain defects that are causing problems, then a Specific Defect Report may be the better option.
A Specific Defect Report can be commissioned to address issues such as:
- Structural movement
- Inadequate alterations
- Decay of external elements of fabric
- Dampness and condensation
- Timber decay and rot
- Roofing defects
- Unusual construction
For those purchasing or leasing a property, a Specific Defect Report can provide a more detailed analysis of a problem than a RICS Level 2 Home Survey, but is more cost effective than a RICS Level 3 Home Survey of the whole property.
The issues of concern may arise from a client’s viewing, such as a damp patch; from issues raised in a mortgage valuation report, such as the adequacy of alterations; or perhaps from an environmental search highlighting that the property is in an area of high risk for structural ground movement.
On the other side of the property transaction, vendors and commercial landlords can find it useful to have a Specific Defect Report on issues raised in a survey by a purchaser or prospective tenant. This can be a useful second opinion.
Either way, the detail can allay fears or enable a confident and fair re-negotiation.
Specific Defect Reports are also useful in situations other than pre-purchase and pre-lease.
A property owner may have concerns about issues that have arisen and will simply want peace of mind, for example advice on some cracking before embarking on a decoration project.
A client may have tried and failed to repair a recurrent problem or have been told differing views on a defect by contractors. A trained eye and analysis can provide the right solution so that the client can have confidence in obtaining competitive quotations and have the work carried out to a good standard. Do it right, do it once.
Other reasons can be where an independent professional surveyor’s report can provide useful information in deciding on a course of action. This may be to assist with an insurance claim or to help consider whether to pursue or resolve potential legal disputes between landlord and tenant, client and contractor, neighbour to neighbour etc.
Why Choose Peter Barry Chartered Surveyors
Whatever the need, our team of surveyors are skilled in assessing and diagnosing building defects. Our reports are written to give clear and simple advice upon the nature of construction, the significance of the defects present, the likely causes and the best options for remedial works. This will include an outline specification of works and can include an estimate as to the likely cost of repairs.
In most cases a single inspection will be sufficient for the surveyor to advice with reasonable certainty on the causes and solutions. In some cases it may be necessary to organise opening up of the fabric of the building, inspection via safe access such as a hydraulic platform, or specialist input such as a CCTV drainage survey or a soil investigation. All of which we can help to organise.
As with all of our services, we are happy to talk through your requirements before providing a quotation, so that we can understand the issues and provide the right service. Once you have your report, we are always on hand to talk you through the detail and answer any technical queries.
With larger schemes of repair work, we can also provide a detailed specification for the repair works for use as part of a tender package.
