The surveyor group has recently announced national cover for its Home Buyers Survey Service
31/10/12 – Surveyor Local has recently announced natiowide coverage of its Home Buyers Survey service offering Homebuyer Reports and Building Surveys in every county in England and Wales.
The company has distributed its 100 plus Chartered Surveyors across all counties and major towns and cities, believing that local surveyor knowledge and awareness will give home buyers a better perspective and context.
The importance of Local Knowledge
RICS publish a practice note for surveyors offering Homebuyer Reports that requires surveyors to have ‘sufficient knowledge of the construction type and the area in which the property is situated’.
RICS also require that ‘the surveyor must be familiar with the characteristics of the local area’.
In practice this means that the surveyor must have a good and localised grasp of issues like regional housing styles (materials and construction methods), environmental factors such as flood plains or flight paths, local soil types, radon risks, mining and contamination issues. Approximate knowledge of the locations and implications of local conservation areas is also necessary.
Many people assume that Surveyors working ‘out of area’ will miss potential issues. Where this is indeed a risk, Surveyor Local points out that it is more likely a non-local surveyor will ‘over egg’ the reporting of any defects leaving the potential home buyer without a local perspective.
An example might be when surveyors unfamiliar with properties in North London assume that every crack is an indication of subsidence. London Surveyors would be aware of the local clay soil type that leaves very few properties without a few settlement cracks. This does not mean that of North London properties are about to collapse.
Instant Online Quote
Choosing a local surveyor has become much easier with Surveyor Local and their website offers home buyers the facility to obtain an instant quote.