Archive for the ‘General Updates’ Category

RICS Website report extracts taken in January 2010

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Well done Scotland!

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Chartered surveyors are the only professionals by law able to carry out the single survey, valuation and energy report in the Home Report. A recent survey of home owners/buyers concluded that Scottish buyers and sellers are, without a doubt, benefitting from the Home Report – says RICS Scotland as the scheme passes its 1st anniversary (in December, 09).

Most properties being put on the market for sale require a Home Report by law, commissioned by and paid for by the seller. New builds are one of the few types of property that do not require a Home Report.

The average cost of a Home Report for an average property in average condition is around £430 plus vat. This is much lower than the £1000 suggested in 2008 by groups that were against the Home Report before and at its inception.

There is no doubt the Home Report has benefitted buyers and sellers over the past 12 months. The Home Report offers clarity to buyers and sellers about what the property is worth and what condition it is in right from the start and that’s what the Home Report set out to do. The Home Report was not intended to miraculously fix the housing market but as our survey of chartered surveyors shows, it has certainly not hindered the market.”

Graeme Hartley, director of RICS Scotland

These figures make clear why it is so important to have a Home Report. This simple tool, which doesn’t cost a fortune, has given would-be buyers – about to take the biggest financial leap of their lives – the best possible information upfront. And it has brought in its gift a host of other benefits. Buyers can now keep hold of their savings for deposits, without having to shell out for surveys on properties they don’t get to buy. There is also a much more clarity about the value of a house, with the virtual end to the unrealistic ‘offers-over’. For sellers it’s proving a great way to attract inquiries from potential buyers and guide them on how to prepare the property for sale. In the round, its good news for everyone.”

Alex Neil, Housing and Communities Minister

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Arts & Antiques outshines all!

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The rebound in the arts and antiques market continues to gain momentum. RICS publishes the results for the UK Arts & Antiques Survey Q4 2009.

Prices in the arts and antiques market continue to rise with silver and jewellery leading the way, whilst contemporary art came back into favour following a year of price falls, says the latest survey from RICS.

The all lot price balance continued to edge up in the final quarter of 2009, with 17% more surveyors reporting rising rather than falling prices, up from 14% in the previous quarter; this was the highest since the first three months of the year.

Silver and jewellery remain the strongest sectors with 50% and 37% of surveyors reporting rising rather than falling prices in these categories respectively. These are traditionally seen as safe havens for investors, but their continuing strength can be attributed to the increased scrappage value of precious metals towards the end of the year.

Reversing four quarters of falling prices, the contemporary art market experienced a resurgence during the final three months of 2009. The balance of surveyors reporting rising rather than falling prices was 6%, the first positive reading since Q3 2008, and up from -34 the previous quarter.

In the oil and watercolour subsector, 5% more surveyors reported rising rather than falling prices with the top end of the market fairing particular well. For lots over £50,000, the top bracket, 17% more surveyors recorded rising rather than falling prices. In contrast the balance was only 9% for contemporary arts, indicating that traditional pieces remain more popular for large investors.

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House prices continue to rise albeit at a slower pace

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House prices are on the rise albeit from a level level and geography is important – not all areas are showing increases.

In December, 30% more Chartered Surveyors reported a rise than a fall in house prices down from 35% in November. A significant majority of surveyors are still recording price increases in London, the South East, the South West and East Anglia. However, more surveyors in the North and the West Midlands are seeing falls in house prices indicating that the recovery in the market is less entrenched in some parts of the country than others.

For the seventh consecutive month, more Chartered Surveyors are reporting that the number of new instructions is increasing rather than falling. 17% more Chartered Surveyors reported a rise than a fall in new instructions. Fresh demand for property is still outstripping new supply but the gap has narrowed. 20% more surveyors stated that enquiries from potential purchasers are rising rather than falling but enquiries rose at the slowest pace since January 2009.

Other demand indicators are also losing some momentum, although they remain in positive territory. The newly agreed sales balance slipped to 22 from 24 while the sales expectations net balance dropped to 6 from 20.

Transaction levels were little changed in December. The number of sales per surveying firm is still hovering around 19 for the fourth consecutive month while the closely watched sales to stock ratio – a measure of market slack and a lead indicator of future prices- fell back slightly.

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London office availability no longer rising

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The amount of office space available to tenants in London declined for the first time in two years as the London economy started to lead the country out of recession.

Demand for business property increased in the fourth quarter of 2009 with office space and industrial property proving particularly popular but demand for retail space continued to decline.

Fourteen percent more chartered surveyors reported a rise in tenant demand, up from 8% in the previous quarter. This is the second successive rise in tenant demand and the first time that there has been an upward trend since early 2007.

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Where would we be without trees?

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I have no objection to tree hugging although, in some cases, if the tree is too close to your home then I would advise you to get rid of the tree.

This is not being anti-tree (if there a term for this?). Instead I am simply recognizing that trees take a lot of water out of the ground and if the sub-soils heave or contract due to that influence then house stability may be compromised.

The graphic below (lifted from a national newspaper article – sorry about the jaded quality) shows “safe” distances whereby trees can safely co-exist with housing.

Approximate "safe distances" for trees to be close to housing.

If any one tree is within the “safe influencing distance” suggested then it could cause subsidence issues to your home and/or its drainage system.

Conversely, if a group of trees is clumped together they collectively could all be outside the safe distance but act as if within that safe distance.

House foundations are designed to accommodate some ground movements: in extremely bad soils (clays are the worst) foundations may have had to be especially designed and constructed to cope with such hostile conditions.

In other cases the danger that trees pose is indirect: consider tree roots being too close to a drain run (but well away from a home) – those roots can grow into the drains that then fracture and that water leakage either (1) removes fine deposits within your soil and that causes house subsidence or (2) that water swells the soil and that expansion causes soil “heave” (the opposite to subsidence) that causes the same massive damage to your home.

Removal of trees can also cause the ground to swell up (heave) and so tree removal is not something to be done without first taking professional advice.

So – foundations, trees, drains, sub-soil types and their various interactions are all connected. If you disturb that delicate balance inappropriately then you will have potential consequences that may not be insurable. On the face of such damage your insurance claims should be covered but if the insurers believe the damage was self-inflicted because you planted trees too close to your home, or removed them inappropriately, then you run the risk of your claim being reduced or completely thrown out.

This places the burden of maintaining trees firmly on landowners shoulders. Crowning, lopping, root pruning, root barriers, etc…. are all matters that may need to be considered when advising on trees.

Be warned.

Home insulation

an eye witness report….with a little help from a special camera

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Two years ago I obtained part grant finance to put cavity wall insulation into my own house. Earlier this year I purchased a thermal camera for business purposes and needless to say I carefully inspected my own home. I was not a happy man when the thermal images revealed that the cavity insulation was poorly installed and/or had partially compacted excessively.

I will deal with my own home situation in due course. In the meantime I had eventually convinced my father that he should also have insulation installed in this late 1950’s built detached home. I was determined to make sure my father did not have the same problems as me and this started with the choice of contractor.

I had previously been contacted by a local sales Rep of a leading national company and had already been introduced to the company that was eventually choosen; the same company that was recommended by my Local Authority.

This company sent a Surveyor out and my father asked me to meet him to discuss the job. This survey took about 35 minutes including a 15 minute interview. During the latter it was determined that my elderly parents would not pay a penny. Great news.

Both loft insulation and cavity wall insulation were to be inserted. An appointment for two weeks hence was agreed.

Come the day, at 8-00 am prompt, the cavity wall insulation team arrived. The crew immediately recognized that the former baxi back-boiler vent (now used as a tamper – air flow regulator – for an infrequent solid fuel fire in the lounge fireplace) would be compromised by the wall insulation and so a room-vent would need to be introduced or else the wall insulation could not be inserted. Health & Safety Regulations could not be broken.

The initial site survey had not picked this up and my father was being asked to pay for this extra – or so it seemed: the contractors then said that it was the surveyors fault and so they would go ahead but at there own cost. Great news again.

The whole process took nearly 6 hours on-site: the debris and brick dust (from the drilling operations) was collected and the grounds (and my fathers car) hosed down accordingly. During this process the Loft Insulation team arrived and simultaneously introduced quilted insulation to the loft. The latter also included insulating the water tanks and pipes.

As a house Surveyor I made sure the loft insulation did not cover an electrical (typically 20-30 amp circuits) cables and did not impede essential loft space ventilation.

Despite the noisy drilling operations, that created large amounts of dust externally, the whole process was well executed and the two teams of installers both well trained and well mannered. My parents were delighted.

End of story? No….the benefits arrive by my parents turning the temperature thermostat down a couple of degrees and the timer being set to cut in 30 minutes later and 30 minutes earlier than previously programmed, morning and night. Why? Well, the house now heats up quicker and losses heat more slowly as well as uses less energy to create the required, same, environmental standard.

If the question was – why wouldn’t I have cavity insulation installed? My answer would be (1) cost grounds if you did not attract grant finance, (2) premises too exposed to high winds and rain, (3) house construction does not include cavity walling, (4) the general condition of the premises is too bad to justify cavity insulation that would suffer from adverse consequences of rain penetration or (5) there is no point to having the cavities insulated if you will soon be having other improvements done that may have create problems of insulation leakage (creating cavity voids) that may adversely affect the weather performance of the building.

In essence the pre-installation survey is perhaps the most important part of the process. A mixture of recognising small details and macro details that combine to ensure a safe and fully functional energy saving thermal improvement. A good example of the power and import of good surveying.

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Strange things do happen: it started with FLIES!

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Let the buyer beware

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A lady called me to ask why her new home was filled with flies. I don’t know, I replied, where are the flies? In my windows, she replied. Perhaps the frames or trickle-vents are not sealed properly? After a few minutes she insisted I call out to “look and advise” (for a small fee, of course).

Minor window frame seal problems accounted for the flies: two minutes inspection time was all that I needed. BUT…… like in Question of Sport on TV – what happened next?

Over a cup of coffee, whilst chatting through how she should tackle the builders, I simply said ‘why have you got such a large gap between floor and skirting boards (in her dining room)”?

Oh, that’s nothing – the Builders had to inject concrete under the floor for some reason just after we moved in. They drilled through the floor surface and a big machine pulled up outside and pumped concrete for ages, she reported. “But you have a suspended concrete floor and you cannot just pour concrete into the void under it” I replied.

After a while, after feeling very uneasy about what the Builders had done, I decided to stop and not alarm the lady owner. She did not pick up on my own alarm and so I left site and one happy client.

The following week I was in the offices of the Local Planning Authority on another matter and decided to have a quick look at the Building Control file of last week’s “fly visit”. To my utter astonishment I uncovered a nest of letters from one contractor to another; inputs from Engineers and the Developer HQ office and Site Manager (it was a large development). Engineers were concerned that surface water discharge systems on-site were causing the chalk sub-soils to liquefy and withdraw support for garages, roads, drains and housing above. The worst, thus far, was reported as my own clients’ home.

I studied the file and saw correspondence over about six months expressing concerns and debate about what should be done. In essence I had discovered a hornet’s nest. Land and buildings were subsiding and a land stabilization scheme had to be considered/implemented.

To cut a long story short we subsequently negotiated with the Developers to buy-back my clients home and to reimburse all her expenses and fees involved in moving into another home out of that area.

There are several stories here but the lesson to be learnt is that ANY HOME CAN HAVE SERIOUS PROBLEMS and it pays to take advice from a practical SURVEYOR; one that offers an exceptional after-sales service and has the skills to not only find faults. “Service” starts with the obvious but can diversify into multiple related other areas. In this case no Solicitors were required – this was quite unusual but did reduce costs considerably as we did not need to know exactly what was happening, just how the problem affected marketability and value. The problem remained with the Developer.

Our collective attitudes to insurance are changing.

Insurance used to be exactly that, insurance to cover problems. However, the worldwide insurance industry nowadays often makes a mockery of seeking to provide adequate cover when problems start. Delays, “average” clauses, small-print exclusions are just some of the hidden problems for the unwary. In the car insurance market young people simply cannot get sensible insurance any more.

These problems have resulted in massive instances of non-insurance which in both dangerous and sad. Social responsibility seems to have gone missing in the Insurance industry and we make this worse as record numbers of recession-hit householders are making fraudulent claims. Figures show that annually more than 100,000 fraudulent claims are being made and this annual increase, of 17%, is accelerating.

Fraud thrives in a recession but cheating on your insurance really does not pay (if you are caught). The only thing you are likely to gain is a criminal record. Dishonest home insurance claims were the most common types of fraud, the figures show, with 55,000 detected in 2008; the figures for 2009 will be higher.

Winter Fires ……..

The Fire Brigade said that fires are much more likely to occur when the temperature drops. The most common reasons why individuals cause a fire are due to heating appliances (14%) and cooking equipment (12%) going wrong or being left on.

More than one-third of fatal house fires are caused by cigarettes and other smoking materials. Nationwide figures suggest there were 3,061 accidental house fires, 99 deaths and over 1,000 injuries linked to smoking.

Summary – carelessness causes fires.

Prevention is better than ……

Homeowner claims are at ridiculously high levels at present (as much as 1-in-6 households in some areas). Owners have forgotten they can take simple steps to help prevent pipes bursting in freezing weather. Prevention is certainly better than cure when it comes to an emergency in the home so people need to clear out guttering, lag pipes and wrap up any outside taps.

Burst pipes can result in an emergency plumber having to be called out – which could be costly and may not always be covered by house insurance.  Also don’t forget that if a property is left for more than 30 days then burst pipes may not be covered.

Burst Pipes and Water Damage:

The damage from burst pipes can be horrendous, especially if the burst happens when your house is unoccupied and the burst goes unnoticed for weeks. Collapsed ceilings, saturated furniture and electrical appliances can be the resulting damage.

• One of the main causes of frozen pipes is switching the central heating off completely when a house is empty. Leaving the heating on a low temperature (7-15°C) can minimise potential danger. Boilers and heating systems should also have annual check-up, to ensure they are safe and in good working order.

• Ensure pipes are well lagged, wrap exposed outside pipes with insulating sleeves and make sure that water tanks get insulation too. Intermittent opening of your roof loft trap door to allow warm air from the house to circulate around the loft and pipes can also be wise.

• Letting a protected interior tap drip during freezing weather conditions can prevent a pipe from bursting by providing pressure relief.

• Simply turning off the water is not sufficient for a property that is to be left unoccupied for a long period – there is still a lot of water in the system, which can cause damage. Get a plumber to drain down the water and central heating system to remove the risk completely.

• Washing machines, taps, showers, baths, dishwashers etc. should be checked from time to time for leaks, because even a few drops of water could cause rotting and dampness.

• Know where gas and electricity supplies can be turned off and where your stopcock is, as speedily shutting off the water in an emergency could prevent a great deal of damage.

• Clearing snow from behind parapet wall upstands and roof valleys is also well worth the effort. Deep snow thaws and the water released travels upwards by capillary attraction between tiles and breaches the valley liner, if one is present. This results in water running down the valley underside and into your home.

• In the Autumn period it always pays to clear rainwater fittings of leaves and pine needles. Forget to do this and one result will be that the weight of snow build up and icicles will deform gutters and before long water will get into your home.

Summary – preventative medicine coupled with common-sense is wise: ignore this at your own peril as some Insurance Companies will soon be saying that you have contributed to your problems and invoke Policy “average clauses” that dilute any claim payout. Insurance than turns out to be only partial insurance, again!

Overseas Home Owners – this also applies to you. Did you know that PROinspect can also take surveying briefs for European Home Purchases (albeit that such services are expensive).

Contaminated Land

Terms often used when discussing such issues include:-

• Brownfield & Greenfield
• Land Quality Search
• Suitability for Use & Risk Assessment
• The Polluter Pays & Pollution Linkage
• FREE Public Register
• Valuation – Yield Adjustment or Cost to Correct?

You may not be surprised that contamination is all around us and is not restricted to Industrial sites. Indeed, former and current agricultural users can have created contamination issues and, in the past, houses may have been built upon contaminated sites (and then forgotten about).

As a normal part of the conveyancing service, your solicitor will usually request a Land Quality Search to be carried out on your behalf. However, even if you have not engaged a solicitor to act on your behalf, you can still commission a Land Quality Search.

The Government’s town planning policies, especially those relating to new housing development, focus on reusing land that has been ‘previously developed’. Often referred to as ‘brownfields‘, returning this land and redundant buildings to economic use is more complex than developing on former agricultural, or ‘greenfield‘, sites.

Government policy regarding land containing contaminative substances is that remediation should take place through the planning and redevelopment process. No set standards are laid down for remediation and the principle employed is ’suitability for use’. This involves intending developers in a ‘risk assessment‘ process.

Decisions on whether or not to redevelop, the form of treatment and the form of new development have to be determined on a site-specific basis. Not surprisingly the financial viability of the project is considered to be the most important factor, with legislation and insurability of the development being the two next most important issues. The quality of documentation relating to past uses or work undertaken is also recognised as being important in the risk assessment process – it is important such information is retained with the deeds of the property.

The law controlling Contaminated Land is contained in the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (the Principal Act). It was inserted by the Environment Act 1995 into Part ll of the Principal Act as part llA comprising sections 78A to 78YC.

This is a complex piece of law which endeavours to enforce the “polluter pays” principle by ensuring that clean up operations are charged to the firm or individual causing or responsible for the contamination. As part of their functions local authorities are required to identify land which is contaminated within their areas and are tasked with ensuring that the land identified is made fit for the use to which it is intended to be put.

What is contaminated Land? This is land where a “pollution linkage” exists. This is when there is a source of contamination and a receptor for that contamination which are joined by a pathway along which the contamination can travel.

Receptors can be the natural environment, property, animals and human beings. In order for contamination to exist for the purposes of Part llA there must also be a significant possibility that significant harm will be caused as a result of the pollution linkage. At the end of any clean up this significant possibility of significant harm must no longer exist. Complete clear up of the land is not necessary so long as the pollution linkages are broken.

Under Section 78(R) of Part IIA EPA 1990 -  the local Council has a duty to maintain a public register. The public register is intended to act as a full and permanent record, open for public FREE inspection, of all regulatory action taken by the enforcing authority in respect of the remediation of contaminated land, and will include information about the condition of land. Information to be included in the register:

• remediation notices
• site information: location, extent, address of the contaminated land
• remediation information: detail of person on whom the notice is served, what is to do by way of remediation
• site specific guidance issued by the Environment Agency
• remediation declarations, remediation statements and notifications of claimed remediation
• designation of sites as ’special sites’
• site-specific guidance issued by the Environment Agency where such guidance exists
• appeals against remediation notice and charging notices
• convictions for non compliance with notices
• statement regarding the existence of confidential information

Valuing brownfield land

Developers and valuers are more likely to be confronted with problems on land that falls outside the legal definition of ‘contaminated land’ but nevertheless contains contaminative substances. Such land may be acceptable for its existing use, not causing harm to human beings, their property or the wider environment, but in a redevelopment context may present highly complex problems.

There is some disagreement as to the most appropriate valuation methods and the choice of method may also be dependent upon the purpose of the valuation. The two main methods are the ‘yield adjustment‘ approach and the ‘cost to correct‘ approach. The question of ’stigma’ impact on value, that is the financial impact that exceeds any physical detriment, is also an important issue.

1. Man-made or naturally occurring Radioactivity plus Heavy metal contaminates such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury etc. The latter found at sites that contained processes such as galvanisers and electroplaters.
2. Organic contaminants such as petrol, diesel, oil, cleaning fluids and solvents. These can be found at chemical manufacturers, steel works, degreasing plants.
3. Acids and alkalis. These can be found at sites used as chemical manufacturers, electroplaters and foundries.
4. Contaminants are not just restricted to industrial processes: other sources may include agriculture activities, inadequate waste disposal, deposition from the atmosphere and every day activities such as petrol distribution and dry cleaning. Anything, anywhere could be a contaminant if it produces real safety risks.

Football in the sun: before the rain.

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Choices – a brief outline of each Inspection Product . . . . . .

Note – Survey Products can be requested with any extras – the latter would largely be under a separate contract within a separate document.

Note – Don’t forget that we do not charge for an initial chat and product/fee quotation.

1- Do I need a Surveyor?

BUYING – Chances are that the home you are buying is OK. What if it isn’t? Do you carry the risk? Would the value of the house be lower with significant defects? We would be insured against serious matters, wouldn’t we?

Is the message becoming clear? Why accept risk when you don’t have to? Any defect, minor or serious, is not an insurable peril if it existed when you bought your home (Insurers call these matters “pre-existing-defects”).

Also remember – don’t be fooled into thinking that just because your Loan Company have advanced a large sum means that the premises are free of defects. A Valuation Report IS NOT A SURVEY and in an increasing number of cases such Valuations are produced without inspecting the premises.

So – do you need a Surveyor? The answer is a resounding YES, you do.

SELLING – Increasingly the wise home owner, but only those who can afford this benefit as it is not essential, is choosing to commission a Seller Survey. This is something new but it can be relied upon by Loan Companies and Purchasers (either could sue the Surveyor even though the report was commissioned and paid for by the seller).

Why would a Seller want such a survey? To prove there is nothing wrong or to say, yes we do have condition issues but the report quantifies them and are Asking Price has been set accordingly (thus limiting the negotiation time and angles that otherwise cut in later in the disposal transaction period).

IMPROVING – Thinking of having Conservatory or new windows or a loft conversion? STOP and THINK.

Will that money actually add value to your home? Not all improvements add value. Do you need a Valuers opinion?

If you have just had such works completed do you realise that you may have forgotten something else? You have just created additional costs should your home have to be rebuilt for whatever reason. Did you increase the sum of money that represents the ceiling sum within your Buildings Insurance policy? Do you know how to calculate the rebuild cost of your home?

Surveyors/Valuers are needed at almost any stage of any project to do with housing.

QU – What factors combine to increase the risk of defects at residential properties?

ANS – Age: certain forms of construction: the degree of DIY completed: the type of sub-soil the home is built on (clays being the worst): is the home under threat from flooding?: lack of past maintenance: certain ages of home have certain defects “built in”: the quality of alterations and extensions: weather exposure: the list be long………..

QU – I can do what a Surveyor does; it’s easy. Why bother with using a Surveyor?

ANS – Our standard answer revolves around – anyone can see if the paintwork is peeling, if the roof has a hole in it, if the walls are cracked or not, etc…. But, consider this …… could you recognise the difference between subsidence, settlement and heave? …… could you recognise the difference between wet rot and dry rot and know the implications of that distinction? …… if the roof contours were straight could you still recognise when a roof frame is under serious stress? …… could you diagnose cavity-wall-tie-corrosion problems? …… before you went to the house would you know if it was in a district that suffers from defects such as Mundic, Radon Gas, Black Ash, Subsidence, Flooding and other serious problems?

2-         When do I need a Surveyor?

This is a more tricky question.

Sometimes it all depends on cost – if you are buying a Leasehold home/flat the legal and other researches needed are much more costly in which case it can make sense to commission all those matters first and leave the survey until later in the transaction.

However, in most cases it is wise the consider appointing a private surveyor as soon as possible after having your bid approved by the seller.

Private surveys will focus on the negative about the property and discuss the defects and their effect on saleability and value. Are these matters you would necessarily want your Loan Company to know about? Why then would you consider using the Loan Valuer for a simultaneous private survey? It just doesn’t make any sense.

Always commission a separate Loan Valuation and Private Survey.

In some cases the Loan Company Valuation report or researches will state that signs of a defect were noted or that the home is at high risk of ………… In these cases we would suggest you contact PROinspect immediate and talk through your worries. It is possible we can give you the re-assurance you need to move forward; if we cannot then we should be able to suggest a Survey Product designed to provide exactly what you want OR refer you to another professional who will be able to help you specifically.

Don’t forget your Surveyor after you have moved in. Many times during your occupation you may need a chat before you commit to a course of action that if you get it wrong may later rebound to haunt you —

• I live in an exposed coastal position. Is cavity wall insulation a good idea?
• Will converting the garage into a dining room add value to the home?
• After the snow of New Year 2010 I noticed a bow to my main roof – can you check it out?
• We had XXXXX works completed but are not happy with some elements of the finish and need your opinion?
• We are getting mould and condensation. Can you help us?
• We have had an extension done and now need to increase our Home Insurance to reflect that work. Can you calculate the right sum for us?

And finally…. when you come to selling your home you nowadays have the option to commission a Sellers Survey to prove your homes’ condition. Any buyer can rely on that report and either seller or buyer could sue us if we have got something seriously wrong. In England we are not used to such a Survey Product but in the difficult times we now live in this is something that should be at least considered before you instruct an Estate Agent.

3 – What Survey Product will I need?

1, 2 or 3 or something else?

First of all do completely forget what any other professional adviser has mentioned to you. How many times have we heard customers tell us what “the man in the pub” told them they should ask for.

If you need property advice about surveys who is the right person to take a brief from? Your Solicitor? The Estate Agent? Your Neighbour? NO – tell the Surveyor what your needs are and he/she will recommend the right product that will deliver the re-assurance you need to move forward.

In industry jargon there are only three basic types of property inspection – the higher the number the higher the complexity, fee cost,

• LEVEL 1 Any brief inspection that is not a survey. All Valuations are at this level.
• LEVEL 2 Defined/Limited/Economy surveys or inspections. The most popular forms of Home Surveys are at this level. Included here are Specific Defect Surveys and diagnostic viewings.
• LEVEL 3 These inspections carry the higher fee costs, the surveyor accepts much higher levels of liability to you, the survey products are in much greater details, extras can be added to tailor the final product to your exact needs and budget. Building Surveys and Expert Witness Reports fall into this category.

Level 2 Reports are by far the most popular in the UK and the one Report Product that is head-and-Shoulders above the rest is the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Homebuyer Report (the HBR). It becomes highly important that potential customers discuss their needs direct with a Surveyor BEFORE they issue an instruction. This ensures that the Survey Product obtained is both relevant and focussed to that clients need and budget.

To list a few Level 2 products will make our meaning clearer:-

1. Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Homebuyer Report (the HBR).
2. SAVA Home Condition Report
3. SAVA Home Condition Survey
4. PROinspect Landlords Property Report
5. Thermal Imaging diagnostic reports for leakages and condensation
6. Schedule of Condition (usually with a high element of photography)
7. Schedule of Dilapidation.
8. Specific Defect Report.
9. Pre section 35 (CPR) Expert Witness Report.
10. Boundary and/or Contractor dispute opinion Report.

ARCHIVE ARTICLE MID-2009

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For all you Pub Quiz freaks!

(22 mind blowing data bites on Homes, Energy, Risks, Life, Costs and Banks)

DID YOU KNOW? (a mixture of trivia, information and … nuts):

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1. Dry and wet rot can only form in damp wood – at least 20% moisture content.
2. The 1875 Public Health Act introduced, amongst other things, the concept of damp proof courses in new housing.
3. The role of Building Inspectors was introduced in the reign of Charles II, after the 1666 “fire of London” (that occurred just after the 1665 “great plague”).
4. Just after this timeframe, around the split between George I and George II (abt 1720), chimneys were moved, by design, on to party walls.
5. It wasn’t until abt 1800 that gutters and downpipes came into common usage.
6. Stucco, or rendered front elevations, became fashionable during the 1710 (George I) to Queen Victoria (1840) period. Stucco is a typical “Georgian” feature
7. Cast Iron house Balconies were introduced in the early 1760’s.
8. Government has stated that through Building Regulation step changes in 2010 and 2013 they intend to introduce “zero carbon” rated new homes in 2016.
9. Glass is a combination of sand and other minerals that are melted together at very high temperatures.

10.  Glass, chemically, is actually more like a liquid, but at room temperature it is so viscous or ’sticky’ it looks and feels like a solid.

11.  When oil exists below a certain depth, the heat of the earth breaks the molecules and it becomes Natural Gas.

12.  Most small, domestic wind turbines generate direct current (DC) electricity. Systems that are not connected to the national grid require battery storage and an inverter to convert DC electricity to AC (alternating current – mains electricity).

13.  Roof mounted small Wind Turbines cost from abt £1,500.

14.  Mast mounted larger systems, in the region of 2.5kW to 6kW, would cost between £11,000 – £19,000 installed.

15.  Wind Turbines can have a life of just over 20 years but require service checks every few years to ensure they work efficiently.

16.  Wind Turbine battery storage systems, have a typical battery life of abt 6-10 years, depending on the type, so batteries will have to be replaced at least once, but perhaps twice, in a system lifespan.

17.  Around 5 million people live in flood risk areas in England and Wales.

18.  In 2002, life expectancy at birth for females born in the UK was 81 years, compared with 76 years for males. This contrasts with 49 and 45 years respectively at the turn of the last century in 1901.

19.  1.0% Bank of England interest rate — this rate is the lowest since the bank was founded in 1694.

20.  -30%: this is the current predicted fall in residential house prices since a 2007 high. Further – this 2007 level of values may not now be seen again until 2016.

21.  +67%: this is the required increase in the amount of land needed if government is to meet its current target of 240,000 new homes a year.

22.  In 2007, 47% of all new residential building was for Apartments. With higher density ratios expected nowadays this may shift to be about 25% soon.

ARCHIVE ARTICLE MAY 2009

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How green should we go?

Taken from, based upon, May 09’ article at RICS Website at www.rics.org

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The Government’s announcement last summer of a renewable energy strategy was a welcome step in the right direction however we should not be fooled into thinking that this will be the answer to all of the UK’s future energy generation issues.

Seven thousand wind turbines may well change the face of our landscape and the colour of some of our energy but it is not a universal panacea, not least because they have to be built and operate to full capacity to achieve anticipated targets – both build and performance are not yet certainties.

The UK has been far too slow in waking up to the need not only to consider green energy but to take key decisions that give a clear direction and stability to the UK’s future energy production.  The resultant uncertainty deters rather than encourages the major investment needed to update and move forward. Both here and worldwide we already face an energy gap – where demand will outstrip supply both in terms of power and the raw materials to generate it unless we move to new technologies.

In the UK, we have major power stations (coal, gas and nuclear) fast approaching decommissioning dates without suitable replacement. Back in 2004 Jack Straw, as then foreign secretary, recognised publicly that by 2020 we could be importing three quarters of our energy needs. However despite this, and international recognition that security of energy supplies is becoming ever more critical, any debate on an indigenous energy policy remains absent.

Our politicians have to be brave and decisive in their policy making. We need an energy strategy that recognises and commits to a broad mix of energy sources and we have to harness our planning system to enable timely delivery of new power stations. It is hoped that the proposed Independent Planning Commission will assist in this and whilst fossil fuels are demonised because of carbon emissions and nuclear continues to be an unpopular option in this country, we cannot rule them out. Nuclear could be attractive given that it does not emit CO2. We also still have significant untapped seams of coal in the UK that could be developed, particularly if clean coal technology was given proper investment.

Undoubtedly solar, renewables, wind and water power all have an increased role to play. Solar currently tends to be at micro-generation level in the UK yet we should look to the research and experimentation happening on the continent.

Lower levels of sunlight are required for the newer technologies and there are grand schemes and exciting ideas ahead. Combined with predicted climate change we will no longer be able to claim that we don’t get enough sunshine to make this viable! (PROinspect comment = Solar systems not only heat water but create power : many people don’t know this!).

Power from water, or waves to be precise, is subject to several studies at the moment with both wave hubs and the Severn Barrage on the agenda. They are potentially very valuable contributors to our future energy generation but have yet to be fully developed and proven.

For both strategic and local energy generation great challenges lie ahead. Strategically government must firmly lead the way and take decisions regardless of political outcomes. Locally we must offer incentives to encourage micro generation where appropriate but also persuade people to take responsibility for their own energy consumption to make what we do have go further.

In the time it took you to read this article the world used 1,000,000 barrels of oil!

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PROinspect comment =

So, will you, will all of us, begin to take Domestic housing EPCs more seriously? Will we begin to at least rebut Public cynicism of such initiatives? Are you capable of becoming positive about Energy?

The Government are hedging their bets in that “the powers that be” are beginning the process of introducing new qualifications – such as Domestic Energy Adviser – somebody who can tell you how to go about making energy savings in environmentally favourable, effective and practical ways.

Energy issues will not go away and whatever the future of HIPs it seems inevitable that energy will remain part of the selling and letting process: personally I see nothing wrong with this but remain staggered that the Public remain unconvinced on this issue, as well as on the issue of private surveys – it certainly seems to me that property condition advice is more important than detailed energy advice.

Perhaps I am bias but the number of times that I see clients eyes being opened up when a call them to talk about condition issues they knew nothing about is alarming.

As I pen these comments I have just taken two calls – both from Purchasers who have seen my EPCs on their purchase home and wanted to ask questions! Although this doubles the number of calls I have taken since HIPs went live, it does hearten me to a small extent. Our collective task must be to work on this stat to raise public awareness – on both condition and energy issues.

I watched BBC Countryfile on Sunday – Sheep farmers not immunizing their herds because no blue-tongue problem exists “at the moment”: you can be right some of the time, but not all the time. Shouldn’t we change our views NOW, not later? The choice is yours. Hope-for-the-best or make an educated decision based on fact and knowledge?