Posts Tagged ‘Survey Product’

Independent thought and action rely upon professional integrity and a genuine belief that the “client should come first”.

I passionately believe this is true and it drives my thinking and how I conduct my life. Recently I have self produced a YouTube video so I express my thinking to a wider audience. I invite you to take a look and give me some feedback.

To access the video click this link — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n5Cj5yliRI

I emphasis that as a Chartered Surveyor I am heavily regulated and abide by a Ethical Code: it is not the words that are important here as it is my believe in such matters that counts – others seem, at times, to stand for a lesser code and these are the Surveyors who get into trouble and I find myself working against them in Court.

Typically I work for Buyers but increasingly Sellers are requesting surveys. the latter to flag the home has no serious faults OR to define exactly what is wrong and so begin to manage the damage to saleability and potential purchasers expectations. As stated above I also, increasingly, work against Surveyors and Valuers when cases of alleged negligence raise their ugly heads.

So- nothing is more important to anybody involved in housing than receipt of unbiased professional advice: your own surveyor or valuer should only receive a fee or commission from YOU and nobody else (often behind the scenes commissions are paid by Surveyors/Valuers for the initial introduction from an Estate Agent – an action that I strongly object to).

Remember – a loan valuation is not a survey and you are advised to separate out the private survey from the loan valuation: why would you think that a simultaneous survey and valuation could ever be in your best interests – THINK, you are telling the loan company what is wrong with your home and they may, as a result, not issue the finance you need.

The most popular form of UK survey product is the R.I.C.S. HOMEBUYER REPORT (and Valuation) but remember the stat – only 1-in-12 home buyers take any independent professional advice on purchases.

The choice is yours: buy with good advice behind you or take a serious gamble.

Take my advice – call me find out what are your survey options – the call will cost you next to nothing and you might just save yourself a lot of money or a giant headache.

Stuart Parrett +44 (0)1489 896 174 or 078 3636 3040.

House Home Flat – Property Building Structure – Surveys Reports.

What is basically happening to define these products?

House Surveyors will all tell you they all do the same things to produce property surveys. PROinspect are Home Surveyors but also Experts that Barristers/Solicitors and the Courts refer to for expert opinion on negligence and so we know what causes inferior service levels and customer dissatisfaction.

With this background we know that our formula that defines the PROinspect service level standard is second to none at all.

So what do building surveyors actually do when they get to a house, the home of a seller?

Basically – they inspect systematically all the component parts of a structure for a whole raft of defect and hazard types and then translate that into the report type requested and then offer advice on that content. It is not the “what” that matters, more the knowledge and experience of the individual surveyor and the amount of time he or she is prepared to take to compile your report. This goes far beyond a detailed site inspection.

For the most popular survey product in England & Wales this means that the following are inspected and reported upon……..

1. Chimney Stacks
2. Roof Coverings
3. Rainwater Pipes & Gutters
4. Main Walls
5. Windows
6. Outside Doors
7. Conservatory & Porch
8. Other Joinery & Finishes
9. Roof Structure
10. Ceilings
11. Walls & Partitions
12. Floors
13. Fireplaces, Chimney breasts & Flues
14. Built-in Fittings
15. Woodwork
16. Bathroom Fittings
17. Electricity
18. Gas or Oil
19. Water
20. Heating
21. Water Heating
22. Drainage
23. Common Services
24. Garage
25. Other (Outbuildings)
26. General (Site)
27. Regulations
28. Guarantees
29. Other (legal) Matters
30. Risks to the Building
31. Risks to the Grounds
32. Risks to People
33. Market Valuation
34. Rebuild Cost assessment

It is reasonable that as the Surveyor will be limited by floor coverings, linings, insulation, fittings, possessions that the report cannot be an invasive investigation after damaging the premises to take it apart to see how it is put together. Caveats will apply but these are only valid if they are reasonable in all the circumstances.

With the above in mind it becomes self-evident that the more you pay a competent Surveyor the better the survey product that you will get. We cannot, because of space limitations, elaborate on this but suffice to say it our experience that cheap often means second-rate. No substitute exists for spending time and effort before the inspection, at the property, after the site inspection and then “in the office”. Time means money.

What defines a good house surveyor and the best home survey product?

• Clear and direct communication between customer and surveyor at the fee quotation stage.
• Being informed of your survey options to get the right survey product for your individual needs (there are many products to choose from).
• Finding a truly an experienced and knowledgeable Surveyor for the locality of, and construction type of, the home to be viewed.
• Obtaining a plain language report created at the level that the customer can understand.
• Structured Surveyor/Customer communication post-report so that the customer has the confidence to proceed.

With the greatest will in the world this does not happen when customers choose big companies or when the option is chosen to combine the loan valuation with a private survey.

It takes effort for a home buyer to get the right recommendation to a good Surveyor. That effort will be rewarded massively when defects or problems are found – when the going gets tough, the tough get going – you need a robust professional on your team and that is what PROinspect are. If you get a quote from anybody other than the actual Surveyor who is going to inspect your next home then that person, and the company that they are employed by, should not be considered as worthy of your custom. Move on until you find an unbiased, true professional who you can take seriously.

If your home or property is in southern England then I invite you to call me for further opinion and advice. Stuart Parrett +44 (0)1489 896 174

As only a small minority of buyers have any private survey we at PROinspect are concerned for thePublic. HIPs were to have Sellers Surveys, the best thing possible for buyers, but disinformation and politics managed to knock it out of sight.

So What do you need to do – When and How?

Don’t ring a Surveyor and say “I need a survey, how much do you charge?”. This does not give the Surveyor a chance to understand what you are buying and making a recommendation on the best survey product. The Surveyor could, in many scenarios, save you many pounds if you will only take the time to listen.

It all starts with how you approach your private Surveyor………..

.

What are you buying – House Bungalow Flat.

How old is it? – Victorian Modern 1930′s etc….

How big is it? – No of Bedrooms? No of reception rooms? etc….

What is its general state? – Modernised? Well presented? Derelict?

What price have you offered OR what is the Asking Price?

Where is it? – Which Town or Post Code etc….

Do you have specific plans for the home?

Do you have specific concerns about anything?

.

These matters allow the Surveyor to understand YOU and what you are BUYING. Once you have agreed the survey product and a fee cost and issued an clear instruction for us to proceed we will need the following type of data from you:-

.

Required Customer Information

PROinspect and our customers must communicate and agree at least the following data and terms:

1. Client name and full address (if more than one person then multiple data is needed).
2. Home, work and mobile call details of each client.
3. Preferred E-mail address of each client.
4. Full address of home to be inspected (including post code).
5. Home access method and details (typically an Estate Agents full details).
6. If a home HIP exists – the full reference number of that document in sufficient detail to allow us to download it.
7. If the client knows what survey product they need then please provide the NAME of that product OR tell us what is worrying you about the home.
8. What extras to the standard service level are needed?
9. Fee agreement – the sum, how and when it will be paid etc… We usually require full payment before we submit our Report or findings to the customer.
10. The urgency of the transaction (do you have any pre-agreed deadlines?).
11. Full details of your solicitor (including call number, name and personal e-mail address).

.

PROinspect will then e-mail or mail our verification, business Terms, product scheme, Conditions plus fee Invoice.

We will contact the Agent or Home Owner and do all that is necessary to inspect the premises and to report to you. Once you have our verified Fee Quotation and Terms/Conditions, and have indicated your full agreement o our service(s), then we do everything leaving you free of the stress and worry of having to organize anything.

It really is simple – if you are looking, or live in, Southern England call me for further advice and opinion.  +44 (0)1489 896 174 or use the CONTACT FORM above. Stuart Parrett.

Firstly, let’s dispel a myth: if you ask an Estate Agent to give you a Valuation what do you get? They call them a Free Market Appraisal and some might not put that opinion in writing. Why? Because what you get is simply an opinion: it is not a professionally binding opinion and liability does not stem from that opinion (you cannot sue them).

Secondly, let’s dispel another myth: if you request a Loan Company mortgage Valuation what do you get? One – the valuation is prepared for loan purposes and the sum quoted may be lower than market value for in-house Loan Company reasons unrelated to your needs. Two – if you are buying a brand New Home the chances are that in this post-recession world the loan company will have instructed their Panel Valuer to down-value your purchase because the security offered (the new home) is in its re-sale value when it is not “new”.

Football in the sun: before the rain.

Valuations can be needed for Court purposes eg: divorce settlements, Probate and Capital Gains tax purposes, Tax Planning purposes, to advise of whether alterations may be wise and economic, for sale or purchase etc……. The circumstances that surround the request may lead us to consider other market and property aspects that alter our opinions of worth.

So, what is the definition of market value?

The only way to get a professional opinion of value, one where you can sue the Valuer if he/she is wrong, is if you request that report yourself. The wise purchaser does this via either a request for a private valuation or asks for a private survey that includes an opinion of market value. The most popular form of survey product can fits this description is the R.I.C.S. Homebuyer Report (for details see elsewhere on this site).

PROinspect can provide Market Valuations. We would need to inspect the property and complete market research, including a analysis of price-paid data (that is historic) and take into consideration the market and the property.

Why would you need a professional opinion of value? This depends on why you need advice and whether you agree that independent opinion is of worth. Some might say that a Loan Company valuer can provide an impartial opinion – conversely, the credit-crunch has told us that millions of mortgagees are out of pocket because of the Banks and of home buyers had taken advice from professionals outside of the Estate Agency and Loan Company then perhaps the hole they are now in wouldn’t have been so deep.

If you believe that a Sellers’ Estate Agent and your own Loan Company place your best interests over their own then you do not need PROinspect.

If you don’t believe this then use the CONTACT FORM to ask for help and advice once you believe the time is right for you. Initial advice is free so what have you got to lose?

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.

CompanyServices

CLICK THIS LINK TO SEE YOUR INSPECTION OPTIONS INTO 2011

We deal with PROPERTY that has the hallmarks of having been built as a residential habitation: this means houses and flats but also some commercial properties including Pubs that are often converted, or similar to, residential constructions.

RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY VALUATIONS

INSURANCE REBUILD COST ASSESSMENTS

EXPERT WITNESS SERVICES

DEFECT & CONDITION REPORTS OF ALL DISCRIPTIONS

HOMEBUYER REPORTS

SELLER SURVEYS

THERMAL IMAGING DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES

“ADVICE AND A CHAT” TO REASSURE YOU

I have inserted this reference page as much confusion reigns in the marketplace about what is, and who does, a detailed house valuation or survey.

Need a detailed House Inspection Survey? A Structural Survey?

It is easy to lapse into jargon that not everybody can understand. Also some clients ask for the wrong survey option EG: Many clients ask for a Structural Survey (a Level 3 product) but in fact they mean something else.

What the client wants is a Building Survey (a Level 3 product), perhaps with a Market Valuation (a Level 1 inspection product): somebody has told them that they need a full Structural Survey and so that is what is requested.

The key is to know what drives the need for a survey. This is why PROinspect place such high emphasis on one-to-one talking to all clients. If we understand why you need a report and what that report is going to be used for then we can recommend the best and most relevant survey product.

Many years ago House Surveyors did basically three services – Valuations (level 1), Homebuyer Reports (level 2) and top-of-the-range Structural Surveys (level 3). This became very confusing because Structural Surveys were also being completed by Structural Engineers, Chartered Surveyors, Chartered Building Surveyors, various differing forms of Engineer etc….. Often each version of a Structural Survey was completely different and the Public were highly confused.

The main Controlling Bodies eventually came together and decided enough-was-enough with the result that nowadays these Professionals offer the following services (related to House selling/purchase):-

Structural Engineers – Forsenic diagnostic reports on structural movement including load-bearing calculations. Often described as “you know you have a problem, now let’s analysis it”.

Chartered Surveyors (PROinspect) – House Building Surveys (condition reports) on the very large majority of UK housing. Can include Market Valuations.

Chartered Building Surveyors – Usually highly detailed Building Surveys but in circumstances where exposure of foundations etc… may be required (or other “further investigations”). Can include repair costings but generally cannot provide Market Valuations.

Various differing forms of Engineer – Without wishing to be too elitist such persons usually offer only a diluted or partial service.

Home Inspectors – Most cannot or could not complete a Building Survey or Valuation. These complete Level 2 survey products alone.

Most UK Buyers, Owners and/or Sellers use Chartered Surveyors for survey requirements.

By the way, don’t get confused about qualifications: the professional heavyweights have FRICS after their name. AssocRICS and MRICS are valid qualifications also but these persons may have limited experience compared with FRICS members of the Royal Institution (RICS).

You can check Surveyor qualifications at this website RICS.

Don’t think that you get decent advice in a full Building Survey. A well crafted level 2 Survey Product will give you what you want to know about the presence of defects and the effect they have on property value; what a level 2 product may lack is some of the finer detail in terms of extensive explanatory comments. Don’t forget you can always call your PROinspect Surveyor if you want additional advice: we don’t charge extra for talking to you!

This, by a long long way, is the most popular form of home survey inspection product in England. It easily surpasses all other so-called bespoke Level 2 products and is the Industry leader.

The scheme has been designed and updated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in late 2009 and all member Surveyors must use this version as from 1st January 2010.

In essence this is an economy version survey designed with the layman in mind: it is non-technical but is very much a “proper survey” using “proper words” and will offer genuine advice on defects, hazards and premises value (and Insurance rebuild cost).

One new aspect is the introduction of CONDITION RATINGS: 1, 2 & 3 (like traffic lights – red is bad, green is good and, guess what, amber is OK but……..).

In the large majority of cases this survey product will suite purchasers buying mainstream, modern-to-fairly-modern homes. When homes become more complex, older, large or of non-traditional forms of construction then perhaps you should opt to commission the more extensive BUILDING SURVEY product. However, BEFORE you commission a Surveyor call us for a product recommendation as the new Homebuyer Report (HBR) is quite adaptable.

As the HBR is a National Reporting Scheme it has standardised contract documentation and terms and these are sent to the client in advance of attending on-site (together with our Standard Terms).

So … sometimes surveying can be as easy as 1 2 3.

Home Sweet Home OR House of Horrors? Let us take the guesswork out of your choices.

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.

SURVEYOR LIABILITY – fact or fiction?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia -  In the English law of tort, professional negligence is a subset of the general rules on negligence to cover the situation in which the defendant has represented him or herself as having more than average skills and abilities.

The usual rules rely on establishing that a duty of care is owed by the defendant to the claimant, and that the defendant is in breach of that duty. The standard test of breach is whether the defendant has matched the abilities of a reasonable person.

But, by virtue of the services they offer and supply, professional people hold themselves out as having more than average abilities.  This specialised set of rules determines the standards against which to measure the legal quality of the services actually delivered by those who claim to be among the best in their fields of expertise.

Yet some say …. You can never sue a surveyor; they use so many caveats in reports that surveys are not worth the paper they are written on.

The following outlines why I have never understood anybody says you cannot sue a surveyor. A mistake is not necessarily negligence but consumers do have rights.

Surveyors’ duty is defined within —

• Contract (written terms of agreement between parties – differs for each survey product).
• Liability to third parties in tort only.
• Implied term to use reasonable skill & care.
• Contracts (Rights of third Parties) Act 1999 is highly significant for the proposed Seller Surveys.
• Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 (disclaimers).

Surveyor duty of care is a three stage process —-

• Foreseeability of damage.
• A relationship between the parties of sufficient proximity.
• Whether it is just and reasonable to impose liability in all the circumstances.

There are six basic categories of Breach of that Duty :-

1. Failure to carry out instructions
2. Insufficient knowledge or experience
3. Failure to inspect properly (the most common)
4. Insufficient enquiries
5. Failure to make a proper appraisal
6. Inadequate report

On top of “all this” any Seller survey is obviously designed with no particular client in mind and both seller and the eventual purchaser will eventually rely upon it. Ultimately it boils down to just one aggrieved party.

Notwithstanding “all this”, should you take a complaint forward? Well, YES. Talk to the surveyor one-to-one. If all else fails the Surveyor must have (mandatory) a Complaints Handling Procedure. Hopefully this will deliver satisfaction but the last line of complaint is to talk to a Solicitor in order to consider legal action against the surveyor.

We offer multiple forms of survey product and Surveyor Training services.

Do your staff need training in dealing with Loan Valuers or Surveyors?

Survey Product characteristics appreciation (so they can better advise clients)?

Home age appreciation?

Typical defects – how to recognise the tell-tale signs.

Can we help to train your inspection staff in any aspect of inspection and report writing?

If you are a University or College: can we deliver Surveyor Craft seminars/training to augment your in-house courses?

Stuart Parrett helped devise the Home Inspector end-test for ABBE, took one-day seminars for SAVA on Level 2 survey products, was a regular contributor to RICS for multiple projects, etc….. and this experience places him well to be able to help your students!