Our RICS HomeBuyer Survey Report is a mid-range (Level 2) property inspection endorsed by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). It is suitable for most types of modern houses, bungalows and flats that are of standard construction and appear to be in a reasonable condition.
The main purpose of this type of property investigation is to provide you with all the information you need to decide how to proceed with your property purchase, once all defects and risks have been identified. Our independent Chartered Surveyors add real value to your decision making, helping to protect your investment. For more information about our RICS HomeBuyer Surveys please get in touch with our team. You can also call us today on 020 8133 9517, or email us at info@foundationsurveyors.com.
What does the RICS HomeBuyer Report include?
Our Chartered Surveyors inspect your property to help you identify any significant problems, such as subsidence, damp, lintel failures, movement cracks as well as many other unwelcome hidden issues both internally and externally.
The HomeBuyer Report format has a clear, standardised structure and is designed to be user-friendly and easy for homebuyers to understand. It uses the following RICS traffic light condition ratings to identify building defects and their severity for each element of the property:
Condition rating 3: Defects that are serious and / or in need of urgent repair, replacement or further investigation
Condition rating 2: Defects that need repairing or replacing but are not considered to be serious or urgent.
Condition rating 1: No repair is currently needed.
The survey findings will highlight any major building defects found and their impact on the property value. The report will clearly spell out whether remedial action should be taken before contracts are exchanged.
You can download a RICS HomeBuyer Report sample here and preview some of our recently completed case study’s here.
Foundation Surveyors offer three distinct RICS HomeBuyer Survey options: Standard, Plus and Complete. Click here to take a look at the available options or compare the table below.
Depending on your chosen option, the report can include robust figures for an accurate market valuation and an independent insurance rebuild cost valuation. Drone technology may also be used for a close-up inspection of hard-to-reach areas.
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Click here to see our homebuyer options
This survey is for those managing a tight budget, and allows you to receive a complete Homebuyers report written by our expert surveyors.
This is our most effective RICS Homebuyers Survey which gives you the information you need to minimise the risk of buying your property and helps you to make an informed decision on whether to proceed with your purchase.
Our Chartered Surveyors inspect the subject property to help you identify any significant problems.
The RICS Homebuyers Survey Report will enable you to decide whether there is any reason not to purchase the property and advise you of any necessary immediate repairs.
The Homebuyers survey can also help you to re-negotiate the purchase price of your property to reflect identified defects.
The Basic Home Survey includes:
- An extensive inspection of the property by a RICS Surveyor
- Comments on general condition of the property
- Comments on location and significant environmental issues
- Identifies significant defects and recommends further investigations
- Advice on repairs and ongoing maintenance
- Information on location, local environment and the recorded energy efficiency
- Highlights health and safety issues
- Comments for legal advisors
- Helps you to renegotiate purchase price based on defects identified
- Provides advice which helps you in your decision-making process
- Provides advice which allows you to budget for current and future expenditure
- RICS compliant and colour coded system to easily identify the severity of defects
Our Homebuyers Plus survey is our most popular survey, and offers the perfect balance between managing your budget and having a comprehensive property report.
This Homebuyers survey report includes an accurate current market valuation so that you know whether or not you are paying the market value for the subject property. This valuation will reflect all the defects found (a mortgage valuation will not).
A mortgage valuation is not sufficient as this is aimed for lender use only. This will not highlight numerous defects and therefore such defects will NOT be reflected in the mortgage valuation, which means you may pay more than necessary for your property.
This Homebuyers survey also includes an insurance rebuild cost of the subject property to help you sufficiently insure your property. It is vital to have insurance valuations undertaken, as insurance is a condition of your mortgage. An independent rebuild cost valuation will ensure that you have adequate insurance to cover your risks and to verify that you are not under or over insured.
This survey includes everything from the Homebuyers Basic Survey plus:
- Independent Insurance Rebuild Cost Valuation
- Independent Accurate Market Valuation which reflects defects found
- This survey ensures you pay the correct price for your property
Our Homebuyers Survey AERIAL is another popular choice, providing a comprehensive property report.
Using advanced 4K drone technology, we capture high-definition images of the roof, offering exceptional views of the building’s structure and condition.
The drone allows us to inspect hard-to-reach or unsafe areas, such as flat roofs, chimney stacks, gutters, parapet walls, and lead flashings—elements that a standard survey may miss.
This survey ensures all external areas are visible, giving you a complete understanding of the property’s condition before making your purchase decision.
This is our premium Homebuyers survey This is the most comprehensive Homebuyers survey we offer.
We employ cutting edge 4K Drone technology offering extremely high definition shots of the roof to give excellent views of the building’s structure and insight into its condition.
Drone technology allows us to Inspect otherwise unsafe and difficult to access areas such as flat roofs, chimney stacks, gutters, parapet walls, lead flashings, which a standard Homebuyers survey could miss.
This survey is designed to give you complete peace of mind, so you are safe in the knowledge that you will have a full understanding of the condition of the property before progressing with your purchase.
This survey includes everything from the Homebuyers Plus Survey plus:
- Aerial inspection of all inaccessible areas
- Ultra HD Quality footage allows for close up inspection
Our Homebuyers Reports include an extensive inspection of the subject property, aiming to highlight any defects and issues that require further investigation. They also aim to provide comments regarding the severity of the identified defect and issues, in order to help you make an informed decision on whether to proceed with your purchase.
These reports also include advice on repairs and ongoing maintenance and any issues the surveyor may believe can affect the value of the property, which can be used to negotiate the purchase price.
Is a RICS HomeBuyer Survey Report money well spent?
We recognise that buying a property is an expensive undertaking with budgets often stretched to breaking point. But rather than viewing a home survey as ‘nice to have’, consider it as an important opportunity to carry out your own diligence to safeguard your investment.
A recent study carried out by the RICS discovered that homeowners who chose not to bother with a survey ended up spending an average of £5,750 on unexpected remedial work after moving in. The cost of a RICS HomeBuyer Survey is a small fraction of the overall property price – and the potential expense of repairs is so high – that it’s always worth having the peace of mind that the survey provides.
By investing in a home survey before finalising the purchase, you also have the option to negotiate the potential repair cost of any defects found with the seller and obtain a reduction in the purchase price.
Why choose Foundation Surveyors?
At Foundation Surveyors in London, we carry out specialist surveys and inspections for all types of properties. We have four offices in London and Essex and a team of experienced building surveyors who offer the full suite of RICS endorsed property surveys including RICS Condition Reports (Level 1), RICS HomeBuyer Reports (Level 2) and RICS Building Surveys (Level 3). We’ve built up an enviable reputation for our technical skills and customer service excellence, with great reviews that you can read here.
Providing independent building expertise in London
Buying a property in London is a major investment. For many homebuyers, it’s a significant financial milestone and the principal single investment of their life. Foundation Surveyors are on hand to help with a wealth of building expertise and investigative skills to help you identify risks and problems with the building before contracts are exchanged. We can provide valuable professional insights into the condition of the building. With the benefit of our independent advice, you’ll be able to make an informed decision about your purchase.
Helping to save you money and protect your investment
Our RICS home surveys are designed to give you all the facts you need to make the right decision about your property purchase. The findings will tell you if there are any urgent repairs necessary and if these warrant a renegotiation of the purchase price. If major problems are identified, such as subsidence or the presence of Japanese knotweed, you may decide not to proceed at all. In any event, a HomeBuyer Report delivers valuable information at an affordable cost, making it a truly cost-efficient survey.
For more information about our RICS HomeBuyer Surveys in London or other property surveys or valuations, please get in touch with our team.
Many homebuyers choose to rely on their mortgage valuation report, and often to their detriment. The mortgage valuation is not a survey, it is a property risk assessment commissioned by the lender for their benefit only. In order to conduct your own due diligence on the property you are about to invest in, it is highly recommended that you commission an independent survey by a Chartered Surveyor to identify any building defects.
It is important to choose the right level of survey for your needs, and our team are happy to advise on the most appropriate choice. HomeBuyer Reports are suitable for conventional modern flats or houses that seem to be in generally good condition but may not entirely meet building regulations. They can also be used to identify the presence of any structural problems such a damp and subsidence. Older homes or unusual properties will require a more detailed Building Survey, while a Condition Report should be sufficient to assess new or nearly-new builds.
A HomeBuyer Report is a mid-range (Level 2) survey while a Building Survey is an in-depth (Level 3) investigation formerly known as a full structural survey. The former is perfectly adequate for the majority of conventional modern homes that are in a reasonable state of repair. However, if you are considering the purchase of a period property, a listed building, a non-standard construction, a very large house or one that has undergone (or requires) substantial renovation, only a full Building Survey will have sufficient scope to deal with all the complexities.
If the HomeBuyer Report identifies serious property defects, these findings will be highlighted in amber or red. We often advise that they be investigate further by specialist surveyors or contractors. You can use our independent professional insights to revisit the purchase price with the seller, reducing the amount to cover the cost of fixing the problem. It is best to back up your new offer with cost estimates from independent contractors. Of course, you may also decide not to proceed at all and walk away from the purchase.
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