Call us on 01484 507801 and book your survey today
We Cover Huddersfield & Halifax
Whether it’s the first time you’re buying a property, your downsizing, upsizing, or buying an investment property. As an RPSA residential surveyor we can help by providing a Home Buyer Survey. This is a comprehensive and valuable survey report, that looks at the condition of the main elements of a property and rates them accordingly. Our Home Buyer Survey is recommended by ‘Which’ and we are fully insured. The report itself, is extremely detailed. Where possible, we will always get into the loft space and under the floor. Our average time spent at the property is 3 to 4 hours. The report will often run to over 60 pages, with lots of photographs to clearly identify issues that we may find. We try and avoid not reporting on certain hard inspect areas, with the use of small drones (Civil Aviation Authority compliant) to fully investigate elements such as roofs, chimney stacks, guttering etc…
- We are Fully Insured
- Recommended by ‘Which’
- Offer a Detailed & Thorough Report
- RPSA surveyors work to the highest standards in the industry.
| Purchase Price | Postcode HD1-HD9 | Postcode HX1-HX7 |
| Up to £100,000 | £375 | £375 |
| £100,000 to £200,000 | £425 | £425 |
| £200,000 to £300,000 | £475 | £475 |
| £300,000 to £400,000 | £500 | £500 |
| £400,000 to £500,000 | £550 | £550 |
| £500,000 to £600,000 | £700 | £700 |
What is a Home Buyer Survey?
A survey report format designed to reflect the condition of a traditional property that is more modern, of standard construction and not too big or complicated. We will advise accordingly, but depending on the property, there may be times when a Building Survey is more suitable. With a Home Buyer / Condition survey, we are looking at the condition of all elements of the property, we do not include a valuation of the property. Generally, your mortgage lender will provide a valuation, as part of the checks. A mortgage valuation is not a property survey, as it will not generally comment on condition.
Includes many features not found in other, similarly priced surveys, such as:-
- Clear colour coded condition ratings for quick identification of the important issues
- Multiple photographs (including elevated photos) and diagrams, helping you understand your new home
- A jargon-free report that avoids many of the annoying caveats and exclusions often found in home buyer reports
- Drone technology used to closely examine Roof, Chimney Stacks & Guttering
- A full debrief from the surveyor who will answer any questions you may have.
Who do you choose to do your survey?
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have produced a useful guide about the ‘whole’ house buying process. It covers all you need to know about buying a home including:-
- Applying for a mortgage
- Leasehold & Freehold
- Making an Offer
- Searches
- Surveys
- and much more……
What does it say about getting a survey?
Click on the link below to see the whole ‘How to Buy’ guide. The survey section is page 11, but you should read the whole guide. It’s informative and unbiased.
Using Drones for Home Buyer Surveys
In the past, there were often areas that you couldn’t inspect and as a result had to state not inspected. This made some elements of surveys of no use at all. Using drones has changed this. We can now inspect and photograph lead flashings around chimney stacks, ridge tiles, condition of the roof, guttering and more. This means our surveys can provide so much more information to you.
‘A picture is worth a 1000 words’
Take a look at the two images below. This is the same roof. The photo at ground level shows an original roof, with no obvious defects. Then take a look from overhead and you see broken slates, tingles and temporary repairs. Would you think differently about the house you are buying, based on which image you saw?
Our drones offer high quality (48 mega pixel) photography and because they weigh less than 250 grams, we are able to fly over property and still adhere to civil aviation authority rules and regaulations. All our pilots are authorised with the Civil Aviation Authority and fully insured.
How Much Do We Charge for a Home Buyer Survey?
We have quite a simple charging structure, based on the purchase price of the property.
Please note that we will only consider a survey on a property that is in either Huddersfield (HD) or Halifax (HX) postcodes.
| Purchase Price | Postcode HD1-HD9 | Postcode HX1-HX7 |
| Up to £100,000 | £375 | £375 |
| £100,000 to £200,000 | £425 | £425 |
| £200,000 to £300,000 | £475 | £475 |
| £300,000 to £400,000 | £500 | £500 |
| £400,000 to £500,000 | £550 | £550 |
| £500,000 to £600,000 | £700 | £700 |
Let us help. Call us on 01484 507801
What Areas Do We Cover for Home Buyer Surveys?
We only cover a relatively small area when conducting Home Buyer Surveys. This is purely to make sure that we are familiar with the housing stock in our area. Local knowledge is one of the most important factors when surveying property. It also means that we can keep our fees lower, with reduced travel time.
Because of this. we offer Home Buyer Surveys in Halifax (HX) & Huddersfield (HD) postcodes only.
Don’t I Get a Home Buyer Survey from my Mortgage Lender?
These days when you apply for a mortgage, most mortgage lenders will give you a free valuation. This is not a Home Buyer Survey. It will not comment on the condition of elements of the property. Having said that, if there is something seriously wrong with the property, such as subsidence then this will get flagged up by the valuer.
However, more and more often, the free valuation might not actually include an actual visit to the property. It may be that they conduct a ‘Desktop Valuation’ which means assessing the value based on information available online, or they may do a ‘Drive By’ which is where the valuer will pass by the property, take a quick look and assess it’s value without going into the property.
This is why a Home Buyer Survey, is always recommended as the safest route when purchasing a property. One thing to check before you instruct us to conduct a Home Buyer Survey, is to check to see if the Free Valuation from the Lender can be upgraded to a Home Buyers Survey with Valuation (Condition Survey including a valuation). Some lenders do offer this and the price can sometimes be fairly competitive. Having said that by instructing us, rather than the lender, does mean that potentially you get two opinions, albeit one is only a valuation.
For more information the Government department for Levelling up, Housing & Communities have produced a useful ‘How to Buy Guide’ which offers useful information about the whole home buying process, including different survey types.
Members of RPSA
How to Buy Guide
A survey should be carried out by a trained professional; for example a member of the Residential Property Surveyors Association (RPSA), the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, or the Independent Surveyors and Valuers Association (ISVA)
Extract from the government’s how to buy guide
