What is a Building Survey (Level 3 Survey)?

Jun 10
16:12

2021

Nancy Whitman

Nancy Whitman

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You may have heard a thing or two about building surveys, or perhaps you have heard nothing at all about it. In any case, it would be best if you read this article to the end to learn more about the concept, what it entails, and the cost of carrying out building surveys.

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You may have heard a thing or two about building surveys,What is a Building Survey (Level 3 Survey)? Articles or perhaps you have heard nothing at all about it. In any case, it would be best if you read this article to the end to learn more about the concept, what it entails, and the cost of carrying out building surveys. 

A Building survey, as the name implies, is a survey or inspection of a building that is comprehensive and gives an in-depth evaluation of a building or property, showing the current condition of the property(absence or presence of defects), cause of these defects, whether or not repairs are required, urgency and cost of repairs of faults or damages. All these are included in the detailed building survey report.

Who carries out building surveys?

Chartered surveyors who are regulated by the RICS  are responsible for conducting building surveys. If you're looking to employ the services of a land surveyor, make sure to check for RICS regulation as they ensure you are getting expert advice from trained professionals.

What properties are building surveys carried out on?

Building surveys are carried out on all property but more significantly on properties such as:

  •   Buildings that are old(over 50 years) and intend to be renovated
  •   Unusually constructed buildings
  •   Properties that are on one of the four statutory lists and have historic or architectural interest, also known as listed buildings

What does a complete building survey entail?

Full building surveys involves 

 

  • A building inspection: 

 

This involves inspection of all physical parts of a building which includes accessible parts such as walls, floors, roofs, garages, windows, and doors, etc. this is to observe the current condition of the place and for the surveyor to give an in-depth assessment of the defects and major problems a property has. Therefore, during an inspection, surveyors look out for possible damages and building defects. However, this inspection does not include the inaccessible or enclosed part of the building.

Aspects of a building survey include damages and defects to walls, roofing, presence of hazardous materials, information on building materials, etc. It takes about a day to finish inspecting a building or property.

 

 

  • A full survey report

 

After the inspection has been carried out, the findings of the inspector or surveyor will be documented. For this report, you can ask that some specific areas be included in the report, seeing as the surveyor makes the building survey report according to your needs, unlike the level 2 survey. This report can take as long as two weeks to complete and includes findings from the building inspection, repairs that should be done urgently, consequences of not making repairs, recommendations for further investigations, cost of making repairs, etc. 

 

 

  • Property valuation

 

This is optional, and if you'd like it to be included in your survey, you should communicate to your surveyor about it.

 

How much does a full building survey cost?

Depending on the size and location of your building, building survey costs vary from £500 to £1300; the larger the property, the higher the cost of the survey.

 

Conclusion 

Before you move into your new home or before you acquire a new property, getting a building survey carried out will not only ensure that you live without worries but also helps you save more as you won’t be spending so much on various expenses that’d come up one after the other on damaged or defective properties.