
Surveyors & valuers
Surveyors and valuers offer the following services:
- A basic valuation, to assess whether your property is worth what you are paying for it—your mortgage company will require this to be carried out as part of the mortgage application process (but some mortgage lenders refund this fee on completion of your property purchase);
- A homebuyer's report, which looks at your property in more detail, highlights any urgent problems and gives a good indication of the state of the property;
- A building survey, which is even more comprehensive and recommended for older buildings, buildings in a poor state of repair, or properties made from unconventional materials;
- More specialist surveys if required for areas such as foundations, damp proofing or tree roots.
- Talk to your mortgage lender to see if you can get the basic valuation that they require carried out at the same time as your survey, reducing your costs.
- Your mortgage lender, solicitor, estate agent, or a friend may all be able to recommend a good surveyor and valuer.
- Check that the surveyor and valuer is a member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
- It may be worth paying more for a surveyor and valuer to carry out a more expensive survey—a few hundred pounds now could save you finding a major defect once you've moved in.
- Get quotes from several surveyors and valuers, as costs can vary.
- Surveyors and valuers will be able to advise you on what level of survey would be beneficial for the type of property you are buying—a basic valuation, a homebuyer's report, or a building survey.
- Check the contract to see what will be covered in the survey, and what won't.
- Ask when the survey will be carried out, and when you will receive the report, before instructing your surveyor and valuer.
To find the right surveyor and valuer for your needs, use the search box below to enter any location such as London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds or wherever you are in the UK.

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