Frequently Asked Questions
Contents
- I think I've found my ideal property and it looks in good condition. Do I really need to have a survey?
- I really badly want to buy the house I've found and I'm afraid if I have a survey that there might be something to stop me buying it. What should I do?
- I am buying a modern property. Do I still need a survey?
- I am in the building trade (in the UK). I know a thing or two about buildings. I don't need a survey, do I?
- Are your surveys carried out by somebody properly qualified?
- How do I know you will provide me with a competent survey report?
- What happens if you miss something important?
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Q I think I've found my ideal property and it looks in good condition. Do I really need to have a survey?
A Unless you have been able to make a fully detailed examination - which normally takes something like three hours to do properly - armed with a chartered surveyor's specialist knowledge of building pathology, you have no hope of being able to make a reasoned judgement on the state of the property. You may be lucky but when putting right a missed defect could easily cost ten or twenty times what a survey would cost, this is clearly a gamble that no sensible person needs to take.
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Q I really badly want to buy the house I've found and I'm afraid if I have a survey that there might be something to stop me buying it. What should I do?
A It's not our job to put you off buying the dream home it's probably taken you months to find. Most vendors are reasonable people and if a serious defect is found they will appreciate that it will need to be put right whether you buy the property or someone else does. Almost any building problem can be put right - you just need to know about the important pitfalls as well as the plus points before you make the financial commitment rather than after, when it's too late.
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Q I am buying a modern property. Do I still need a survey?
A Unfortunately modern buildings are not immune from problems - although they tend to suffer from different problems to old buildings. Somewhat perversely, while the incidence of major defects in modern buildings is probably less than with older ones, they are much more likely to suffer from defective construction methods and poor workmanship. Equally worrying, the way modern structures are put up means that rectification of defects is often much more involved (and as a result much more costly) than it is with a traditionally-built structure (see also the answer to question one above).
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Q I am in the building trade (in the UK). I know a thing or two about buildings. I don't need a survey, do I?
A Well, it may be a bit difficult to swallow your pride on this but apart from some of the really basic vernacular constructional techniques - such as solid rubble stone wall construction, lime plastering/rendering, etc - none of which are found much in the UK anyway, there is practically nothing the French do in building construction the same way as its done in the UK. They even use different types of paint! As a result, to carry out a valid survey inspection of a property in France you need detailed specialist knowledge that just cannot be obtained by working on buildings in the UK. What this means is that basically if you try to judge a French building by UK standards, you are bound to make serious misjudgements: and this doesn't just mean you may overlook or disregard a major defect - you could just as well judge a defect to be major when in fact it is not.
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Q Are your surveys carried out by somebody properly qualified?
A All Surveyfrance surveys are currently carried out by Philip Armitage who holds a BSc degree in surveying from the University of Reading and is a Fellow of the RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors). Being a Fellow as opposed to an ordinary member of the RICS is recognition of particular academic achievement or specialist knowledge in the profession, wide-ranging post-qualification professional experience and managerial responsibility. In addition (like all surveyors), a Fellow of the RICS has to comply with the RICS rules of conduct and actively participate in a programme of 'professional development' - i.e. ongoing skills development and training.
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Q How do I know you will provide me with a competent survey report?
A The RICS - of which Surveyfrance is an accredited member firm - expects the highest standards of its members. Philip Armitage, who carries out all survey inspections and personally completes every report, is very highly experienced in a wide range of property matters. Living part of the time as well as owning his own property in France, he also has personal experience of French building methods and pathology. We receive many complimentary letters from clients and have yet to receive a complaint - on the contrary, many of our clients have become friends (as well as, in some cases, neighbours).
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Q What happens if you miss something important?
A By accepting your instructions we take on a legal duty and you have a legal right to expect, a reasonable standard of care and expertise in our work. In the unlikely event of a failure in this, there is the back-up of full Professional Indemnity insurance against negligence claims. Apart from being good practice this is something which we are in any event required by the RICS to maintain. This applies equally in France as in the UK.