Building Surveys
Building surveys by an ALCO surveyor will help you understand what you are really buying.
About our Building Survey Services
A building survey, also known as a structural survey, is a detailed inspection of a property you intend to buy, that will highlight any issues or flaws a potential home may have – new build to period property renovations. The ALCO Properties surveyor will advise on any issues they discover and provide you with the necessary information to make an informed decision about the property purchase, allowing you to budget for future repair works and maintenance services or renegotiate your offer accordingly.
The ALCO surveyor would assess the condition of all parts of the property. Based on the assessment, the surveyor will produce a building survey report and if required an estimate for the required works allowing you to negotiate on your purchase price.
Why do I Need a Survey?
Our ALCO building surveys lets you know exactly what you are buying. Older homes will have an odd issue, however there is a big difference between major structural issue or full building renovation and the need to reseal or replace a few windows or doors.
A building survey is optional but is greatly recommended. You do not want to save a few hundred pounds now, only to discover at a later date that the home has an issue that will cost thousands to put right.
Once you have bought your new home, it is yours, flaws and all. The previous owners will not be liable if they had no knowledge of the problem, and you’ll still have a tough time even if they did, so you’ll save time and money by having all the information you need up front.
If you’re purchasing a newer home and just want to know an expert has looked over your property, a HomeBuyer survey may be the best option for you.
What does the Survey Include?
During building surveys (structural survey) your ALCO surveyor will check every accessible area of the property. For this survey, the surveyor will go up into the loft/attic, down into cellars, use special equipment to check for damp and mould, check floorboards, windows, and doors, and just about anywhere else a home can show its issues or age.
The ALCO survey will:
- Provide detailed information about the structure and fabric of the property.
- Discover problems that need urgent attention.
- Discover problems that need further investigation to prevent serious damage.
- Help you decide whether you require further advice before committing to a purchase.
- Help you understand any ongoing maintenance required in the future.
- Establish how the property is built, materials used, and how these will perform in the future.
- Expose potential problems posed by hidden defects.
- Outline repair options, repair timeline, and explain the consequences of not acting.
- Provide a longer and more detailed visual inspection of a wider range of issues.
- Provide a more thorough consideration of the roof space, grounds, floors and services.
ALCO surveyors are not approved, but complete surveys from the opinion of a construction expert and with a property maintenance service background. Our surveyors have a minimum of 15 years’ experience in the construction industry and are cheaper than an official surveyor. However, if your mortgage lender requires an RICS chartered survey please contact a relevant surveyor.
ALCO building surveys are a worthwhile investment that provides all the details and advice as mentioned above.
The cost for this survey is £300-£400 and can include where requested a quote for works required to bring the property up to standard, to the clients desired configuration or specification.
This fee will be reimbursed should you use ALCO to undertake future works on your property.
To find out more information on our building surveys please call us on 01483 573010 or you can email us at info@alcoltd.co.uk. Alternatively, you can contact us via our online contact form and we will reply as soon as we can.