RICS Home Buyer Survey & Valuation (HBSV)

The most popular form of pre-purchase Survey report in the UK, the RICS HBSV can only be prepared by fully paid up, appropriately qualified Chartered Surveyors who are RICS members. This ensures that your chosen property will only be inspected by and reported upon by Chartered Surveyors who meet the exacting standards of the RICS, including undergoing regular ongoing training and having professional indemnity insurance in place.

The Inspection

In most cases, the inspection will take around one hour on site and includes all aspects of the property that can be seen with the naked eye, from chimneys down to ground level, especially walls, roof coverings, windows, doors etc on the outside, a “head-and-shoulders inspection of the loft space (only full inspection if safely boarded for walking on), internal walls, ceilings and fittings and includes a damp meter test. In most cases, it is not possible or practical to lift carpets or floor coverings to visually inspect floors but most floor defects can be found just by a detailed, careful walk over them, which is what occurs in the HBSV. We also provide our advice in respect of the condition of services, although we are not able to test electrics or gas. We also lift drain covers and check over permanent outbuildings such as garages.

The Report

The RICS expect us to write our reports in plain English, so that we don’t confuse the general public with lots of technical phrases that only other Surveyors would understand ! Therefore, the report, usually around 50 pages long, includes our comments on the various elements and a condition grading system based on traffic lights. Green is good, amber will have a caution or minor works required and red is for urgent work or dangerous risks. At the end, as RICS Registered Valuers, we also include our advice on the property value. As  Chartered Surveyors, any valuation advice has to be based on Market Evidence, not the seller’s wishlist value !

End Result

Hopefully, you move into the property with peace of mind that there are no nasty surprises waiting for you in your new home, or that you know that whilst there is work required on it, that you have not paid “over the odds” for it. Remember, only current members of the RICS can provide the HBSV format report and our prime responsibility is to you as our Client. After all, in most cases, your home is the most expensive purchase you will ever make and peace of mind costs as little from £350.00.