The RICS Home Survey Standards (HSS) has now launched and by August 2021 all surveyors will need to be working to these new standards, Home Heroes Limited has already been working to the HSS for sometime using our bespoke surveys standard Templates, our Heritage Home Survey is a Level 3 Survey with some added extras and extra time spent on some of the key heritage features of a property.
The below video from the RICS although old is still relevant and explains why getting a survey is a good way to protect your investment and make a proper informed buying decision.
Service Features | Level 3 - Heritage |
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Describes the construction and condition of the property on the date of the inspection | X |
Aims to identify any problems that need urgent attention or are serious. | X |
Aims to identify things that need to be investigated further to prevent serious damage. | X |
Aims to tell you about problems that may be dangerous. | X |
Aims to show up potential issues and defects, before any transaction takes place | X |
Aims to help you decide whether you need extra advice before committing to purchase. | X |
Aims to enable you to budget for any repairs or restoration. | X |
Aims to advise you on the amount of ongoing maintenance required in the future. | X |
Aims to establish how the property is built, what materials are used and how these will perform in the future | X |
Aims to describe visible defects, plus exposing potential problems posed by hidden defects. | X |
Aims to outline the repair options and give you a repair timeline, whilst explaining the consequences of not acting | X |
Where practical and agreed, provides an estimate of costs for identified repairs. (Extra Fee's would apply) | X |
Provide specific comments on energy efficiency. | X |
Specifically Trained / Qualified Heritage Surveyor | X |
Extra time and detail to heritage issues | X |
Additional Listed Building Checks | X |
Below is a downloadable PDF modified from the RICS original of what a Level 3 Survey gets you and the level of inspection that you will get and what you can expect from your report; The only real modification is branding and the addition of two categories that are not included in the original documentation N/A for stuff that isn't present if you have a garage the old RICS forms had no way to remove the garage section we tend to also leave it in but let you know it doesn't apply to this property. The second is HS health and safety issues we like to bring these to your attention front and centre and as such we've added a category called HS and you can see any elements which have an HS rating quickly and easily. For Level 3 Heritage Home Survey there are additional differences that the main products and these include you will get someone who has heritage training or accreditation (RICS/CIOB/CARE), they will spend more time on-site looking for issues that take longer to find such as inappropriate materials, unauthorised changes and other on-site information. They will also follow a longer desktop research stage also compare any modifications that are apparent with the appropriate LBC and will advise if additional revisits are needed or further investigations.
The HSS Level 3 is the best level of survey with the most detail is much smaller compared to a Level 1 or 2 our Level 3's start at £760 but one thing we don't scrimp on is the tech. We utilise digital camera technology, 360 photography where appropriate, and include images in all our reports in level 1 reports these tend to be unedited images but we still include images of key things you need to see after all a picture speaks a thousand words. Thats why our level 3 reports tend to have edited images with arrows and text overlayed so you can fully understand the implications of what is being explained to you. We do this as we don't offer printed reports unless you opt for a professional print via a 3rd party supplier and it costs us no more to provide them in the PDF the way our survey was designed to be read. It surprising to know that a lot of surveyors particularly the cheaper national chains don't include photos in there reports at Level 2/3 let alone level 1 so this is one unique selling point we do have.
As we have said we offer a bespoke survey product which is a combination of all the other survey products we have found and in an easy to edit and use word based format but what to you actually get. Below you will find a link to the current RICS Licenced product launched with the HSS and underneath is a link to a blank copy of our survey. Ours particularly is a large download to protect it from abstract copying so may take a little while to open.
Well firstly this is the most basic type of survey and traditionally these would be reserved for very new unmodified houses where you were confident that there were no major issues but wanted to just make sure. You can see a full comparison below of the different levels of survey
You should also read the Home Survey Standards and see the differences across the levels using the link below:
It may also be worth comparing the details of the other two surveys so below is a link to the Level 1 & 2 Descriptors and Blank copies of our surveys as well as the RICS Home Survey Examples.
You can find a guideline of our fees by clicking here and these are accurate except for large properties or most heritage properties but they give you a guideline, you will find cheaper but we are not all about price we are about quality and customer service and hopefully the information on this page has helped you realise this you can also see some information on our take on fees here.
If you'd like to book or ask a question please Call, email or complete the contact form for your free quote to undertake a RICS Home Condition Report for you, We cover Canterbury, Whitstable, Thanet, Margate, Herne Bay and the rest of Kent
We cover Canterbury, Margate, Ramsgate, Whitstable, Herne Bay, Folkestone, Dover, Deal, Ash, Sandwich, Faversham, Sittingbourne and Other Kent Locations for all Our Party Wall, Building Surveys, Home Buyer Reports.