Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on the size of the property and can be anything from 2 hours for an apartment, 3 for a small house or 3-6 hours in larger houses.

No, a Snagging Survey focuses on the quality of workmanship with reference to building regs and tolerances set by the new build warranty (offered by NHBC or equivalent).  A structural Survey is more suited to an older house with serious issues.

We are more than happy to liaise with your builder on your behalf.  Our Report can be emailed directly to your builder if required.  If any additional information is required for clarification we will also be at hand to assist.

In 2022 the New Build Ombudsman elected a board called the New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) who created a prescribed checklist for us to follow.  The Pre-Completion Inspection cannot deviate from this prescribed checklist.

The NHBC is a warranty company that signs off on properties throughout the construction process.  It provides a 10 year warranty for any structural issues but also provides a detailed guide of how to achieve its standards (known as “tolerances”).  These tolerances are the benchmark against which we inspect against in our Post Completion Snagging Survey.

https://www.nhqb.org.uk/about-us/our-aims.html

Strictly speaking you are under no obligation to have a survey on the property you are looking to purchase unless your mortgage requires one. However, instructing a surveyor to carry out a thorough inspection of the property can help you avoid expensive and unwanted surprises.

Home builders are increasing the number of new build homes across the country each year which as a result can sometimes mean that standards are not always as they should be with home owners frequently being left to deal with the consequences alone.  For that reason we at Sure Snag 360 above all pride ourselves in providing a detailed new build snagging survey that you can provide to your builder to make sure that you get the home you deserve.

Given the amount of money you will be spending on your property which is often the most expensive investment you will ever make in your life, spending a relatively small amount of money to have an expert surveyor look over your property is a good investment to make to provide peace of mind and ultimately protect you. 

All of our surveyors who carry out residential surveys at Sure Snag 360 Surveys are members of the Residential Property Buyers Associated (RPSA) and Chartered members of the Institute of Builders (CIOB).  This ensures that we are committed to providing you with expert advice that is clear, concise, accurate and in your best interests. The fact that we are Chartered means that we have to follow rules of conduct and keep up to date with the latest developments in the industry. Each of our Chartered Building Surveyors have in excess of 30 experience. You should ensure that your surveyor is suitably qualified to be carrying out your survey and has the appropriate level of experience. 

The kind of survey we would recommend depends largely upon the age, type and construction the property. The plans you may have to refurbish or alter the building may have an effect on what survey is best suited to you. 

As a general rule, Level 2 Home Buyers surveys are most suitable for properties built within the last 100 years, of conventional construction and apparently in reasonable condition. A Level 3 Building survey is recommended for larger, older properties or those in poor condition, or if you are planning extensive works or alterations. 

If you are unsure which survey would work for you, please give us a call and we will be happy to talk through the options free of charge. 

It is worth noting that there is a big difference between the valuation that a mortgage lender requires, and a home survey we would carry out. A mortgage valuation is there to assure the lender that the market value of the property is not less than the amount they have agreed to lend you. A valuation does not include an in-depth assessment of the physical elements of the property and their condition. It is therefore vital that you instruct a surveyor to assess the physical condition of the property.

Additionally, the valuation done for the lender is just that – for the lender. Should the valuer miss something, it is unlikely that you will have any recourse to them and will not be able to make a claim for any defects missed, however major.

We aim to offer you a quick, simple and cost effective solution to your survey needs. This means that we offer a bespoke service and tailor our survey to you and your property. Because of this, the cost of a survey can vary. We take into consideration the size and value of your property, how long we expect to be on site, any prior or further desktop research we may undertake, travel time and the type of survey required. When you ask us for a price we are usually able to give you a quote over the phone and follow that up in writing straight away.

We recommend that you instruct a surveyor as soon as your offer has been accepted subject to contract. However, we suggest that the inspection is undertaken once your solicitors have received the draft legal documentation and you are sure that matters are proceeding smoothly before you incur the additional costs a survey. However, do not leave it to the last minute! We always try our best to accommodate our clients, but we deal with a large number of clients so the more notice you can give us, the less stressful this process will be. 

Once you have instructed us we’ll contact the agent looking after the sale of the property or the building owner and arrange a convenient time to inspect. Often, this is within a couple of days subject to access. We will let you know when we will be inspecting and when you can expect your report.

Yes, if there are any particular concerns or areas you would like us to pay attention to, please do let us know. 

Our inspection of services are carried out from a building surveyors perspective only. This means that we will be able to give advice on the age of the installations and any obvious defects but we are not qualified or suitably experienced to test services. If no recent test certification is available when we inspect, or we spot obvious concerns, we will recommend them to be tested by an experienced and qualified person. 

The amount of time we spend at a property can vary dramatically. As a rule, we generally spend more time at larger properties or those in poor condition because it simply takes longer for us to carry out the inspection. In some cases, a survey can take a whole day. Although, we find that on average our surveyors tend to spend three to eight hours at a property.

We try to avoid meeting clients at the property as we want to ensure that we can remain focused while carrying out the inspection. We offer a follow up call once you have received your report to discuss in detail any questions, or specific concerns.

Once your report has been completed, we will email a PDF of your report straight away. If you would prefer to receive a hard copy, we can accommodate this, but it may incur a small additional charge. 

When you receive your New Build Report or Building Survey, you will notice the four ratings provided next to the description of each element that make up the property. These are designed to help highlight the condition of the property.

NI: Not inspected. This often means that we were unable to inspect or access this area of the property. We will always do our best to inspect every element of the property, but sometimes this is not possible. We also give this rating when an element is missing – for example, not all properties have a porch or a chimney.

Green: No significant repairs are needed. This means that we have not identified any urgent remedial works. However you will still need to carry out regular maintenance which we can advise on. 

Amber: Defects that need repairing but are not considered to be serious or urgent. Amber does not mean that you can ignore these defects, and we still recommend that you seek cost estimates for the costs of these repairs.

Red: Defects that are serious and need to be repaired or investigated urgently. There are three reasons why we may give a red condition rating. The first is that urgent repair is required, for example a failed roof covering allowing water ingress which could cause further issues within the building. Secondly, we feel that further investigation is needed, for example inadequate electrical installations. Finally, we have a concern for health and safety, for example finding damaged asbestos containing materials.