Expert Chartered Surveyors in Leicester

Cosey Homes Chartered Surveyors are RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) accredited surveyors with a professional team who can carry out the full range of property surveying services, reports and property valuations, including:

RICS Building Survey (Level 3)

A Building Survey (Level 3) is the most comprehensive property investigation offered by the Cosey Homes team. Formerly known as a ‘full structural survey’, the report will deliver a detailed assessment of building defects and structural issues including repair cost estimates and recommendations for maintenance and upkeep. Level 3 Building Surveys are the perfect choice for larger houses, older homes, period properties and listed buildings. They are also the recommended choice for non-standard constructions and buildings with a history of alterations or needing substantial refurbishment.

RICS Homebuyers Survey (Level 2)

A HomeBuyer Survey (Level 2) is a mid-tier investigation designed to deliver a reasonable amount of detail regarding a property’s structural condition and overall state of repair. The site inspection is non-invasive and non-destructive, and the survey report is presented in an easy-to-understand format, using a colour coded ‘traffic light’ system to rate each defect found according to its severity and urgency for remedial work. The findings will also highlight any features that don’t comply with Building Regulations. This type of property survey is the right choice for standard modern properties that were built less than 100 years ago and are in a good state of repair.

RICS Condition Report (Level 1)

A Condition Report (Level 1) is the most basic investigation offered by Cosey Homes. It is designed to provide a brief overview of the property’s overall condition to provide the purchaser with the peace of mind of knowing that there’s nothing to worry about. As a Level 1 survey, the report will be confined to providing a snapshot of the building’s ‘as is’ condition on the day of the inspection, noting any areas of concern as necessary. This type of survey is suitable for brand new and nearly new properties that are in a good state of repair, and where no building defects or other issues are expected to be found.

You might reasonably expect your brand-new home to be in perfect condition but, sadly, that’s often not the case. Indeed, it is not at all uncommon for newly built flats or houses to have defects. Minor niggles may be addressed with the developer via a professional snagging list, however we would always recommend that your have a Condition Report (Level 1) completed for peace of mind that there’s nothing majorly wrong with the construction or building materials. NHBC-type warranties notwithstanding, many structural issues may not be obvious to the untrained eye. It takes a qualified impartial property surveyor to alert you to them.

Yes, you can certainly try to renegotiate the purchase price if your RICS survey has flagged up major problems with the property. Many buyers use poor survey findings as evidence to go back to the seller, and also arm themselves with cost estimations for remedial work to negotiate a price reduction. Alternatively, you could ask the seller to remedy the problem directly before you exchange contracts. As the sale was originally agreed ‘subject to survey’, you are well within your rights to review the price if unexpected building problems come to light. That said, the seller is under no obligation to accommodate your request for a price reduction. If no compromise can be found, you will have to be prepared to walk away from the sale.

In English property law, a transaction only becomes legally valid at the point where contracts are exchanged. Before that point, both parties are free to change their mind about the sale without incurring a penalty. Gazumping is a perfectly legal though morally objectionable tactic that can occur if the seller decides to accept a better offer from another interested buyer, leaving you without a property to buy. The best way to protect against gazumping is to insist that all marketing ceases as a condition of your offer, and to progress steadily and swiftly towards exchanging contracts.

Victorian properties (roughly built between 1840 and 1900) are one of the most popular and abundant types of housing stock in the UK. On account of their age, we would always recommend that you commission a detailed RICS Building Survey (Level 3) for any property older than 70 years, which includes period homes built during Victorian and Edwardian times. These types of houses have unique features that may or may not have been altered, and only the most in-depth property investigation offers enough scope to do justice to the special requirements of a historic character home.

At Cosey Homes, we fully appreciate that you may be anxiously waiting for our professional feedback on the property you are in the process of buying, so you can decide whether and how to proceed with the purchase. We work as fast as we are able, striving to deliver all our survey and valuation reports within 5 working days from the date of the site visit. Once the report is completed, we get it quality checked internally. Delivery is in the form of a PDF document sent by email. Should you require an additional hardcopy, this can be posted to you for a small additional fee.