Cosey Homes are an established team of RICS Chartered Surveyors with a national presence and strong local presence in Truro and across Cornwall. With more than 10 years’ industry experience and an excellent reputation for providing specialist property and consultancy services to homebuyers in the UK, we should be your first port of call.
Whether you are looking for a new home, a holiday home or a buy-to-let investment in the TR postcode area, we can help with valuable local property market knowledge, expert independent advice, detailed reporting and engaged customer service.
Cosey Homes is proud to be accredited by some of the country’s best known industry bodies including the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE). To find out more about our service portfolio and obtain a free quote for a RICS home survey or valuation in Cornwall, please get in touch with our friendly team.
If you are considering buying a home in Truro or the surrounding towns and villages, Cosey Homes has the relevant local knowledge to help you make the right decision. From Newquay in the north to Falmouth in the south, from St Austell in the east all the way down to Penzance, Cornwall is a huge county with some of the best and most varied properties available.
We provide a choice of home surveys for any type of property – from modern urban flats to family homes in the suburbs, rural cottages and country homes, seaside apartments and new-build houses. Whatever your surveying needs may be, our reports will provide you with the information you need in a format that is jargon-free and easy to digest.
Importantly, we have no links with estate agents of mortgage lenders. As independent professional operators, we deliver honest, impartial and transparent advice that is tailored to your requirements.
You can request a RICS Homebuyers Survey quote by completing a simple form.
Buying a property is a huge financial commitment and it is prudent to ensure that your investment is sound before you go through with the purchase. This is where an independent home survey can be worth its weight in gold. Our surveyors will cast their professional eye over the property you have in your sights and give their opinion about its condition in a choice of survey reports with different levels of detail: RICS Condition Report (Level 1), RICS HomeBuyer Report (Level 2), RICS Building Survey (Level 3) and RICS Residential Valuations for all types of property.
A must for anyone buying a new home
For older or altered buildings
For a highly accurate valuation
The most in-depth property survey endorsed by the RICS is the Building Survey (Level 3), previously known as a ‘full structural survey’. We would recommend a Level 3 investigation for any property built more than 70 years ago, including period homes, historic and listed buildings. This is also the best type of survey for large houses, fixer-uppers and properties with complex surveying histories. Our Cosey Homes surveyors will arrange for a site visit and conduct a comprehensive visual inspection of all the accessible building elements including outbuildings and grounds, and compile the findings into a detailed report. Problems investigated will include potentially serious defects such as evidence of subsidence and heave, damp issues and timber decay. We will also provide our professional recommendations for remedial action (including cost estimates) and future maintenance suggestions.
A mid-level survey providing a reasonable level of detail about the condition of the property, the RICS Homebuyers Survey (Level 2) would typically be recommended for a standard modern property that looks to be in a good state of repair. We will carry out a non-invasive visual inspection of all accessible building elements and compile a report of our findings that comments on the building’s condition and highlights any obvious areas of concern. For our clients’ ease of use, the report uses a templated format and RICS traffic-light condition ratings. At Cosey Homes, free market valuations are included as standard in Level 2 surveys – please note that this is not always the case with other surveyors. A RICS HomeBuyer Report is designed to provide you with all the facts you need to make an intelligent decision about how to proceed with your home purchase.
If you need a formal market valuation for a residential property in Truro or anywhere in West Cornwall, Cosey Homes should be your first port of call. We have a highly skilled and experienced team of RICS Registered Valuers with deep local market knowledge anywhere between St Agnes and St Mawes who can provide accurate valuations that are far more robust than any estate agents’ market appraisal. Our formal residential valuations hold up in a court of law and can be used for a variety of purposes including tax and probate matters, divorce and matrimonial settlements, mortgage and insurance cases, personal asset valuations and more.
The simplest home survey carried out by Cosey Homes surveyors is the RICS Condition Report (Level 1). This is suitable for new-build or nearly new homes only, where no building defects are anticipated. If you are keen to do your own due diligence and would like the peace of mind of knowing that your investment is safe, a Level 1 investigation may be all you need. There will be a short site visit inspection, after which we will compile a summary report that describes the property’s overall condition. Any obvious issues will be flagged for your attention without going into great detail or recommending remedial action.
At Cosey Homes, we would always recommend an in-depth Building Survey (Level 3) for properties that are older than 70 years. This includes Victorian and Edwardian homes, properties situated in a Conservation Area as well as listed buildings. A Level 3 survey offers sufficient scope to cover the unique features, qualities and requirements of a historic character home.
A HomeBuyer Report (Level 2) is a mid-range investigation designed to give an overview of the building’s condition and highlight any urgent areas of concern. A Building Survey (Level 3) is a more detailed analysis that covers all major defects. This is the best choice for older or larger buildings, ‘fixer upper’ projects and non-standard properties.
If the survey findings flag up unexpected problems or urgent remedial works, you are well within your rights to renegotiate the sale price. Many buyers ask for a discount to cover the cost of unexpected repairs (or obtain assurances from the seller that he will fix the problem before contracts are exchanged). Of course, there is no guarantee that the seller will accept a lower offer but there’s certainly no harm in trying.
According to English property law, a transaction only becomes legally valid once contracts have been exchanged. Gazumping is a perfectly legal (though frowned upon) practice whereby the seller accepts a higher offer before exchange, effectively pushing you out of the transaction.
With so many different property surveys on the market, it can be hard to know which is the right one to choose. At Cosey Homes, we recognise that you need professional guidance and advice to talk through all available options including the pros and cons of each survey type. Why not get in touch today for a friendly chat with our expert team?
We pride ourselves on our excellent customer service and will work as swiftly as we can to deliver your report. As a general rule, you can expect to receive it by email as a PDF document within 5 working days after the site visit. If you require an additional hard copy, this can be arranged for an extra fee.