Unveiling your homes hidden secrets: What a survey reveals

Moving house or purchasing your first home is a very daunting process. There are many elements that need consideration once you’ve found your dream house; from instructing solicitors to organising a removal company for the big day. Moving is one of the most stressful things people go through and having a survey can help alleviate some of that stress by giving you peace of mind that the property you are purchasing is in good condition.

 

You might look around your onward purchase and everything looks okay, however, surveys can pick up hidden defects. The condition of the roof might look satisfactory, however, closer inspection from inside the loft can highlight leaks.

 

A real life example of a hidden defect occurred in a 1900’s terraced house with timber floors. The floors were crooked which is not unusual in a property of this age however, after inspecting the floor void underneath, it was discovered that the floor joists were being held up by loose bricks! Whilst it’s likely the floor has been supported like this for a long time, the bricks were starting to crumble which will lead to the floor collapsing! This find gave the purchaser more facts to decide whether they wanted to go ahead with the purchase.

 

There are other cases where defects cause purchasers to pull out of the sale. This may come across as a negative, however, this saves the purchaser a lot of money in the long run. Alternatively the purchaser may obtain costs to repair the damage and then use this as a negotiation tool to continue to buy the property.