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An example of why a Survey is important!!!

Moving house is stressful, but many will expect the stress to end once the move is over and the boxes are all unpacked. Unfortunately, this does not always happen.

Just recently we spoke with Adam and Amie P whose new home came with a lot of unexpected baggage. Their mistake? They didn’t get a survey.

“The house seemed fine when we moved in,” Adam explained. “Everything appeared to be in working order and we were settling in okay. It wasn’t until a couple of weeks later that we received an unwanted surprise. We called an electrician out to fit a couple of new plug sockets in our living room and ended up with a £3000 bill.”

During his consultation, the electrician uncovered many troubling electrical hazardous including a breaker box made of rotting wood and exposed wires. After a thorough inspection, the electrician deemed the wiring unsafe and said a repair would not cut it – the entire house needed rewiring.

According to the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC) faulty electrics cause 12,500 fires and 2,000 electric shock accidents in the home each year.

Although not a qualified electrician, your surveyor will be looking out for dangers like this and will know when to refer you to a specialist before you commit to buying. The surveyor’s report would outline any defects and present the dangers with a simple 1, 2, 3 condition rating, giving you the information you need to consider the purchase against your budget.

A surveyor operates with your safety and best interests in mind, to give you the facts and to make sure you are as informed as you can be before making one of the biggest investments of your life.

Adam and Amie were unlucky – they assumed their mortgage valuation was enough. “Just because a survey is optional doesn’t mean it isn’t necessary,” Adam commented. “Sadly it took us an extra £3000 to find that out.”