I’m buying a new house which is about 100 years old and has been completely rebuilt and extended over the last 16 years by the current vendor. The builder who did the extension is well known and recommended within the area. The mortgage provider has done a valuation survey and actually visited the property which is in very good repair.
The question being, do I pay out £600-700 for a buildings survey or are they really a waste of time. I work in Insurance and have read hundreds of building surveys over the years and very few are ever really conclusive and tend to have get out, comments everywhere. if the house was a bit of a wreck, then it would be a no brainer but it’s not. Have you been happy with the survey’s you’ve had?

I work in Insurance and have read hundreds of building surveys over the years and very few are ever really conclusive and tend to have get out, comments everywhere.

The irony!

At the end of the day if you feel that the property is in such good order that there would [effectively] be nothing to report then don’t get a survey done.

Insurance is a complete waste of money ……….. until you need to claim on it. Surveys can be considered the same and if the building has been fully refurbished and the works meet the Building Regs then a Survey is unlikely to reveal anything.

RV- I like you work in the insurance industry.
Like you I question the value/worth of surveyors report.

At a high level there seems to be 3 price points on surveys for a new purchase. Mortgage lenders – worthless piece of paper for their own benefit only, middle of the range survery circa £600 – again worthless, then full structural survey circa £1100.
Even the latter isn’t much help. Will the surveyor lift carpets to inspect floorboards for rot/woodworm.
Will the heating system be fired up/tested.
Will he check the DPC/DPM, check for damp? Will he go into the loft space?

If your spending some reasonable dough on a property, I think these days I’d commission a drains survey (CCTV circa £175) which will show if the drains are leaking/root growth and are indicators as to what the subsoil around the property maybe doing.
I would ask someone you know who has knowledge of using a damp meter to check for potential problems with the DPC – this is likely in building stock of the age your considering.
Lastly, I’d find a reasonable builder friend and ask them to look round, they are more likely to offer an opinion, RICS qualified surveyors wont say anything which could come back to haunt them, in terms of advice.

If the property has been extended, building control would have been involved, regardless of whether it was an extension which required planning consent or not. This should give some comfort that the new bits are up to scratch.

Bottom line, this is your biggest investiment (usually), you can’t do enough to guard yourself against the what-if’s. If you would sleep better having had a survey done – do it.