Description of Service

The Service includes –

• The inspection of the property in accordance with the description below.
• The report based on the inspection prepared in a standard format.

The Surveyor.

• Is a member of the SAVA HCS scheme.
• Has passed an assessment of skills, in line with the National Occupational Standards, and holds the Diploma in Home Inspections or equivalent.
• Will have insurance that provides cover if a surveyor is negligent.
• Will follow the inspection standards and code of conduct required by SAVA.
• Will lodge all Home Condition Reports with the central SAVA register for regular monitoring of competence.
• Will have a complaints procedure which includes an escalation route to SAVA.
• Will have a Criminal Records check undertaken.

The Inspection.

Outside, the surveyor undertakes a visual, non-invasive inspection of the main building and all permanent outbuildings ( including permanent outbuildings that contain a leisure facility, such as a swimming pool) and boundary walls and areas in common or shared use by walking the grounds and viewing the property from adjacent public property.

Leisure facilities and equipment, landscaping and temporary outbuildings are not inspected ( though permanent buildings housing leisure facilities will be – see above).

The surveyor will inspect high level surfaces and features from ground level within the boundaries of the property or from neighbouring public property or using a ladder where it is safe to do so and the height is no more than 3mtrs above a flat surface. The surveyor will not climb or walk on roofs of any sort.

Inside the surveyor undertakes a visual, non-invasive inspection. The surveyor does not force or open up the fabric of the building, including any fixed panels or electrical fittings, does not take up carpets, floor coverings or floorboards, move any heavy furniture or remove contents of cupboards.

The surveyor will inspect the roof structure from inside the roof space where it is safe to access from a flat surface no more than 3 mtrs below, and will move around the roof space where this does not present a risk to either the surveyor or the property, but will not lift any insulation material or move stored goods or other contents.

The surveyor will check for damp in vulnerable areas using a moisture meter and examine floor surfaces and under floor voids, ( but will not move furniture or floor coverings to do so. The surveyor will not comment on sound insulation or noise of any sort.

Where there is any risk of damaging the fabric of the property, the surveyor will limit the inspection accordingly but will note this in the report.

The surveyor inspects those parts of the gas, electricity, water and drainage services that can be seen but will not carry out specialist tests on the services or assess the efficiency. Other services that may be present ( such as security systems, telephone or broadband services etc) are not inspected or reported on.

Flats

The surveyor will carry out a non-invasive inspection at the level of detail set out above for the main walls, windows and roof over the flat. The surveyor does not inspect the rest of the block to this level of detail but instead will form an opinion based on a general inspection of the rest of the block. Information is given about the outside and shared parts so that the conveyancer can check whether the maintenance clauses in the lease or other title documents are adequate. The surveyor inspects the shared access to the flat together with the area where car parking and any garage for the flat are located, along with access to that area, but does not inspect other shared parts or services (such as separate halls, stairs and access ways to other flats in the block, the lift, cleaning cupboards, shared drains, fire and security alarms). The surveyor does not go into the roof above a flat unless access is from within the property.

Property Risks

The surveyor assumes that the home is not built with nor contains hazardous material and is not built on contaminated land. If any materials are found during inspection which may contain hazardous substances, or if the surveyor finds evidence to suggest that the land may be contaminated, this will be reported and further investigation recommended.

The surveyor will not carry out an asbestos inspection, and will not act as an asbestos inspector when inspecting properties that fall within the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. With flats, the surveyor will assume that there is a duty holder and that an asbestos register and effective management plan is in place. The surveyor will assume that there is no immediate payment needed under that plan nor that there is any significant risk to health.

Risks to People

The surveyor will report on defects which require repair and/or replacement and on matters that have existed for a long time and cannot reasonably be changed but may present a risk to occupiers or visitors. Notwithstanding the fact that the surveyor does not provide specific advice, or where, the surveyor does not report on specific matters, and subsequent incidents shall not be deemed to be related in any way to his inspection and report.

The Report

The report is in a standard format and has the following sections-

• About this report.
• Introduction.
• What this report tells you.
• What this report does not tell you.
• What is inspected.
• How the inspection is carried out.
• Section A – General Information
• Section B – Summary and general description.
• Section C – Legal issues and risks to property and people.
• Section D – The outside of the property.
• Section E – The inside of the property.
• Section F – Services
• Section G – Grounds.

The surveyor gives each part of the structure of the main building a condition rating.

The condition ratings are as follows.

Condition rating 1

No repair is currently needed. Normal maintenance must be carried out.

Condition rating 2

Repairs or replacements are needed but the surveyor does not consider these to be serious or urgent.

Condition rating 3

These are defects which are either serious and/or require urgent repair or replacement or where the surveyor feels that further investigation is required ( for instance where the surveyor has reason to believe that repair work is needed but an invasive investigation is required to confirm this). A serious defect is one that could lead to rapid deterioration in the property or one which is likely to cost more than 2.5% of the reinstatement cost to put right. You may wish to obtain quotes for additional work where a condition rating 3 is given, prior to exchange of contract.

NI Not Inspected.

Not inspected.

X not Present at Property

This feature is not present at the property.

The surveyor will report where he was not able to inspect any parts of the home that are normally reported on. If the surveyor is concerned about these parts the report will tell you about any further investigations needed.

Legal Matters

The surveyor does not act as the conveyancer or legal advisor. If during the inspection, the surveyor identifies issues that the legal advisor may need to investigate further, the surveyor will refer to these in the report but will not comment on any legal documents seen or on remedying any legal matter.

The surveyor will assume that the property is sold with vacant possession and that, where they exist, the property has a right to use the mains services on normal terms.

Reinstatement Cost

The reinstatement cost is the estimated cost of completely rebuilding the property based on information from BCIS, a service which provides building cost information and which is approved by the Association of British Insurers. It represents the sum at which the home should be insured against fire and other risks. It is based on building and other related costs and does not include the value of the land the home is built on. It does not include leisure facilities such as swimming pools and tennis courts. The figure should be reviewed regularly as building costs change. Importantly, it is not a valuation of the property. If the property is very large or historic, or if it incorporates special features or is of unusual construction, then BCIS data cannot cover it and a specialist would be needed to assess the reinstatement cost. In such circumstances no cost figure is provided and the report will indicate that a specialist is needed.