Revealed! The answer to whether you should get a RICS Level 2 home buyers survey or a RICS Level 3 building survey when buying your new home.
We often get asked by a home purchaser whether a Level 2 or Level 3 is appropriate for a property.
Both a RICS Level 2 and 3 Survey can be invaluable to ensure you are not worried or stressed about potential unforeseen defects in your new home.
It is estimated that only about 20% of home purchases commission a survey. Yet a New Homes Review study undertaken between November 2017 to October 2018 found 90% of new homes had defects or snagging issues. If a new build house can have problems think what defects could be lurking in older properties.
When a major defect is uncovered a buyer can negotiate the price of the purchase armed with this knowledge, making sure you don’t go over budget.
In truth if you are asking the above question it is great news as you are a long way towards making sure your perfect home is perfect.
Homes from every decade have their unique construction methods that were popular at the time of their construction, but which can have inherent problems. Examples include 1960 and 1970’s houses with no bracing on the timber roof trusses and some 1930’s houses with no lintels above the windows. An experienced surveyor will know what to look out for, what the common problems can be and how to repair them. That’s why it is important to instruct a survey even if at first glance all seems well with a property.
Should I get a Level 2 Survey?
A Level 2 Home Survey, sometimes also called a home buyers survey, is suitable for most properties. We work to the following criteria when advising clients:
- Was it built in the last 100 years?
- Is of traditional construction methods (built with cavity or solid brick walls and the main roof is pitched with tiles or slates)?
- Does it have one or less extensions?
- Is the property as it was originally constructed (ie no conversions)?
If all the answers to the above are yes a Level 2 survey should be sufficient. The non-intrusive survey will flag up defects in the roof, the structure and if there is a damp problem, which are the defects that cause purchasers the most worry.
1920/30’s semidetached houses, terraced houses, flat conversions, larger detached houses and every type of home running up to the current time can have a Level 2 survey.
With a homebuyers survey you can also have a market valuation of the property undertaken at the same time.
Should I get a Level 3 Surveys?
They are a more in-depth non-intrusive investigation of the grounds, services, construction methods and required repairs. We recommend building surveys are used on:
- More complicated and larger properties.
- Where all or part of the property has been converted.
- Pre 1920 properties.
- Properties with non-traditional construction methods and where more in-depth investigation is required, such as where there is a new build construction with complicated issues.
Still don’t know what survey to get? If you cant decide, speak to us and we will help you make the right decision. Click here.
