As a property owner, you have likely already hired a surveyor before and understand the reasons for their importance. If not, you need to consider why property owners get their properties surveyed and if you should do the same.
Seeking professional advice will keep you informed on all relevant legalities of your property. There are so many reasons that a homeowner may hire a surveyor, but here are the top four reasons we’ve come across. Read on for four reasons that homeowners get their property and land surveying.
1. Buying A New Property
Buying a property is a considerable investment – especially for first-time buyers – so it’s essential that you fully understand what you’re buying. So this applies to not only existing property owners but those who are about to leap. Merely walking into a home and ‘falling in love’ with the ambience isn’t enough of a reason to commit. You need to know the property’s condition because there could easily be some property faults and defects that buyers aren’t made aware of.
Remember, a valuation is not a survey.
Without understanding the building, your dream house could turn into your nightmare. On average, homeowners who do not request property surveys spend well over £5,500 on repairs after moving into a home.
This number can be significantly higher for unfortunate buyers who get stuck with big problems that were missed.
This can all be avoided by building surveying – which is one of the biggest reasons people hire surveyors.
After a surveyor inspects the property, the home buyers can confidently decide about a property. They will have a condition report, a homebuyer’s report, and a full building survey.
2. Boundary Line Disputes
“Wars have been fought over for less!”. That’s a quote from the British sitcom, My Family when Ben Harper is driven mad when his neighbour takes up 8cm of his garden when he replaced a broken fence.
While a funny episode indeed, it sheds light on disputes that are all too common for landowners. After all, you want to know what land is legally yours, and you don’t want anyone else to claim it (…even if it is only 8cm).
One of the most common reasons surveyors are contacted is boundary line inquiries. Getting expert advice on boundary lines is important for building fences or paving driveways, for example.
Often, a neighbour may mistakenly take over some of your lands… so before any concrete has settled or fence has gone up, you should call a surveyor for a boundary line certification.
3. Party Walls
If you and a neighbour share a party wall, you will want to be aware of the Party Wall Act. Watch the video below for an explanation of what a party wall is:
This all means that you and your neighbour both own the adjoining wall between your homes. Whenever one of you is doing any building work on your properties (even if it’s working on the party wall itself), you have a legal obligation to inform the neighbour of the renovations or construction.
This is where a party wall surveyor would come into the picture and help with professional advice, and they will help solve concerns.
4. Home improvements
Surveyors are hired to certify that improvements and construction made on buildings follow the law. The surveyor will ensure no violations and inform you of all the relevant information needed to carry out the renovations confidentially. Potential restrictions could be regarding construction height, dimension, frontage, and more.
Curious whether you should get your property or land surveyed?
Prince Surveyors Chartered Surveyors carry out surveys throughout the UK. Our Surveyors are experts in building and party wall surveys, so if you’re wondering if you should hire a surveyor, feel free to contact us, and we’ll be happy to get back to you with any questions you may have.
Learn more about party wall services or contact us for initial FREE expert advice to be organised for you!
