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Buying a Ground-Floor Garden Flat: What Problems Should a Survey Reveal? A ground-floor garden flat can offer advantages that are difficult to find elsewhere in London. Direct access to outside space, fewer internal stairs and accommodation opening onto a garden can make these properties especially attractive. However, their position at the base of the building creates particular risks. External ground levels, drainage, dampness, suspended floors and rear additions can all af

Buying an Ex-Local Authority Flat: Why Is a Detailed Survey Important? Ex-local authority flats remain an important part of London’s housing market. They can offer generous rooms, practical layouts and locations where equivalent privately developed properties are considerably more expensive. However, the expression “ex-local authority” does not describe one form of construction. The property might be within a traditional brick-built block, a concrete-framed estate, a low-rise

Buying a London Maisonette: What Should a Level 3 Survey Examine? Maisonettes are found throughout London in converted houses, purpose-built blocks and post-war housing estates. They often offer more internal space than a conventional flat, sometimes arranged over two floors with a private entrance, garden, balcony or roof terrace. However, the word “maisonette” describes the arrangement of the accommodation rather than its construction. One maisonette may occupy part of a Vi

Buying a 1960s Concrete-Framed Flat: What Should a Level 3 Survey Examine? Flats built during the 1960s can offer generous rooms, large windows and convenient London locations. However, their construction may differ substantially from that of a traditional brick-built house. Some blocks have reinforced concrete frames and floors enclosed by brickwork, panels or lightweight cladding; others used proprietary systems. A purchaser should not assume that every concrete-framed bloc

Buying a London Flat With a Flat Roof: What Should a Level 3 Survey Examine? Buying a top-floor flat in London can be attractive. These properties often benefit from good natural light, greater privacy and freedom from noise caused by occupants living above. However, where the flat is immediately beneath a flat roof, the roof’s construction and condition require careful consideration. Defects can cause water penetration, deterioration of concealed materials and substantial se

RICS Responds to Major Changes in Home Buying and Selling The housing market in the UK has been undergoing significant shifts due to various economic, social, and regulatory factors. As one of the leading bodies in the property and surveying profession, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) plays a crucial role in addressing these changes, ensuring that both industry practitioners and consumers adapt effectively. Recent developments emphasise RICS's response to

Post-Purchase Roadmap: Turning a RICS Survey into a Practical Maintenance Plan for the First Five Years Buying a home is the start of a...

From Anxiety to Assurance: A Surveyor’s Guide to Home Surveys Buying a home is one of the biggest financial and emotional decisions most people make. It’s exciting, but it’s also full of uncertainty and that’s why instructing a home survey often ranks high among a buyer’s worries. With over 18 years’ experience as a building surveyor, I’ve guided hundreds of buyers through this exact moment. Below I outline the common concerns clients bring to me, explain what a survey can (a

When a Level 3 Home Survey Uncovers Serious Structural Defects - A Recent Case Study and Practical Next Steps for Buyers. As a RICS...