What are fixed-price surveys ?

With Rightsurvey what you see is what you get.

Unlike many other firms, our quoted prices include VAT, so you can immediately see exactly how much your survey will cost. Also, we regularly compare prices charged by local firms of surveyors, to ensure that we’re offering a very competitive deal.

We do not add extra charges for travel, or for anything else. Instead of quoting a low initial price and then bumping it later, we give fixed-price quotes. This means no extra charges (unless of course you request additional services).

Survey prices are based primarily on two key factors which normally dictate the amount of work involved - the age and price of the property.

Your mortgage lender may still need to arrange their valuation inspection, but it will normally cost you less to book your survey direct with us. In some cases we may even be able to carry out the mortgage valuation for your bank at the same time as your Homebuyer or Building Survey if you let us know in advance on 01454 858040.

F A Q s

Rightsurvey is recommended by the experts in the Haynes’ Home Buying & Selling Manual. Why? Because we provide a high quality service as well as regularly comparing survey prices in the market place to be sure we're offering the best deal.

Here are some freqently asked questions.

Question

The rightsurvey answer

Do your quoted prices include VAT at the full rate?

Yes

Are there any extra charges added later?

No. What you see is what you get.

However, should you request any additional services we will quote a competitive price.

If I can find a local ‘one man band’ surveyor offering slightly cheaper rates wouldn't that be better ?

Rightsurvey do not recommend using cut-price unregulated 'one man bands'.

All Rightsurvey inspections are fully indemnity insurance-backed and comply with strict Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) rules. Also, as a customer paying up-front you have to consider what would happen if a sole trader went bust with your money.

Our surveying firms have the security of a large network where client money is kept safely ring-fenced in a client account.

Do you have quality control systems in place?

All our associate surveying firms operate to the highest standards laid down by Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Quality is assured.

We also provide central contact with 9am-5pm weekday central office cover in addition to our local offices.

Are your surveyors fully qualified MRICS or FRICS experienced in my type of property? Or are they merely valuers who occasionally dabble in surveys?

Our associate surveyors are experienced professionals working for well-established, medium-sized local firms.

All chartered surveyors undertake regular CPD training and are subject to regualr internal quality controls.

Only knowledgeable and confident building surveyors are appointed to carry out building surveys.

Are your surveyors locally based with a good knowledge of areas that have suffered from subsidence or flooding?

Unlike some large corporate firms and 'one man bands', our associate surveyors do not operate 'out of area'. In most cases asurveys and bvaluations are conducted within a 35 mile radius of local offices. This means they know the quirks of their areas and have excellent local knowledge of ground conditions and housing with a history of problems.

Our surveyors also know where to look for defects on different ages and types of properties. They also know when not to overreact to minor common issues, and can give a balanced opinion.

Can they meet my deadline and send the report out swiftly?

We promise to do the job as soon as possible once access to the property can be confirmed.

With excellent administrative support, there should be no problem producing reports on time.

If a survey is especially urgent, let us know and we'll go the extra mile to meet your deadline. Once the inspection's been done and we have received the signed terms of engagement and payment Valuations and Homebuyer surveys can normally be dispatched within 24 hours, Building Surveys within 48 hours.

Are your surveyors put under pressure to rush surveys?

To do a good job, no more than one full survey a day is normally advisable.

But regrettably, it is by no means unknown for some large, target-driven, corporate firms to put their surveyors under pressure to do several surveys in a single day.

How much of my fee actually goes to the surveyor doing the job?

If you book your survey through your mortgage lender, the bank will normally take a big slice of the fee. This means the surveyor doing the job may feel less motivated to go the extra mile to do a great job and take time to discuss your survey personally.

Rightsurvey cuts out banks, brokers and introducers all of whom will keep a chunk of the fee they charge you.

Result: a better service at a competitive price.

After sales service

Our surveyors work for well-established, medium-sized, local firms who pride themselves on doing a professional job. As the customer, you are welcome to phone to discuss your survey.

Unlike some of the large, target-driven, corporate firms commonly instructed by banks where the surveyors may be under pressure to carry out several surveys a day, we will take time to talk about your property and answer any questions.

We aim to make our surveys easy to read, but if there's anything you don't understand - or some technical words that are a bit challenging - just ask. For example, you might want to ask the surveyor whether particular defects mentioned in their report are common in properties of this age. Or you might have some specific points to flag up in advance – see ‘any specific requirements?’ below.

Terms of engagement

Before going ahead with a Homebuyer or Building Survey, it is a strict RICS rule that chartered surveyors must first send terms of engagement to their clients. These briefly explain what the surveyor will, and will not, be inspecting, and are in a standard format. Before the survey report can be released the terms must be signed and returned.

We’re happy to post, fax or email these to you so that it doesn't hold things up.

See sample terms here

Any specific requirements?

Once you've clicked to accept your online quote and completed brief details of the property in question, we will then contact you to confirm your requirements and to let you know which surveyor will be doing the job.

This is the time to ask any specific questions - such as ' is the loft likely to be suitable for conversion’, 'can we extend the property? ' or 'what's the cause of the damp patch on the front bedroom wall?’'

Making payment

Once you have accepted your online quote, we will then contact you to confirm your requirements when you would like the appointment to be booked. To comply with RICS regulations for professional surveys, as soon as you’re ready payment can be taken, by debit or credit card or cheque.

Payment for can be made by phone during work hours on 01454 855404.