Know the house before you own it.

One chance to look properly, before it's your problem.

A survey is your one chance to find out what's wrong with a property before it becomes your problem. Ours are carried out by an MRPSA member surveyor, to the RPSA Survey Inspection and Reporting Standards. They're written in plain English with photographs, condition ratings and clear priorities, rather than a wall of caveats.

Which level do you need?

• Level 2 Home Survey: for conventional houses and flats in reasonable condition, built in the last century or so and not much altered. Every element rated, the defects that matter explained, and the questions to put to the seller.
• Level 3 Building Survey: for older, timber-framed, tile-hung, extended, unusual or already-worrying properties, and anything you plan to alter. The full inspection, with causes, consequences and repair priorities.
• Not sure? Wealden housing stock, with its timber frames, tile-hanging, solid walls and suspended floors, often earns a Level 3. Tell us the address and we'll advise before you commit.

What happens on the day

We inspect every accessible part of the property: the roof space, the external and internal fabric, the visible parts of the services, and moisture readings to walls where appropriate. The roof itself is inspected by drone as standard, weather, airspace and safety permitting. Where a flight isn't possible we use a camera pole, ladder or views from adjoining ground. Anything we still couldn't see is recorded as a limitation rather than glossed over.

What you get

A report typically within seven days of the inspection. Each element is rated 1 to 3, with health-and-safety flags where they're warranted, alongside photographs of what we found, the likely cause, what it means for you, what to do about it and how urgently. The kind of report you can hand straight to a builder, or back to the seller's agent.

The energy angle

Because the same practice does EPCs and retrofit assessments, the survey reads the fabric with insulation, ventilation and damp in mind: the things that make old Wealden houses cold, and the things that go wrong when they're insulated badly. If you'll need an EPC as well, ask about combining the two.

Independent, and answerable

Surveys are carried out under the RPSA's standards and terms of engagement, and complaints are covered by The Property Ombudsman. You'll have the terms and insurance details in writing before the inspection.