Please fill in the form below and click to proceed with payment.
TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT AND SCOPE OF SURVEY
RICS HOME SURVEY STANDARD
This service is delivered in accordance with the Home survey standard (1st edition) RICS professional statement and is equivalent to level 3. Where appropriate this service will have additional features described in our accompanying correspondence.
THE SURVEYOR
The surveyor who carries out your inspection and report will be a Chartered Surveyor or AssocRICS, who is competent to survey and report upon the property which is the subject of these Terms.
THE SURVEY REPORT
A Building Survey is a detailed report and is suitable for all types of property. Although detailed, we endeavour to make our reports easy to read and understand. We use colour digital photography and diagrams to explain certain features. As sometimes only technical words will do, we include a Glossary Of Terms in each report.
Our report will be divided into a number of sections, each dealing with a different structural element and comments will be made on the structural condition and state of repair of each element. Significant findings are then summarised toward the end of the report under the headings:
Maintenance: Items that may reasonably deferred, that do not have an immediate effect on the performance of the building.
Items requiring further investigation: Items that we feel there is a material risk that if Further Investigation is not carried out it could affect the function, performance or safety of the building or its occupants.
Urgent: Items that if not attended to immediately will affect the function, performance and safety of the building and its occupants
The surveyors “Executive Summary” or brief overview is given at the front of the report.
Pricing for repairs, including measurements, quantities and specification are not included in our standard Building Survey but may be the subject of a separate instruction and fee if requested.
To save you time and for convenience, our reports are issued by email as digital pdf documents Should a hard printed copy of the report be required, this is charged at an additional £15 + VAT per report.
THE INSPECTION
Our surveyor will make such an examination of the structure as is practicable at the time of inspection, with a view to advising you of the principle features in the construction of the property and its apparent condition. We must point out, however, that this examination does not include those parts of the building that are concealed, unexposed or inaccessible.
Care and safety of the property, occupier and surveyor are paramount and the inspection will only include areas and elements without risk of damage or injury to these parties.
Furniture, contents and floor coverings are not moved or lifted by the surveyor.
The inspection falls outside the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 but will report on the visible presence of suspected asbestos-containing materials. Where we identify the building as having external cladding we will not comment upon the safety or other characteristics of the material, but will recommend further investigation of your legal and financial liability.
In our report we shall inform you generally of the extent of the examination we have carried out. If we are of the opinion that there is a material risk or defect or failure in the area that we have been unable to inspect, we shall advise you.
ACCESS HATCHES
During the course of the examination our surveyor will open all accessible unfixed hatches to roof and floor voids, and will carry out such examinations as are possible by the removal of access hatches to plumbing, boilers, tanks and other areas where the removal of such hatches will not cause damage to decorations or finishes.
THE ROOF
Roof slopes will be inspected from the property at ground level with the aid of field glasses or from an available public vantage point, and our surveyor will carry a ladder of some ten feet (3 metres). This will mean that he will be unable to inspect the back/inside of gutters or eaves where access cannot be obtained by the use of such a ladder from available vantage points. Interiors of accessible roof voids will be inspected with the aid of a torch.
WALLS AND FOUNDATIONS
The exposed elements of walls and brickwork will be inspected externally and internally as far as practicable, but it will not normally be possible to carry out any inspection of the foundations.
UNDERGROUND DRAINAGE
The surveyor will lift accessible inspection chamber cover to drains or septic tanks (where it is safe to do so and without causing damage) and observe the normal operation of the drains in everyday use. This will not be possible where properties are empty and drained down. The surveyor will not perform or comment on design calculations or compliance with current regulations. If the surveyor cannot inspect but reasonably expects a significant problem, recommendations for testing will be made.
OTHER SERVICES
A visual surface inspection of the other services, that is electrical, gas, plumbing, central heating, ventilation, renewable energy, above ground drainage and the like will be carried out. The surveyor will not perform or comment on design calculations, compliance with current regulations or test the service installations or appliances in any way, as this will require additional costs in some instances from a qualified specialist. If the surveyor reasonably expects a significant problem, recommendations for testing will be made. The surveyor does not comment on security systems.
OUTSIDE
The grounds, hard landscaping and any garden buildings with a mains service connection will be inspected as far as practicable and reported on. Boundary structures will also be inspected as far as practicable and reported on, but the Inspection does not include consideration of the position of the property boundaries. Simple timber garden sheds with no electric supply, leisure facilities e.g., hot tubs, swimming pools and their service installations are noted but will not be inspected or reported on.
It is beyond the scope of this service for the Surveyor to inspect beyond 14 meters of the subject building or outside the property’s boundaries for Japanese Knotweed or any invasive plant. It will not be possible to determine whether there is any hidden Japanese Knotweed present where it is concealed by bushes or vegetation or has been cut back to ground level. The Surveyor will not be able to establish if there is any Japanese Knotweed concealed beneath ground or structures such as sheds, garages etc.
REINSTATEMENT COST
An estimate for insurance purposes of the current cost of rebuilding the Property in its present form, unless otherwise stated, will be provided in the report. This includes the cost of rebuilding any garage and permanent out-building, site clearance and professional fees, but excludes VAT (except on fees).
POST SURVEY CONSULTATION
Upon request, our service fee includes up to a 20-minute telephone consultation with your surveyor following delivery of the report to discuss its findings. As surveyors are generally out on site, please arrange this with the Administration Team. This discussion should concentrate on specific questions that you have on the report and we request that those questions are prepared prior to the consultation. Should you require a longer consultation this can be arranged at an additional fee of £228 including VAT per hour or part thereof.
MARKET VALUE
(THIS IS AN OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL SERVICE THAT YOU HAVE NOT SELECTED)
This survey and report does not include a valuation of the property.
LIABILITY
The Report provided is solely for your use. No liability to anyone else is accepted. Should you not act upon specific, reasonable advice contained in the Report, no responsibility is accepted for the consequences.
INTRODUCTION AND REFERRAL
We reserve the right to make or receive payment or reward not exceeding 10% of the service fee at our discretion to or from any corporation, internet portal or individual who may introduce or refer business to us as part of a commercial relationship or to whom we may introduce or refer business.
RESTRICTIONS ON PUBLICATION
The Report is solely for your and your professional advisors use. The report is confidential to you, for the specific purpose to which it refers. Neither the whole or part of the report or any reference thereto may be included in any published document, circular or statement nor published in any way without written consent of Woodward Chartered Surveyors.
TERMS OF PAYMENT
The person accepting these terms is responsible for payment of the fee quoted prior to the report being issued.
We accept payment by debit/credit card following the link on the quotation form or by electronic and telephone banking direct to our account name Woodward Chartered Surveyors: Sort Code 30-93-92 Account number 29091268. QUOTING THE PROPERTY TO BE SURVEYED.
If transferring funds from a foreign account, you must include both your and our bank charges.
Fees received in advance of completion of the report will not be held as client money and will not be subject to the protection of the RICS Client Money Protection Scheme.
CANCELLATION & REFUND POLICY
Right to cancel
You have the right to cancel this contract within 14 days without giving any reason. The cancellation period will expire after 14 days from the day of the commencement of the contract.
To exercise the right to cancel, you must inform us of your decision to cancel this contract by a clear statement by letter to Woodward Chartered Surveyors, Batchworth Lock House, 99 Church Street, Rickmansworth, WD3 1JJ or email to surveys@woodwardsurveyors.co.uk. A model cancellation form for you to print and use can be found at
www.woodwardsurveyors.co.uk/modelcancellationform.html but it is not obligatory.
To meet the cancellation deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right to cancel before the cancellation period has expired.
By signing the box below "I agree to the above terms...." you are specifically requesting us to carry out your survey as soon as possible and that we begin the performance of services at the earliest opportunity during the cancellation period.
Effects of cancellation
If you cancel this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you. We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to cancel this contract. We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of the reimbursement.
As you requested the performance of services to begin during the cancellation period, in the event of cancellation you shall pay us an amount which is in proportion to what has been performed until you have communicated to us your cancellation from this contract, in comparison with the full coverage of the contract. This will be calculated at £228 per hour including VAT for surveyor’s time including travel and £84 per hour for administrators or secretarial time, but will never be more than the full cost of the contract agreed.
Inappropriate report type or construction
We will be entitled not to proceed if, after arriving at the Property, our surveyor concludes that it is a) inappropriate for this type of survey or b) of a type of construction in which the surveyor has insufficient specialist knowledge to report on satisfactorily. In either case we will refund any money paid by you. Should the Surveyor conclude that it is not in your interest to proceed with the report as to do so may exaggerate your liability to fees (an RICS Protocol followed by all Chartered Surveyors), the Surveyor will inform you accordingly and our abortive fee invoice will be calculated at £228 including VAT per hour worked but no more than two thirds of the original fee quoted.
COMPLAINTS
We are Regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. We aim to provide a high quality service in all respects. However, if you have a formal complaint, please write to Douglas Snell and ask for our written Complaint Handling Procedure.
DATA PROTECTION
We are registered with the Information Commissioner Office (number ZA289760) for retention of Data. We will not sell your data to a third party. We will only retain and share your data in the pursuit of the service you have requested, any other service we offer, with our professional advisors and in compliance with UK law. Our Privacy Statement is published on our website www.woodwardsurveyors.co.uk/privacy-policy.html. Your right to access your data and details can be found at ico.org.uk.
