Buying a new home can be a daunting prospect – but the experienced surveyors at LHL are here to make the process as simple and trouble-free as possible. Under our Lightly & Lightly brand, we have been helping people to buy new properties for more than 25 years.
Our chartered building surveyors provide independent advice, a comprehensive range of surveys, valuations and other related services to support your residential property purchase.
With offices in Doncaster, Harrogate, Hull, Newcastle and York, we are well placed to serve home buyers across Yorkshire, the North East and beyond.
Home Surveys
LHL GROUP are now offering the new standard of home survey reports which have recently been launched by the RICS.
The new RICS Home Survey Standard came into effect on 1 March 2021 and replaces the reports which were known as homebuyer reports.
The two most common RICS reports that we have been providing since the launch are:
- RICS Home Survey Level 2 (survey only)
- RICS Home Survey Level 2 (survey and valuation)
The RICS Home Survey – Level 2 (survey only)
Choose this report if you need more extensive information whilst buying or selling a conventional house, flat or bungalow, built from common building materials and in reasonable condition. The focus is on assessing the general condition of the main elements of a property. This intermediate level of service includes a more extensive visual inspection of the building, its services and grounds, but still without tests. Concealed areas normally opened or used by the occupiers are inspected if it is safe to do so (typical examples include roof spaces, basements and cellars). The report objectively describes the condition of the different elements and provides an assessment of the relative importance of the defects/problems. Ask your surveyor for a detailed ‘Description of the RICS Home Survey Level 2 (survey only) document.
The RICS Home Survey – Level 2 (survey and valuation)
As the RICS Home Survey – Level 2 above but includes: • the surveyor’s professional opinion on the ‘market value’ of the property • an insurance reinstatement figure for the property • a list of problems that the surveyor considers may affect the value of the property. Ask your surveyor for a detailed ‘Description of the RICS Home Survey Level 2 (survey and valuation) document.
Buying a Home
It’s important to remember that your mortgage lender’s valuation report is not a survey. It merely tells your lender whether or not the property is reasonable security for your loan. An RICS survey will tell you the actual condition of the property. That’s vital information that can be invaluable during price negotiations, and will also help you avoid expensive surprises after you’ve moved in. There is an option for an RICS Home Survey – Level 2 (with valuation) which, as the name suggests, also includes a valuation as a standard part of the service for your own purposes
Please contact us to discuss your specific survey requirements and obtain a quotation for a survey. You can contact us by phone, email, or simply by filling out our contact us enquiry form within our residential surveys section on our website.
Superstructure Survey
This survey was specially designed by Lightly & Lightly. It provides a surveyor’s report for properties where a full building survey is considered to be inappropriate or unnecessary. The scope of the report is strictly limited to the main structural elements of the building.
The Superstructure Survey does not generally give an opinion on market value or the cost of reinstatement for buildings insurance.
Building Survey
This is a detailed survey, which we offer for all types of property of all ages. It includes:
- An examination of the fabric of the building, subject to access.
- Information on services, finishes and fittings, as well as the structure.
- An opinion on market value and an assessment of the cost of reinstatement for buildings insurance.
- Guidance notes for rectification of defects identified and future maintenance recommendations.