As the party planning the works, you will have complete control over whom the surveyor you appoint and what they charge. You will either agree a fixed fee or an hourly rate. The same cannot be said of your neighbour’s surveyor (if you cannot agree on an Agreed Surveyor) as he is chosen by your neighbour and is not required to state his fee until just before the award is published. If you or your surveyor consider the fee demanded to be unreasonable, it should be referred to the ‘Third Surveyor’ for review although this will incur a further fee and take another couple of weeks. The Third Surveyor is selected by the two appointed surveyors at the start of the process to resolve disputes.

Party wall disputes? Here are some tips: In most cases, if the adjoining does not respond within 14 days then a deemed dispute is said to have occurred and the person carrying out the work must appoint a surveyor to act on the adjoining owners behalf. If adjoining owners provide written consent to the works as set out within the notices, then there is no dispute to resolve and no further need for party wall surveyors or, indeed, the Party Wall Act. Assuming work proceeds as detailed within the notice and no damage is caused, then no further involvement is necessary. Resolving Disputes: If adjoining owners dissent to the works (or if no response is received and a deemed dissent has arisen) then a dispute has occurred which must be resolved under the requirements of Section 10 of The Act. It is worth reiterating that the Act is one of enablement, it is not there to prevent works from taking place and it offers a route to end disputes at every stage. Where written agreement is not given, the solution the Act provides is for both parties to appoint an ‘agreed surveyor’ who will act impartially or for each owner to appoint a surveyor who in turn appoint a third surveyor. The surveyors then work together to agree the terms under which work may proceed. The surveyor(s) will review the plans, notices and structural details of the works and, after considering the impact of the works, will draw up an agreement which sets out the terms under which work can be carried out (the Award).

It might seem obvious, but it’s important that you carry out a thorough clean and tidy of your entire home before the surveyor arrives. Tidying up also gives you the opportunity to rearrange your home so that the significant selling points are exposed for when your potential buyers arrive for the first time. Overall, tidying makes it easier for the surveyor to do their work.

Likewise your property may be scouted by buy-to-let investors who are looking for a quick sale without too much trouble, or who are looking for a ‘ready’ home that they can move tenants into straight away. Try to put yourself in the shoes of your next potential buyer. Ask yourself these questions; can I move in here straight away? Will it cost me to make immediate repairs? Are these issues easily fixed? Am I willing to conduct any DIY or have repairs made by a technician?

The RICS Building Survey is well suited to unusual properties, older or non-standard construction properties were buildings which are away from the status quo. They are most typically commissioned for older properties whether listed or not and are valuable for understanding the common issued associated with their original methods of construction, as well as giving new owners advice on the best methods to preserve or maintain their condition and rectify problems before they become devastating to the property. Where our traditional building stock has been modernised, altered or extended a RICS Building Survey will be able to investigate if these modern methods of construction are affecting the traditionally built building such as PVC or Cement, which in modern houses designed to be kept dry function surprisingly well but in older traditional stock designed to have breathability there inclusion can lead to all sorts of moisture retention and this can lead to rot or beetle infestation. Read extra info at Party Wall Surveyor Herne Bay.

Ok so I should never serve notices myself? Actually that is not what we are saying we are just saying weigh up what it could potentially cost you if you get it wrong and if you don’t really understand what your doing its probably cheaper and easier to get a Party Wall Surveyor to do it for you. We have provided DIY templates in the notices section at the top of the website for you to easily fill out if you know what you are doing these are based of Facility of Party Wall Surveyors documents and include our details for easy appointments should you need a party wall surveyor. Should you need an expert Party Wall Surveyor Kent or generally on party wall matters please don’t hesitate to contact us on 01843 808184 or email us at info@home-heroes.co.uk or use our contact form on the website.

Party Wall Surveyors, will deal with disputes by issuing an Award. Party Wall Award(s) are ways of dealing with disputes under the Party Wall etc. Act. At Home Heroes we are able to work on your behalf both before the need for a party wall surveyor by preparing and serving notice and once a dispute is deemed, we have experience working as building owners, adjoining owners and even an agreed surveyor. A HomeBuyer Report is a survey suitable for conventional properties in reasonable condition. Costs start at 400 on average. This will help you find out if there are any structural problems, such as subsidence or damp, as well as any other unwelcome hidden issues inside and outside. As one of the most comprehensive surveys available, more often than not a building survey will be requested by potential buyers of your property. It is a wide range inspection of the entirety of a property done in more specific depth than a Homebuyers Report or a Mortgage Valuation. A Building Survey’s purpose is to give a detailed report of the condition of the property in question.

Home and building survey tips and tricks : Go back to your Roots, Trees next to your home can give a lovely ‘rural’ feel to the property, and we love them, she even has a pear tree growing right outside her house. But, she didn’t buy the property without checking first that the roots weren’t causing any structural damage to the property’s foundations. Once you’ve done all the checks – check again in six months time! Homes move, they leak, they get broken, every day of the week. It might be after a storm, after you have had some work done, or just because they are buildings that, just like us, need maintaining in good health. Your home is probably your most expensive asset – you wouldn’t not change the tyres on your car or let it go for years without a service, your home is the same, just a lot more valuable, so TAKE CARE OF IT! See additional details on https://www.home-heroes.co.uk/.