Bristol Chartered Surveyors

Almost certainly the answer is yes, virtually all properties have faults. Even new buildings can have problems.

A purchase made on the basis that everything appears in order can be an expensive assumption in the fullness of time. If defects are discovered early, the potential cost can be used to renegotiate or warn clients  against an unsuitable property.

Many buyers believe a valuation for mortgage purposes is a survey. It is not. Comments are limited to those considered necessary to protect the lender's interest. An independent condition report or survey will provide a more comprehensive report on which to make a purchase decision.

This depends on age, type and value of the property. We are happy to provide a fixed price verbal quote or quote by email.

Our reports are typically provided in PDF format by email within 24 to 72 hours of the inspection.

RICS is short for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors promotes and enforces the highest professional qualifications and standards in the development and management of land, real estate, construction and infrastructure.

When you select a surveyor with RICS credentials, you are choosing a business that guarantees the standards of the organisation. 

There are many highly experienced and skilled surveyors who do not choose to become accredited through RICS for a wide range of reasons personal to that surveyor in question.

An RICS entry level report for property of a conventional nature and relatively modern age, built from common material and appearing in reasonable condition.

The Condition Report focuses purely on the condition of the property setting out clear traffic lights and number ratings regarding the condition of each element.

A mid-range service predominantly for property conventional in construction and type and appearing in reasonable condition.

An intermediate Level 2  RICS Survey. The survey comments on the condition and provides an assessment of the relative importance of defects through condition rating. The HomeBuyer Report is a concise report not likely to be appropriate for older or historic buildings, properties in poor condition or unusual design or construction.

A Level 3 report is a detailed report regarding the overall condition of a building. 

It is suitable for the majority of property types, especially older buildings, listed buildings, and buildings where various extensions have taken place or are unusual in construction.

We normally find the majority of our clients are the intended purchaser of a property. The purchaser of the property is nearly always the one who arranges and pays for the residential survey to take place.

In the vast majority of circumstances, a property survey is undertaken after an offer has been accepted by the seller. A survey can also be undertaken prior to an offer being made e.g. when a property is being sold through auction, or an assessment of the condition is required prior to the offer.

Once you have made contact with us, we can discuss the property concerned, look at the online property details, and any other specific requirements you may have.  We will then consider the most appropriate/cost-effective type of survey, provide you with a price and anticipated timescale for the survey to be undertaken.

We cover the whole of Bristol and surrounding areas including:

Thornbury, Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Portishead, Clevedon, Backwell, and Nailsea.

If you are considering purchasing a residential property near these areas, and we haven't covered your property location please feel free to still make contact with us.

In May 2022, there were 207,140 homes in Bristol. Bristol City Council is working towards ensuring that 2,000 homes are built in Bristol each year. 1000 of these are affordable.

In 2020/21, 1,589 new homes were built in Bristol.

Bristol Household tenure: 53% Owner occupied, 29% Private Rented, and 18% Social Rented.

Average house prices in January 2022 in Bristol were £333,000 compared to £287,000 in England and Wales.

In 2021 Bristol has a 'housing affordability ratio' of 9.71, which means that the average house price is almost 10 times average earnings. 

This is higher than the England average of 8.96, and the highest of all of the English Core Cities (which all have ratios lower than the national average)

The employment rate in Bristol is the highest of the UK core cities and well above the national rate at 74.8%.

In 2021 average earnings in Bristol were £32,885 a year. (up from £31,900 in 2020) compared to £31,866 in Great Britain.

There are big things happening in terms of transport within Bristol, as the city has secured a £191m settlement over the next 5 years to improve local bus services, cycling, and walking infrastructure.

The Clean Air Zone came into effect in the Autumn of 2022.

Bristol has a skilled workforce with a high proportion of graduates and students living in the city. 

There are 150 schools in Bristol inspected by OFSTED (March 2022), 122 schools i.e. 81.3% are rated as Good or above for overall effectiveness.

11 UK Core Cities: Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield.

Bristol has a coal mining history, and within the city, there were significant and substantial areas that were mined.

Coal was an important fuel for heating homes and providing power historically for Bristol's expanding industries.

We consider coal mining to be something that prospective purchasers should be aware of as part of their property-buying process.

Radon gas is an issue that can affect buildings of any type, size, age, or location. Many people are unaware of the risks associated with radon and are surprised to learn that their property may be affected by something which they cannot see or smell.