Property Surveys
It is important when buying a property in Spain to know what problems if any you may be acquiring and potential future liabilities. Spanish property construction is very varied and can range from rubble stone wall construction with timber floor and roof structures to concrete frame buildings constructed to the latest standards with intense development taking place in Spain during times of property booms with in many areas little in the way of effective building control. Moisture ingress is a significant problem in Spanish construction together with settlement particular in areas with clay substrata problems that can be concealed with careful temporary repairs. These are issues that the Survey will attempt to reveal.
We undertake two types of report a Home Condition Report and a Building Survey Report, the inspection is undertaken by a Chartered Surveyor a current member of the RICS and a Registered Valuer. The most commonly requested and relevant type of surveys for most clients is the Home Condition Report -
Home Condition Report
The report will provide a general opinion on quality and condition of the fabric of the building highlighting defects with suggested remedies so that a client can make an informed decision on a purchase and to assist with negotiations including an indication of value
The survey is based on a visual inspection and is in several sections
- Structural Movement both to the house and to external areas both internal and external
- Moisture ingress, the property is checked internally with a moisture detector and visually to find if moisture is present, the extent, likely cause and recommendations to resolve any problems
- Check for insect attack and rot to timbers and to report on the extent and make recommendations
- Check the services undertaking socket tests (at random to all areas) and general electricity. Flush testing of water services, noting low pressure, poor drainage etc
- Checking functionality of machinery, kitchen equipment, heating and air conditioning ect (it should be noted that we cannot guarantee that they are functioning to specification and will function again the next time they are used)
- Reporting on defects to most aspects of the building including, roof structure, gutters, walls, doors, windows, floors, internal joinery etc.
- Reporting on the condition of external items such as garages, pools, boundaries etc
As part of the survey report we give an opinion of value, constructed areas are checked on site and compared with those registered. Comparables are obtained of property for sale in the vicinity and any sales information that we are aware of and compared with the property for for sale and to give an opinion of a fair open market value. Unlike in the UK there is no accessible property register giving details of sold property. We do not comment on the legality of the buildings, this is a matter for the lawyer to discover. The valuation is undertaken within the guidelines provided by the RICS.
Our Report provides a comprehensive list supported by photographs of any defects, plans if available, aerial view of the property and comments on the likely causes and possible solutions. The report is issued in pdf format and will include photographs. An example of a typical report can be provided if requested.
Building Survey Report
The building survey report is similar to the Home Condition Report, again is a based on a visual survey but looks at the structure of the building in more detail and is usually undertaken where there is a structural issue which needs to be reported upon or where the property is particularly old. The Building Survey Report does not include an opinion of value.
Reports are subject to standard terms of engagement and we would normally be able to undertake the survey inspection within three working days from receipt of your instruction to proceed, subject to access arrangements being confirmed.
