Structural Surveys

Building surveys and/or Homebuyers reports tend to be completed by a Chartered Surveyor to RICS or SAVA standards. Whilst certainly valid and an important part of the due diligence process, a Surveyor’s report will tend to highlight general issues with the property such as insulation, superficial material problems, rot, damp and planning permissions. A structural survey however is different.

Your structural survey relates specifically to the integrity of your walls, roof supports, foundations, drains and other major structural components that would significantly affect the durability and safety of your property eg retaining walls. These are major issues caused by either a lack of care, poor workmanship and could potentially cost thousands of pounds to put right. In the worst case these issues could lead to huge amounts of damage to your property.

A Structural Engineer can visit your property either during the due diligence phase for your own peace-of-mind to determine whether there are any structural issues with the property. Common symptoms of structural issues are:

• Cracks in walls either inside or outside

• Doors that are sticking

• Windows that have buckled and no-longer open

• Obvious bends or skews of door and window frames

• Sloping floors

To find out whether you need a structural survey for your home, complete the form below and a member of the ADS team will be in touch within 1 working day.