Specialist Reports

If you have a full building survey carried out, the surveyor may recommend that you commission a specialist report to examine any serious problem in detail. The specialist concerned can be a structural engineer, or an expert in damp treatment or timber preservation. You may well benefit from the specialist opinion if the property:

• Is very run down
• Has been empty for a long time
• Has suffered subsidence in the past or is in a terrace where subsidence has occurred to neighbouring dwellings
• Is a conversion (say from and oast house or a barn)
• Has had several extensions added

A general surveyor will usually be able to recommend a specialist company that could undertake the survey. Agree a price beforehand, though timber and damp treatment firms should provide a free full report and quote at the same time for any action they recommend.