What is a Level 3 Home Survey?

A level 3 Home Survey inspection is used to assess a pre-owned home whether that's a flat or a house.

It serves to highlight defects and provide information on the repair required to resolve the issue and consequences of not doing so. On-going maintenance is also mentioned. It is best used for properties in disrepair or those that are older requiring a deeper assessment given the likelihood of defects.

The turnaround time for the Level 3 report is between 5 to 7 working days from the date of inspection.

What's included in the inspection?

The inspection will include a visual and non-intrusive assessment of the property elements that exclusively serve it. A more general assessment will take place for any shared elements.

In practice, a Level 3 survey is typically instructed to assess homes of any age and type. The report will also contain a dedicated section for further investigations and budget costings.

An assessment of elements listed below will take place, if present:

Case Study

North London, Haringey N4

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External

Chimney stacks

Roofs

Rainwater goods

Walls

Windows

Doors

Joinery and fences

Balconies or terraces

Internal

Attic space

Ceilings

Walls

Floors

Chimney breasts

Kitchen

Joinery (door, skirting board etc)

Bathroom

Thermal matters are empthasised in this level of report.

With regards to services, we will attempt to operate the lights, heating and view drainage by running the taps. This shouldn't be mistaken for tests. Additional tests and inspections should be undertaken before committing to purchase.

White goods will not be tested. If this is important, ensure you clarify their condition at the time of viewing or instruct a technician for a detailed assessment.

Any concerns or suspected asbestos will be highlighted however this can only be clarified via specialist testing. An asbestos sampling contractor will need to be instructed.

The inspection of damp and mould is a common undertaking of any survey. Specialist contractors will only be recommended where additional intrusive inspection and/or treatment is required.

Client instructed a Level 3 Home Survey of a Victorian mid terrace house which was in poor condition.

The elderly owner was unable to maintain the property for several years before their passing where damaged roof coverings, windows, doors, walls, floors and staircase were noted. The lack of ventilation and heating also contributed to the property’s poor condition creating mould and dampness.

Of all the defects found, we noted what looked like small and friable roots to a wall internally near an external door. Following investigation, we concluded the strands are as a consequence of ‘Dry rot’ which is a type of fungi that forms on timber in moist and unventilated spaces. In this instance, it was suspected to have originated from the timber floor joists below and up the wall in search of nutrients.

We believe the rot to have formed due to water ingress via the external door and wall abutment resulting in the internal wall and floor joists below to become damp. The general state of the property also supported evidence of a lack of ventilation to the space which created an environment for the rot to form.

The client was advised of all issues, with the presence of ‘Dry rot’ emphasised as this can have widespread structural implications. Further investigations were recommended in the interim to quantify the extent of dry rot spread which was hidden from view.

The investigation was to include a staged approach to removing floorboards and sections of plaster from the walls. This way, the client can consider the true financial outlay required, without unnecessarily stripping the place at this stage.

What does this mean?

Whilst the presence of dry rot is serious, the matter should be considered in context.

Our client had instructed a survey of a visibly unmaintained property with various elements in disrepair, both externally and internally. They were therefore expecting to undertake extensive refurbishment, in contrast to a client who instructs a survey at a lived in home not expecting much in the way of issues, let alone significant ones.

Therefore, our immediate recommendation was not to suggest pulling away from the deal, but understanding how much more money and time it would take to resolve the issue of dry rot, whilst accepting all the remaining issues that were still significant in their own regard (and were quantifiable work which can be relatively easily resolved by experienced contractors, notwithstanding the financial cost to the client).

Furthermore, a staged approach to an intrusive investigation would limit the client’s additional time and cost investment, on top of what they have already spent to get to this point.

N.B. The remaining issues have not been discussed so not to take away from the main message above which is the importance of additional investigations, and providing unbiased advice based on context.

N.B. The property had not been updated/improved over the years. In our opinion the extensive refurbishment would trigger the need for building control approval for the majority of elements.