The Concise Survey has been designed in-house and in terms of content and report format sits between the basic letter-form/mortgage valuation type survey and the Homebuyer Survey and Valuation (HSV).

Whilst the HSV report is a very comprehensive document, it is a fact that to get the most out of it, it needs to be read in detail as the majority of the description on defect items is in the headed sections such as walls/roof/floors/ceilings etc, along with the description of how the walls/roof/floors/ceilings are constructed. With the Concise Survey, we have listened to feedback from customers and taken a slightly different approach to the way the report is laid. We have found that whilst everybody wants to know exactly what is wrong with the property they are looking to buy, not everybody particularly wants to know how every single part of it has been put together.

For this reason, in the Concise Survey report we provide a brief description of what the property is and how it has been constructed at the start. We then deal with important specific items such as Legal Matters and Environmental Factors. We describe the property’s accommodation and comment on potentially significant defects such as Structural Movement, Dampness and Timber Defects. We include specific headed sections on the Services and comment on the likely thermal performance of the property. We highlight any obvious works that may have required Building Regulations and/or Planning Permission and finally we provide two numbered lists of defect items under the headings ‘Essential Repairs’ and 'General Repairs'. The report is then summarised in a short Overall Opinion. This is followed by our opinion of the Market Value and an Insurance Reinstatement Cost Valuation.

In terms of inspection, the Concise Survey and HSV are identical. We carry out dampness tests, inspect roof voids and lift drain covers where possible regardless of which report format is chosen. However, we can offer the Concise Survey at a significant cost saving over the HSV as its report format is easier to work with and a report physically takes less time to produce. For this reason, we believe it is fantastic value for money and perfectly suited to the purchaser on a budget or who simply doesn’t feel they want to read all of the description provided in the HSV.