We carry out the remedial work as well as the survey, so you are entitled to ask whether the survey exists to sell you the work. It does not. What you are paying for here is the diagnosis and the written report, and that report tells you what does not need doing as plainly as what does.
The price you see is the price you pay. The survey fee is agreed in writing before we attend and does not change afterwards, whatever we find. There is one optional extra, an invasive inspection, and it is never carried out unless you agree to it on the day.
Which one is my property
The price follows how long the building takes to inspect properly, which
in practice means how much of it there is. Pick by what you want looked
at, not by what you think is wrong: that is our job to work out.
Localised damp survey
£215
One or two rooms
A specific problem in a specific place: one damp wall, one stained ceiling, one room with mould.
The rest of the property is not inspected, so if the cause turns out to sit elsewhere we will say so and tell you what a wider look would cost. We do not simply widen the survey and bill you for it.
Invasive checks, if needed: £85. If we find something on site that can only be settled by opening up, we carry the tools for it: small incisions in plaster, a length of skirting off, a floorboard lifted. Agreed with you before we start, never after.
Full house survey
£295
Up to three bedrooms
Most semis and terraces. A whole property inspected inside and out, whether or not you have spotted a problem in every room.
This is the right choice before a purchase, for a landlord facing a complaint, or when damp has appeared in more than one place and you do not yet know whether they are related.
Invasive checks, if needed: £85. If we find something on site that can only be settled by opening up, we carry the tools for it: small incisions in plaster, a length of skirting off, a floorboard lifted. Agreed with you before we start, never after.
Large property survey
From £375
Four to five bedrooms
Larger houses, which take longer to inspect properly rather than being harder.
The figure moves with the size of the building and how much of it is accessible. We confirm the exact fee in writing before we attend, and it does not move afterwards.
Invasive checks, if needed: £85. If we find something on site that can only be settled by opening up, we carry the tools for it: small incisions in plaster, a length of skirting off, a floorboard lifted. Agreed with you before we start, never after.
Very large or period property
From £450
Six or more bedrooms, heavily extended, or listed and period
Buildings where the construction itself is the complication: multiple build eras, cellars, outbuildings, extensions meeting original fabric.
Quoted individually after we know what the building is. Ask and we will give you a figure, not a range, before you commit to anything.
Invasive checks, if needed: £85. If we find something on site that can only be settled by opening up, we carry the tools for it: small incisions in plaster, a length of skirting off, a floorboard lifted. Agreed with you before we start, never after.
If you are between two bands, take the smaller one and
ask. We will tell you on site if it needs to be wider, and what that
would cost, before doing anything.
What every survey includes, whichever band
A qualified surveyor on site for as long as the property takes, not a fixed appointment slot
Calibrated moisture readings taken to depth, not surface readings from a pin meter
Surface temperature and humidity readings where condensation has to be excluded rather than assumed
External inspection: ground levels, drainage, gutters, pointing, roof junctions and anything else feeding water into the building
A written report within 24 hours of the visit, with photographs and the readings behind every conclusion
A clear statement of what does not need doing, and where a quote you are holding goes beyond the defect
A specification detailed enough to take to other contractors, whether or not you ask us to price the work
What is not on the invoice
Nothing is added for travel
Anywhere across our Kent and South East coverage, the agreed fee is the fee. Fuel, tolls and parking are our problem, not a line on your invoice. Properties inside London are surveyed by our sister practice, ATi Damp Survey, and priced the same way.
Evenings and weekends cost no more
We work around tenants and working days as a matter of course. There is no out of hours premium.
A second visit, if you need one
If you need us back after works to verify what was done, that is a shorter visit and priced accordingly. It is never assumed or added automatically.
Questions about the price
You do the works as well. What stops the survey finding something?
A report you can check. Every conclusion in it is shown with the readings and the photographs it rests on, so a finding you did not expect is one you can put in front of another surveyor and have tested. It also says plainly what does not need doing, and where a quote you are already holding goes further than the defect. You are never obliged to use us for the remedial work, and the specification is written to be priced by anybody.
I have damp in one room of a four bedroom house. Which band?
Start with the localised survey at £215. If the cause is where the damp is, that is the whole job and you have paid the smallest fee that answers the question. If the readings point somewhere else in the building, we will tell you on site what a full survey would cost and you can decide there and then. We would rather sell you the £215 twice than the £375 once for no reason.
What if you find nothing wrong?
The fee is the same, and the report is arguably worth more. Establishing that a property does not have a damp problem is a real finding, and it is the one that saves people the most money, whether that is a purchase that proceeds or a quote that gets refused. You are paying for the inspection and the written conclusion, not for a list of defects.
Can the price change after you arrive?
The survey fee cannot, including if the property turns out to be larger or more awkward than described. The only way your total ends up higher than the band price is if you agree on the day to an invasive inspection, which starts at £85 for the visit. We will only suggest it where opening up would actually change the conclusion, and if it would not we will tell you that instead.