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HOME CONDITION REPORTS
The Home Condition Report has been developed by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) to provide a succinct overview of a residential property. It is designed for a surveyor to carry out a relatively short, surface-level inspection of a building and highlight any areas of significant concern in their report.
At HardingBond we have conducted Condition Reports for numerous clients across Sussex, Kent and London. Based on years of experience, we recommend these surveys to a wide range of properties, providing they have been built after the 1960s and haven't been substantially altered, extended or allowed to fall into disrepair.
If you are buying a home that seems to be in a good state of repair, a Condition Report is ideal for raising any concerns before you exchange contracts. Even those buying a new-build home can enjoy the peace of mind from a survey coming back with the all-clear. Should a structural problem be discovered, a separate, specific report is recommended for a thorough investigation.
In older buildings, or those that have undergone significant renovation, we would expect to find a number of defects which would not be sufficiently covered by the scope of a Condition Report. These would be more suited to a comprehensive Building Survey.
If you aren’t sure which survey you require, please get in touch and we would be happy to help. Our friendly team can go through the property details and provide a free quote for the service or services that is most appropriate.
What does a Home Condition Report entail?
A Condition Report is produced by a RICS-certified surveyor, and contains a ‘overview’ of the property on the date of inspection. It will detail the construction and condition of the building, defects that need urgent attention or pose a serious hazard, and any features which need further investigation as a priority.
During the survey, the surveyor will inspect the interior and exterior of the building, including the roof space (viewed from the access hatch), and any visible utility systems. A Condition Report is a visual assessment only, and therefore doesn’t involve the surveyor moving floor coverings, wall hangings or inaccessible areas. The roofline and chimney will only be inspected from ground-level.
The report is presented using a traffic light system to indicate the severity of any issues found, and if an area of the property cannot be sufficiently inspected, the surveyor should make a note of this.
