Expert advice and tips on hiring surveyors in the UK.
How to recognise woodworm, why you should find out whether it is still active before paying for treatment, who to ask and what surveys and treatment typically cost.
How to tell dry rot from wet rot, why the moisture source has to be fixed first, who should survey it and what dry rot and wet rot repairs typically cost.
Why buildings insurance is based on rebuild cost rather than market value, how to use the free calculator, when a surveyor's assessment is worth paying for and what it costs.
What an EWS1 form is, when a mortgage valuer may ask for one, what the ratings mean, who can sign it and what the new RICS standard from 1 November 2026 changes.
What an RICS Red Book valuation is, when you need one instead of an estate agent's figure or a lender's valuation, how to check the valuer and what it costs in 2026.
Why spray foam in a loft can stop a lender lending, what a valuer and an independent inspection look for, the paperwork that helps and when removal makes sense.
Who can carry out a Help to Buy valuation, the Homes England criteria the report must meet, how long it lasts, what to do if it expires and what the valuation typically costs.
How a right to light is gained, why it is separate from planning rules such as the 45 degree guideline, what you can do about a blocking extension and how a surveyor helps.
How to value a house for probate and Inheritance Tax, whether an estate agent or a chartered surveyor should do it, what HMRC may check and what a probate valuation costs.
How property auctions work, why the survey, legal pack and finance must be sorted before you bid, what conditional and unconditional sales mean and the extra fees to check.
What an independent damp survey involves, why a free survey from a damp proofing firm is not the same thing, who to hire and what it typically costs.
What people now mean by a structural survey, how it differs from a structural engineer's report, which one you need and what each costs.
What a mortgage valuation checks, how long it takes, what it costs, why it is not a survey and what to do if it comes in below your offer.
The signs of subsidence, which cracks are usually harmless, what to do first, and how a subsidence survey and repair usually work.
What a new build snagging survey costs, what the inspector checks, your right to an inspection before completion and how to get snags fixed.
What a Home Report in Scotland contains, what it typically costs in 2026, who pays and how long it stays valid once your home is for sale.
How surveyors grade Japanese knotweed, what the law says, what mortgage lenders usually ask for and what a specialist survey and treatment cost.
What a topographical survey records, when a homeowner needs one, how it helps with boundaries and how to brief a land surveyor.
What dilapidations are, the documents and deadlines at the end of a commercial lease, and how a dilapidations surveyor helps tenants and landlords.
How to use your survey report to renegotiate the price or ask for repairs before exchange, and what to do if the seller says no.
How to choose a chartered surveyor. The letters to look for, what RICS regulation gives you, and the questions to ask before you book.
What a house survey costs in the UK, what pushes the price up or down, and how to compare quotes from local surveyors fairly.
Level 2 or Level 3? A plain guide to what each RICS home survey covers, which homes each one suits, and how to choose with confidence.
When the Party Wall Act applies to your building work, when you must appoint a party wall surveyor, who pays, and what it tends to cost.
A survey is optional when you buy a house, but a mortgage valuation will not protect you. Here is when you need one and who arranges it.
How long a house survey takes on the day, how long the report takes to arrive, and how to stop the survey holding up your purchase.
