The terms on which this service will be undertaken are set out below.

Artificial Intelligence - The report will be created to be read by and understood by a real life person. We will not respond to questions or emails regarding your survey if they have been generated by an AI. While AI can be a useful tool in certain situations, an AI often generates overly complicated or irrelevant responses and as a business, we do not have time to pick apart pages full of errors that have been generated on your behalf by an AI. You are urged to read the report yourself, if you do not understand its content, please ask a friend or family member. If you are still unsure, please either call or email but please be aware, AI content is very easy to spot and will be ignored if received. 

The surveyor may use anonymised photographs or video recordings taken during inspections for training, educational or marketing purposes. No personal information or identifying details will be disclosed.

You agree for BuildPerception Property Surveyors to liaise direct with the estate agent and/or vendor to arrange access to carry out a building survey on your behalf. You agree to pay BuildPerception Property Surveyors the quoted amount in exchange for the service that you have selected, details of which have been emailed to you separately. 
Payment
Payment is via bank transfer and is not due until the day of the survey inspection.

Cancellation
You may cancel your survey free of charge up until 48 hours before the inspection is due to take place. A £50 cancellation fee may be applied if you cancel within 48 hours of the scheduled inspection.  Cancellation is not possible once the survey inspection has taken place. The price of the survey is based upon the information that you have provided prior to receiving the quote. If any of the details entered differ from the actual details of the property transaction, then the difference in price will be payable before the report is issued. If you subsequently decide to cancel the survey, then you may be charged a cancellation fee of £50 plus any costs that have already been incurred. 

General

Based on the inspection as defined below, the surveyor is a qualified surveyor who will provide you with a written report that describes their opinion of the visible condition and state of repair of the identified property. The surveyor will carry out their duties with the skill and care that can be reasonably expected from an experienced surveyor.
Assumptions
Unless otherwise expressly agreed with the surveyor, while preparing the report the surveyor will assume that:
1. the property (if for sale) is offered with vacant possession
2. the property is connected to mains services with appropriate rights on a basis that is both
known and acceptable to you; and
3. access to the property is as of right based on terms both known and acceptable to you.
Dangerous materials, contamination and environmental issues
The surveyor makes no inquiries about contamination or other environmental dangers. If they suspect a problem, they will recommend further investigations.
The surveyor will assume that no harmful or dangerous materials have been used in the construction, and they do not have a duty to justify making this assumption. However, if the inspection shows that these materials have been used, the surveyor will report this. The surveyor does not carry out an asbestos inspection or act as an asbestos inspector when inspecting properties that may fall within the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. With flats, it is assumed there is a 'dutyholder' (as defined in the Regulations), an asbestos register and an effective management plan all in place and none of these presents a significant risk to health or need any immediate payment. The surveyor does not consult the dutyholder. The surveyor will note the presence of lead water supply pipes and give general advice if these materials can be seen. However, you must appreciate that materials are often concealed within the construction of the building. If the surveyor is concerned about lead pipes they can see, they may recommend a specialist inspection and report. The surveyor will advise if there are transformer stations or overhead power lines that they can see during the normal course of the inspection. If present, they cannot assess any possible effect on health. For obvious reasons, the surveyor cannot report on any underground cables.
Consents, approvals and searches
The surveyor will assume that the property is not subject to any unusual or especially onerous restrictions or covenants, which apply to the structure or affect the reasonable enjoyment of the property. The surveyor will assume that all building regulations, planning permissions and other consents required have been obtained. In the case of new buildings, alterations and extensions which require statutory consents or approvals, the surveyor will not verify whether these have been obtained but will identify where these consents may have been required. You should ask your legal adviser to follow up on these matters. The surveyor will not inspect drawings and specifications unless you specifically ask. The surveyor will assume that the property is unaffected by any matters which would be revealed by a local search and replies to the usual inquiries, or by a statutory notice, and that neither the property, nor its condition, its use or its intended use, is or will be unlawful.
Restriction on disclosure
The report is for your private and confidential use. You must not reproduce it completely or in part. Third parties (with the exception of your professional advisers) cannot use it without the surveyor's express written authority. Any other persons rely on the report at their own risk. As a RICS member, the surveyor may be required to disclose the report to RICS Regulation as part of its work to ensure that RICS professional standards are being maintained.

The report is not a valuation and the information within it must not be used to make decisions on lending/mortgages by any party.  

Complaints The surveyor shall do their very best to provide you with an excellent service. However, if you believe that you have cause for complaint, BuildPerception Property Surveyors has a complaints procedure, a copy of which can be given to you on request.

General Description of Service  
The surveyor will closely inspect all parts of the dwelling and assess the interdependence of the different parts of the structure, especially the way in which the roof, walls and floors act together. Where the surveyor is concerned about a hidden problem or defect, they will try to identify these and explain the risk they pose and what action you should take. Recommendations for further investigations will usually be the exception. This level of service will suit any domestic residential property in any condition.

  • The use of a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) "Drone" to check Roofs and other hard to reach places.

  • Damp assessment using state of the art equipment

  • Subsidence, Settlement and Structural movement.

  • Condition of the external;

  • Chimneys, Roofs, Walls, Gutters, Flat roofs.

  • Internal roof structure and condition (the "loft").

  • Timber rot and damage.

  • Insect or Beetle infestations (also known as "woodworm").

  • Windows and Doors.

  • Services – Heating, Boiler, Electrics, Gas, Oil.

  • Drains – mains, private cesspits and septic tanks.

  • Alterations – Extensions, Loft Conversions, Chimney removals, Wall removals.

  • Ventilation issues.

  • Grounds and Boundaries.

  • Energy Efficiency Advice.

  • Conveyancing Issues – e.g. Planning and Building Control Items.

  • Health & Safety issues – e.g. Asbestos.

  • Council information.

  • Listed Building information. (if applicable)

  • Easy-to-read format.

  • Contains up to 100 photographs.

 

We will not be liable to you if we make an error or fail to tell you something in the report as a result of any of the following:

• Our inability to inspect an area of the property; or

• Any reliance placed by us on information provided by you or by any person who provides such information on your behalf.

Liability

If we fail to comply with these terms and we are responsible for loss or damage that you suffer, that is a foreseeable result of our breaking this contract, or our failing to use reasonable care and skill, then we may be liable for those losses or damages. We are not responsible for any loss or damage that is not foreseeable.
Loss or damage is foreseeable if either it is obvious that it will happen or if, at the time the contract was made, both we and you knew it might happen, for example, if you discussed it with us during the survey process. We are not responsible for any loss or damage if we fail to discover a defect that has been deliberately concealed, disquised or dressed up to deceive the surveyor, even if you or us were aware that it might be there. While every effort is made to identify all defects during the inspection, the inspection is limited to what can be easily seen using standard surveying equipment. There may, on occasion, be instances where a defect is not visible or present during the inspection but materialises or develops in the time between the inspection and the time that you take occupancy of the property. We are not responsible for any loss or damage from a defect that has materialised since the inspection took place. Where we give timescales for the life expectancy of a particular element, this is only an indication, and external factors may reduce this timescale dramatically. If you are advised that an element will require replacing within a given time, this is the maximum amount of time that you could hope to expect to achieve and is not a guarantee that it will last this long, you should be prepared that the inspected element may also require replacement in the short term. We do our best to inspect structural elements that have been concealed within dry lining or boxing in or under floors, if we comment on these elements, we are making educated assumptions, the only way to confirm these assumptions is to carry out an invasive survey and as such, you must not rely solely on these assumptions, but instead, carry out or instruct further investigations.  Different weather conditions present different results in varying categories of the report, the weather on the day of the inspection is recorded in the Overview section along with the month and year. Water ingress and damp are less prevalent during summer months and on dry days. Extreme hot days can cause cracks, splits and distortions in many materials, therefore, when several months pass by between the inspection and occupancy, there may on occasion be defects that have developed within that timeframe.  We accept no liability for inaccuracies of information obtained from 3rd party sources.  If we advise you to seek repairs from warranty providers then you must make these enquiries prior to completion, we have no affiliation with any 3rd party warranty providers and we have no control over their claims procedure so you must therefore clarify with them whether a claim may or may not be viable, we will not be held liable if a warranty provider refuses to carry out a repair or pay out for a repair on the subject property.

Survey scope and inspection limitations

  1. The survey is to be read as a whole, together with the agreed terms of engagement and the property-specific findings, limitations and recommendations. These provisions explain the inspection and its limits; they do not reduce the agreed level of service or replace the duty to exercise reasonable care and skill. Any expressly agreed additional services remain included.
  2. The inspection records the condition reasonably apparent at the inspection date within the agreed scope and accessible areas. It is not continuous monitoring or a guarantee against concealed defects, later deterioration or changes in occupation. An absence of visible evidence does not establish that concealed construction is defect-free. Significant limitations and the need for further investigation will be identified where appropriate.
  3. Unless expressly agreed otherwise, the inspection is non-destructive. We do not lift fitted carpets, laminate, vinyl, underlay or other fixed finishes; dismantle fittings; remove sanitaryware; or open up construction. Furniture, stored possessions and fixed finishes can conceal defects and restrict access. Accessible hatches, panels and subfloor spaces are inspected to the extent required by the agreed survey level, where safe and practicable. Restrictions actually encountered are recorded in the relevant report section.
  4. Floor coverings are not subject to a separate workmanship, installation or product-performance assessment. We do not routinely expose perimeter expansion gaps, underlay, fixings or the substrate beneath a fitted finish. Laminate and other floating finishes may move, flex or make noise independently of the supporting floor. We will nevertheless report significant visible defects, apparent hazards or symptoms relevant to the building assessment where reasonably apparent within the agreed inspection. This limitation does not exclude assessment of the structural floor.
  5. Accessible floors are assessed for reasonably apparent unevenness, excessive deflection, abnormal springiness and other signs of distress within the agreed survey scope. This is not a load test, vibration analysis, acoustic test or precise level survey. Noise or a sensation of movement does not alone identify its cause. Older buildings may have historic settlement and uneven floors, but age alone does not establish that movement has ceased or that the structure is sound. Conclusions depend on the evidence available and the inspection limitations.
  6. Unless expressly agreed, no specialist testing, sampling, opening up, commissioning or certification is included. This covers gas, oil and solid-fuel appliances, flues and chimneys; electrics, earthing and lightning protection; heating, cooling and ventilation; heat pumps, solar systems, batteries and EV chargers; plumbing, water quality, pressure and hygiene; drains, sewers, septic tanks and treatment plants; fire alarms, suppression, compartmentation, cladding and fire risk; asbestos and other hazardous materials; damp causes, mould, timber decay and infestation; structural calculations, foundations and geotechnical investigation; contamination, radon, flood modelling and tree-root effects; acoustics, vibration, airtightness, thermal imaging and energy performance; and lifts, powered gates, security, pools, spas and specialist equipment. Basic operation is not certification of safety, compliance or performance. Visual and other inspections required by the agreed survey level remain included, and apparent concerns will be reported with appropriate advice. Relevant specialist investigation is recommended where justified by the findings or unresolved risk, rather than automatically for every category.
  7. Where an extractor fan is operated, this is a basic operational check only. It does not measure extract rates, establish concealed duct condition or prove satisfactory airflow. Specialist assessment of combustion safety, flue performance, appliance clearances and the interaction between gas appliances and ventilation requires a suitably qualified Gas Safe registered engineer. A recommendation for that assessment does not exclude our duty to report an obvious visible concern reasonably identifiable within the survey scope.
  8. Where further investigation is recommended before exchange of contracts or another binding commitment, obtain the relevant written findings and cost advice before proceeding. Ask the specialist to address the specific concern identified, rather than assume that a routine service covers it. The survey does not predict what that investigation will find. If the recommended investigation is not obtained, the associated uncertainty remains unresolved; this does not automatically determine responsibility for any later loss.
  9. For flats and shared buildings, inspection of other dwellings, concealed inter-floor construction and communal areas is limited to the access and services agreed. We do not undertake specialist assessment of impact sound, airborne sound or vibration transmission unless expressly commissioned. The legal adviser should establish repair responsibilities, permissions and available records for shared structures and services. Significant visible concerns within accessible areas remain reportable.
  10. If a concern arises after the survey, notify us promptly, identify the relevant report passage and location, and describe what has been found, when it became apparent and the outcome sought. Supply available photographs, videos, quotations, inspection records and correspondence. Where safe and practicable, allow a reasonable opportunity to inspect before evidence is removed. Urgent safety work must not be delayed; retain records of the condition and works where possible. Emergency action or loss of access does not automatically invalidate a complaint.
  11. Where the issue requires specialist diagnosis, we may reasonably request written findings from an appropriately qualified professional. For floors, this may include a structural engineer distinguishing movement in the supporting structure from movement in laminate, underlay or other finishes, and identifying the location, extent, likely cause and remedial work. For gas concerns, relevant evidence may include the Gas Safe engineer’s findings, measurements, warning notices, manufacturer’s requirements and reasons for the work recommended. Any request will be proportionate to the issue.
  12. Complaints will be acknowledged and investigated under our published complaints handling procedure. An expert report is not a precondition to raising a complaint. If further evidence is needed to reach a substantive conclusion, we will explain what is required and why, and consider the evidence available if it cannot reasonably be obtained. A claimed defect or expense does not by itself establish a survey omission or liability. Nothing here excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, restricts statutory rights or prevents access to applicable independent redress. These provisions must be consistent with the agreed terms and do not retrospectively change the contract.

Our maximum liability to you for our negligence or any other breach or fault on our part arising in connection with the service shall be limited to five times the cost of the survey and in any case, no more than £5,000.00
We do not exclude or limit in any way our liability to you where it would be unlawful to do so. This includes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence or the negligence of our employees, agents or subcontractors.

BuildPerception Property Surveyors is the trading name of Alan Edmunds. The BuildPerception Trademark, survey templates and surveying software is owned wholly by BuildCertification Ltd which is a software company. Alan Edmunds is a Verified Surveying Partner of BuildCertification Ltd and as such is entitled to use the BuildPerception Logo, Trademarks, templates and software.