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According to recent research by comparethemarket.com three quarters (77%) of British homeowners have spotted a fault with their home after moving in. So what are the most common faults identified during a survey?

Jonathan Mountford MRICS, a qualified Chartered Surveyor and RICS Registered Valuer, heads up GJS Dillon’s Residential Surveys and Valuations department. Here are the 10 most common faults he finds when surveying a house:

• Materials containing asbestos
• Cracks to walls
• Condensation and/or rising damp
• Poor quality flat roofs
• Rot to external joinery, especially lower frames and sills
• High external ground levels bridging the damp proof courses
• Leakage from poor designed shower enclosures
• Poor soundproofing in converted flats
• Substandard electrical or gas installations
• Defects to chimneys

‘Buying a property is one of the biggest purchases most people will make in their lifetime and it can turn into a costly mistake. As you can see from the above list, the average prospective buyer won’t have the necessary expertise or equipment to be able to spot these faults on their own’ says Jonathan

‘Over  the years I’ve carried out surveys on houses that have had all kinds of structural problems. In some instances, if the buyer had gone ahead and purchased without my advice, it would have cost them thousands of pounds in repairs. It’s essential that buyers can act with confidence and that’s why getting a survey should be at the top of your to-do list when buying a property’ 

GJS Dillon’s residential services include RICS Home Surveys Levels 1 to 3 and valuations for purchase, matrimonial, reinsurance and probate purposes.

For further details of GJS Dillon’s residential surveys and valuations service see www.thehousesurveyors.co.uk or call 01905 676169