West Country Surveyors

Chartered surveying across the West Country and South Wales

West Country Surveyors is an independent, family-owned surveying practice. Its work is concentrated on building and property pre-purchase surveys, and it operates across the West Country —Somerset, Devon, Bristol, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Cornwall and Bath— as well as South Wales, including Cardiff, Newport and Swansea. The practice frames its offer around local knowledge of the areas it covers, from Minehead to Honiton, Wellington to Tiverton and Plymouth to Bridgwater.

Pre-purchase surveys: Level 2 and Level 3

The core of the service is the RICS pre-purchase survey in its two main formats. The Level 2 RICS HomeBuyer Report is presented as suitable for modern or conventional properties in reasonable condition: it describes the condition of the property, flags potential risks or legal issues and identifies urgent defects. The Level 3 RICS Building Survey is a more detailed inspection aimed at older, larger or more complex properties, or at buyers planning major works, and includes a structural assessment, detailed defect advice and maintenance recommendations. Alongside these, the practice carries out Listed Building Surveys.

New builds, defects and valuations

For newly built homes, West Country Surveyors offers snagging surveys intended to help buyers get a developer to complete the property inside and out. It also produces specific defect reports where a single problem requires a chartered surveyor's opinion. On the valuation side, the firm provides valuations of residential property for Help to Buy, Probate, Capital Gains Tax, Shared Ownership and private sale purposes, described as RICS Red Book compliant and carried out by RICS Registered Valuers.

Party wall and commercial work

The practice can act as party wall surveyor in matters under the Party Wall etc Act 1996, whether for a homeowner extending their property, for party wall works in progress or where a neighbour has served a notice. Although the focus is residential, it also takes on commercial surveying work, including schedule of condition and technical due diligence surveys.

Team qualifications

According to the practice, all surveys are carried out by RICS-qualified professionals, including MRICS, FRICS and AssocRICS surveyors as well as RICS Registered Valuers. The team also includes members of the Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors (FPWS) and Building Conservation Accredited Surveyors. The Director, David Clare, is additionally a Chartered Building Engineer (C.Build E MCABE). The firm states that its surveyors are fully trained and CRB checked.

How inspections are arranged and reported

Access is arranged directly with estate agents or vendors on the client's behalf. After the report is delivered, the surveyor is available to talk through the findings, summarise the key points and answer follow-up questions. Standard RICS Level 2 and Level 3 surveys do not automatically include cost estimates, but these can be added as an extra service on Level 3 reports.

Typical defects in West Country properties

The practice lists the structural issues it commonly encounters in the region: cracking or movement, assessed using BRE Digest 251 guidelines; damp and moisture problems, particularly in older cottages or coastal homes; roof, chimney and traditional material defects; and subsidence or settlement in rural or historic properties.

Indicative survey costs

The site gives a guide price of £500 to £2,000 for a RICS Level 2 HomeBuyer Report or Level 3 Building Survey, depending on the size of the property, and notes that costs vary with survey type, property size and complexity.