Services - Apex Home Surveys Ltd

Overview

As a firm regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Apex Home Surveys maintain the highest professional and ethical standards, offering clear and reliable professional reports for homebuyers, homeowners and investors.

Our reports are created in full accordance with the RICS Home Survey Standard. However what we offer is bespoke, going above and beyond the RICS baseline requirements, offering you more insightful and valuable content:

— Our inspections: we can measure air temperature and humidity levels and use thermal imaging technology to identify issues such as areas at risk of condensation and mould growth or hidden leaking services. These enhanced checks provide additional confidence in our assessment.

— Our reports: we include an annotated photograph of EVERY significant defect identified. We also embed the high resolution versions, allowing you to see each issue with clarity. A photo speaks a thousand words. Some surveyors do not include any photos as standard. Check!

Survey Level Comparison

We offer all three levels of RICS Home Survey range. The table below highlights the key differences between each. A Level 2 Home Survey is ideal for the majority of homebuyers and a wide range of properties, but not all. To learn more about each, and identify which is most likely to suit your needs, please select from the links below this table.

Service features	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3
Describes the construction; the condition on date of the inspection; any visible defects; any potential issues	Yes	Yes	Yes
Identifies any problems that are serious or that need urgent attention, and/or things that need to be investigated further to prevent serious damage	Yes	Yes	Yes
Helps you decide whether you need extra advice before committing to purchase	–	Yes	Yes
Advises on the amount of ongoing maintenance required in the future, and helps you to budget for any repairs or restoration	–	Yes	Yes
Includes more extensive roof space and drainage chamber inspection	–	Yes	Yes
A longer and more detailed visual inspection, including concealed areas and secured panels normally used by the occupiers, if safe to do so. A more thorough consideration of roof space, grounds, floors and services	–	–	Yes
Establishes how the property is built, what materials are used and how these should perform in the future	–	–	Yes
Describes visible defects and potential problems posed by hidden defects	–	–	Yes
Describes the repair options, gives you a repair timeline and explains the consequences of not carrying out repairs	–	–	Yes

Level 1

Property condition only
(no advice)

Level 2

Property condition
plus advice

Level 3

Most detailed analysis
and advice

Please note

All RICS Home Surveys provide a visual, non-invasive inspection of a property. For example, no holes are drilled in walls or floorboards unscrewed to verify a construction type or source of a defect. We use our technical knowledge and experience to assess the most likely cause(s) of a particular issue.

In line with RICS guidelines, if we are unable to reach a satisfactory conclusion about an issue and offer you the relevant advice, we will advise that further investigation is necessary. For example, where significant a structural issue is evident, but with no obvious cause, a Structural Engineer’s report would be recommended.

Our Level 3 Home Surveys do not include estimated cost of repairs. We will always advise that you obtain at least three firm quotations from the appropriate professional or specialist contractor.