Pre-purchase survey outside London.

A RICS HomeBuyer or Building Survey covers the structural fabric of a property, the roof, the walls, the windows, and high-level commentary on services. It does not, in any depth, cover the plumbing, the heating, or the drainage. For a buyer committing several million pounds to a country house, a Cotswolds renovation, or a coastal second home, the difference between a system that has been quietly maintained and one that has been cosmetically tidied for the open day can be a six-figure post-completion bill. A dedicated pre-purchase plumbing, heating, and drainage survey closes that gap.

We turn around RICS-format pre-purchase surveys within five working days of the inspection visit, covering whole-property plumbing (incoming main, internal distribution, hot and cold balance, tap and valve condition), the full heating system (boiler condition and age, controls, radiator network, pressure performance, BS 7593 inhibitor presence), and the drainage (foul and surface-water runs, manhole inspection, CCTV survey of the main run from the property to the boundary). The report includes a static pressure test on the cold mains and the central-heating circuit, a flue-gas analysis on the boiler if it is still serviceable, photographs of every accessible service plant item, and a clearly-quantified defects schedule with estimated repair costs. For high-value purchases, we travel anywhere in England and Wales by arrangement.

How an out-of-area pre-purchase survey runs

Seven stages, from enquiry call to a delivered written report within five working days of the visit.

1. 1
   Free phone scope-out
   A 10 to 15 minute call to confirm the property size, location, age, service profile, and your timeline to exchange. We confirm we can hit the date before quoting.
2. 2
   Written quote with mileage breakdown
   A fixed survey fee per property, day rate, mileage at the HMRC AMAP £0.45 per mile each way from the nearest M25 junction, and a five working day report turnaround commitment.
3. 3
   Access coordinated with the agent
   We liaise with the selling agent or vendor to book a survey slot, typically a half-day or full-day window depending on property size.
4. 4
   On-site inspection
   Whole-property walk-through, service plant inspection, static pressure tests on cold mains and heating, boiler flue-gas analysis where serviceable, photographic record of every accessible item.
5. 5
   Drainage CCTV survey
   Tracked CCTV from boundary back through every accessible manhole, foul and surface-water. MP4 attached to the final report.
6. 6
   Report drafted in RICS format
   Executive summary, defects schedule with severity rating (Condition 1 to 3, RICS-aligned), photographs, test results, and estimated repair costs against each defect line item.
7. 7
   Five working day delivery
   PDF report emailed within five working days of the inspection, with a follow-up call to walk through the findings. Faster turnaround available where the exchange deadline requires it, quoted at the scope-out call.