Everything buyers ask before instructing.

Our RICS Home Survey fees start from £295 for a Level 1 Condition Report, £425 for a Level 2 HomeBuyer Survey and £775 for a Level 3 Building Survey, plus VAT. Every quote is a fixed fee confirmed in writing before you instruct.

The practice is led by a chartered surveyor who is also a chartered quantity surveyor. Most home surveys tell you a roof is defective; ours can also tell you roughly what putting it right should cost, so you can negotiate with evidence.

No. We provide survey-only reports under the RICS Home Survey Standard. Your lender will arrange its own mortgage valuation, and an RICS Registered Valuer can provide a market valuation alongside our report if you need one.

Inspection is typically arranged within a week of instruction, subject to access with the estate agent, and the written report follows within five working days of the visit. Urgent turnarounds can usually be accommodated — ask when you enquire.

Newcastle upon Tyne, Gosforth, Jesmond, Morpeth, Ponteland, Cramlington, Blyth, Ashington, the Northumberland coast, Hexham and the Tyne Valley, North Tyneside, Gateshead and County Durham. Travel is charged by drive time from Morpeth — included within 30 minutes, then a flat £40, £80 or £130 by band.

A Level 2 HomeBuyer Survey inspects everything visible and accessible and rates each element's condition, and suits conventional homes in reasonable order. A Level 3 Building Survey goes further: it describes construction, investigates the cause of defects, sets out repair options and the consequences of not acting, and suits older, larger, altered or unusual properties. Read our full comparison.

Yes. A mortgage valuation is for the lender, is often a brief external inspection or a desktop exercise, and tells you nothing about the condition of the property. A home survey is for you.

For a fixed add-on fee, Dave — as a chartered quantity surveyor — prepares an indicative budget figure against each defect the survey rates as Condition Rating 2 or 3, ranked in priority order. It is the evidence buyers use to renegotiate the price or plan their first-year spend.

No. They are budget estimates prepared by a chartered QS from current North East rates, intended to inform your decision. Contractors' quotations will vary; we can advise on those quotations too.

Yes. For flats and Tyneside flats we inspect the flat itself and the common parts and external envelope as far as they are visible and accessible, and comment on management and leasehold matters your solicitor should pursue.

A drone captures high-resolution imagery of roof coverings, chimneys, valleys and flashings that a ladder inspection cannot safely reach. Flights are carried out by a registered operator, in accordance with UK CAA rules, and only where permissions and conditions allow.

Yes — they are exactly what the Level 3 Building Survey is for. Stone-built, listed and pre-1900 properties across Northumberland and Durham are a large part of our work.

Very often, yes. Where the report identifies defects — and particularly where you add repair cost estimates — you have evidenced figures to put to the seller through your agent or solicitor.

If we have not yet attended, we refund the fee less a small administration charge. If we have attended and the sale collapses, the fee is still payable, though we discount a survey on your next property.

Yes. Lovatt Home Surveys is the residential survey brand of Lovatt Construction Consultants Ltd, an RICS-regulated firm. The same chartered surveyor, the same professional standards, the same insurance.

Use the quote form, email surveys@lovattconsultants.co.uk or call 07888 824248. Send the property address, type and asking price, and whether you would like repair cost estimates or a drone survey included.