Exclusive to a QS-led practice
Home survey with repair cost estimates.
Every level of Lovatt survey is available with or without costs. Choose “with”, and a chartered quantity surveyor puts a budget figure and a priority against every rated defect. From £125 + VAT.
Why it matters
A defect without a number is a worry. A defect with a number is a decision.
Almost every home survey in the country ends the same way: a list of defects, a set of condition ratings and a recommendation to “obtain quotations before exchange”. Buyers are then left ringing builders during the most stressful fortnight of the purchase — or, more often, guessing.
Lovatt is different because the surveyor is also a chartered quantity surveyor. Pricing repair and construction work is the core of the wider practice, every week, across the North East. So for a fixed add-on fee that experience goes into your report as a costed, prioritised schedule.
What the schedule shows
| Defect | Repair | Budget | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slipped and missing slates, rear pitch; lead flashing to chimney lifted | Overhaul rear pitch, re-bed ridge, renew flashing | £1,800–2,400 | Before winter |
| Cavity wall tie corrosion, horizontal cracking to front elevation | Specialist survey, replacement ties, repointing | £2,800–3,600 | First year |
| Consumer unit pre-dates current regulations; no RCD protection | EICR then consumer unit replacement | £650–900 | Before occupation |
Illustrative. Figures in your report reflect the property inspected and current regional rates, exclusive of VAT, with a stated contingency.
How buyers use it
- Renegotiating the purchase price through the agent or solicitor
- Deciding between two properties on total cost, not asking price
- Planning a first-year budget and sequencing works sensibly
- Briefing contractors with a scope rather than a vague concern
- Supporting a retention or a conversation with the lender
Add-on fees
| With Level 1 | £125 |
| With Level 2 | £175 |
| With Level 3 | £250 |
Plus VAT. Bundle with a drone roof survey and save £50.
Instant estimate“Sellers argue with adjectives. They find it much harder to argue with a chartered QS's figures.”
Dave Lovatt MRICS MQSi
Questions
Repair costs — asked before instructing.
What exactly do I receive?
A costed schedule appended to your survey report: each Condition Rating 2 and 3 defect, the recommended repair, an indicative budget range, and a priority — before completion, first year, or when convenient.
Are the figures accurate?
They are budget estimates prepared by a chartered quantity surveyor from current North East labour and material rates, with a stated contingency. They are designed to be robust enough to negotiate with, not to replace contractor quotations.
Can I use the figures in negotiation?
That is what most buyers use them for. A surveyor's opinion that the roof “needs attention” is easy for a seller to dismiss; a chartered QS budget of £6,000–£8,000 is not.
Can I get costs without a survey?
If you already have a survey from another firm we can prepare costs from it, subject to a site visit. Contact us with the report.
Get an instant estimate.
Enter the postcode, property details and asking price and see your survey fee in seconds — then we confirm it as a fixed fee in writing within one working day.
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