Home survey terms of engagement.

Summary of key terms. Full terms of engagement (reference LCC-TC-HS-01) are issued with every quotation and must be accepted before instruction.

1. The service

Lovatt Construction Consultants Ltd, trading as Lovatt Home Surveys, provides RICS Home Survey Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 reports in accordance with the RICS Home Survey Standard, together with optional drone roof surveys, repair cost estimates and quantity surveying services as described in the quotation. No valuation is provided under any level.

2. Fees and payment

Fees are fixed and stated in the quotation exclusive of VAT. Payment is due in full on instruction and before the inspection date is confirmed. An abortive-visit fee applies where the property is not available at the arranged time through no fault of ours.

3. Inspection

The inspection is non-invasive and limited to parts of the property that are visible and safely accessible on the day. We do not lift fitted carpets or floorboards, move heavy furniture, or enter roof voids or spaces that are unsafe. Drone flights are subject to weather, airspace and permission constraints.

4. Optional add-ons and limitation of scope

4.1 Drone roof survey. Where instructed, we carry out an aerial inspection of the roof coverings, chimneys, flashings and high-level gutters using a drone, subject to weather, airspace and permissions. Where you decline the drone roof survey, the roof is inspected only from ground level, from accessible vantage points and from within the roof void where safely accessible, using binoculars where helpful. Parts of the roof not visible by those means are outside the scope of the inspection; the report will identify them as not inspected, and no claim may be made in respect of defects to those parts that were not visible within that scope.

4.2 QS repair cost report. Where instructed, we prepare indicative budget figures against each Condition Rating 2 and 3 defect from current regional rates. They are not quotations and are intended to inform your decision; actual contractor prices will vary. Where you decline the cost report, the survey identifies and rates defects but gives no estimate of the cost of repair; any figures you obtain elsewhere, and any decision made on them, are outside the scope of our instruction, and no claim may be made against us in respect of the cost of repairs.

4.3 Standard exclusions. Unless separately instructed we do not test electrical, gas, heating, plumbing or drainage installations, do not carry out invasive investigations, do not inspect flues internally, do not test for asbestos, radon, contamination or timber infestation beyond visual inspection, and do not report on the condition of parts of the property that were not visible or accessible on the day. The report will state what was not inspected.

4.4 Acknowledgement. Your acceptance of the applicable scope limitations is recorded when you decline an add-on on our instant-estimate form and again in the written quotation, which you accept before instruction.

5. Liability

Our liability in respect of any instruction is limited as set out in the full terms and, in any event, to the value of the fees paid for that instruction. The report is prepared for the named client only and may not be relied upon by any third party.

6. Cancellation

Consumers have a 14-day right to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. Where you ask us to attend within that period and we do, the fee remains payable.

7. Complaints

We operate a complaints handling procedure that complies with RICS requirements. See our complaints page.