Our Terms and Conditions
PAYMENT TERMS
Payments are due after the site visit and within 7 days from the date of our invoice. The design calculations / reports will only be issued on receipt of payment. Payments by bank transfer are preferred, and we also accept cheques.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE – STRUCTURAL INSPECTIONS / SURVEYS
Our brief is to report on the apparent defects, giving an opinion as to cause and structural significance, together with recommendations for further investigations if required, or where appropriate suggest in outline only the scope of any necessary remedial works, including general advice about the likely effects and need to treat any nearby trees and vegetation where it could affect the structure.
Unless specifically mentioned our brief will not Include an investigation into the presence of asbestos and all other non-structural elements of biohazards, nor will we inspect the electrical and mechanical installations and our inspection of the property will only check for visual evidence of damp.
External inspection of the building will be carried out from ground level by visual and optical sighting and without special access arrangements we cannot confirm that obscured parts are free from defects.
The internal inspection will be made within the limits of ready accessibility and it is not normal practice to lift floor coverings or floorboards, remove panels or plaster, or move heavier items of furniture. Consequently, we will not be able to inspect woodwork or any other parts of the structure which are covered, unexposed or inaccessible and it will be neither implied nor should it be construed that other parts are free from defect or that they have not suffered from insect or chemical attack.
Our inspection of the drains will be limited to the raising, where possible, of visible inspection chamber covers.
The report will not constitute a Homebuyers Report, Valuation or Schedule of Refurbishment, and the lack of specific reference to any structural elements, materials or type of construction will not infer compliance with the current British Standards, Codes of Practice, or Building Regulations, and enquiries to the Local Authority will not be made.
The inspecting Engineer will not investigate the extraction of minerals and we will recommend that the appropriate searches be made.
The property and site will not be tested for any form of contamination, pollution or any other environmental impairment, including the presence of invasive non-native plants, and we will be unable to make any comment in this regard.
Whilst we will use all reasonable skill and care in preparing the report, it should be appreciated that we cannot offer any guarantee that the property will be free from future defects or that existing ones will not suffer from further deterioration.
All observations will be referenced as left or right hand as though observed from outside the front of the property viewing towards the front elevation, and all internal observations in the unlit or dark spaces will be made with the aid of a handheld torch light.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE – STRUCTURAL REPORTS
Our reports will be completed by a qualified engineer, and to ensure Quality Assurance, all our works are independently checked. The reports will assess building damage and structural movement or distress. We have a Professional Indemnity cover of up to £1,000,000.
The report will list the building damage and include photographs.
The following items will not be included in our reports;
- Fixtures and fittings.
- Property valuation of any kind.
- Damp/ timber, rot or infestation. A supplementary report will be recommended if we note any damp or timber problems.
- Drainage survey. A supplementary report will be recommended if we note any drainage problems.
- Electrical report. A supplementary report will be recommended if we note any electrical problems.
- Gas Safe report. A supplementary report will be recommended if we note any central heating problems.
- Contaminated Land, asbestos, Japanese knotweed.
The report will normally be completed within 5 working days of the survey visit and is subject to workloads.
The full report (PDF file) would be issued upon receipt of any outstanding payment. Hard copies of the report and invoice will be issued to clients if requested.
During our surveys, the owners or representatives are often present. We will provide them with a summary of our findings. The report will only be issued to the client or parties that the client wishes us to include.
Owners may hide building damage deliberately. Our insurance will not cover such events as this is deemed to be deliberate non-disclosure.