Badly flooded gardens

Andrew WilliamsLegal, News, Surveying, Uncategorized

We have a client who has a badly flooded gardens. The gardens in question have been flooding for at least 12 years. The flooding is so bad that three quarters of the rear garden is flooded for at least four months of the year. Even in dry weather, the ground under foot is soft. Despite many letters to the Local … Read More

ECO – Hard to Treat Cavity Walls

Andrew WilliamsSurveying

RICS has created a course to enable chartered surveyors experienced in surveying residential properties to become designated as ‘appropriately qualified’ to sign-off hard-to-treat cavity wall reports to satisfy the requirements of the Electricity and Gas (Energy Companies Obligation) Order 2012 (ECO). With the Government committed to spending £1.3bn annually on insulating 3.2m hard-to-treat cavity walls over the next six years … Read More

What is ECO

Andrew WilliamsSurveying

It will work in parallel with the Government’s Green Deal. The ECO scheme will run until March 2015 and is primarily aimed at combating fuel poverty and upgrading hard to treat properties in both the public and private sector. It will reduce or remove the installation costs of critical home improvements (such as insulation and heating) for thousands of eligible householders. … Read More

Rising Damp etc

Andrew WilliamsSurveying

Rising dampness as its name suggests rises from the ground and can be found in buildings which do not have a damp proof course present. However, rising damp can also occur in buildings which have a damp proof course present but may have become damaged or failed due to a number of possible reasons. ‘Bridging’ is a common cause of … Read More

Condensation

Andrew WilliamsSurveying

What causes condensation? Air inside a building contains a certain amount of water vapour. This increases dramatically the larger the family, (we all breath out moisture) when kettles are boiled, baths are run and clothes are dried indoors. Warm air is able to hold more moisture vapour than cool air. When the hot damp air circulates it will eventually come … Read More

Damp Proofing and Rising Damp

Andrew WilliamsSurveying

Rising damp is one of the least common types of damp; as its name suggests it rises from the ground and can be found in buildings which do not have a damp proof course present. However, rising damp can occur in buildings which have a damp proof course present but it may have become damaged and failed due to a … Read More

Major new research project solid wall homes.

Andrew WilliamsSurveying

BRE has been appointed to carry out a major new research project to understand heat losses in the seven million solid wall homes in Great Britain. The project, funded by the Department of Energy & Climate Change, will consider how these walls are performing before and after insulation. The energy use behaviour of occupants and the accuracy of techniques for … Read More

Buying a house. Need to make an informed decision about. Get a SAVA Home Condition Survey

Andrew WilliamsHome Condition Reports, Surveying

It’s a striking fact that around 70% of homebuyers do not commission any form of independent survey on the property they purchase. Which?, the consumer agency, estimates that undertaking a condition survey could save homeowners thousands of pounds–in some cases, as much as £10,000. The Home Condition Survey is delivered by specially trained and fully-accredited residential property surveyors. It gives you … Read More

New NES ECO Reporting Services

Andrew WilliamsNews, Surveying

OFGEM’s ECO scheme is the route through which energy companies have to meet statutory obligations to meet overall carbon reduction and affordable warmth targets.  The energy company needs to report to OFGEM an ECO score for each individual qualifying measure installed in a property in each month.  In the vast majority of cases, this will be produced using RDSAP. NES … Read More

Homebuyer Report

Andrew WilliamsHome Condition Reports, Surveying

The SAVA Home Condition Survey This is the original Home Condition Survey. Since its launch in 2007, the SAVA Home Condition Survey (HCS) has proved to be an excellent product for members and their home buying clients. The SAVA Home Condition Survey can only be produced by approved Home Inspectors. Putting you in the know Buying a house is a … Read More