RICS - Surveyors Ombudsman Service


	Andrew George, Berkshire. I put an offer on a detached house built in 1980. Its roof was covered in moss and one side was hidden by ivy. I got a Homebuyers Survey and Valuation Report from an RICS regulated firm, which recommended that the moss be removed from the roof and the ivy taken down from the walls. Read more	Peter Gavin, Edinburgh. I’d been looking for a home in Scotland for a while and was still living in London when I made a bid for the house in Edinburgh, as I thought this one suited my needs. The mortgage valuation found damp in some areas of the house and recommended I obtain a timber survey before going ahead with the purchase. Read more	Tom Parry & Angela Harris, Berkshire. We found a cottage we liked after much searching but we knew the local area had flooded in 2002. We didn’t want to buy it if it was at risk of flooding again, so our mortgage adviser contacted the surveyor seeking clarity. Read more



	Andrew George, Berkshire. I put an offer on a detached house built in 1980. Its roof was covered in moss and one side was hidden by ivy. I got a Homebuyers Survey and Valuation Report from an RICS regulated firm, which recommended that the moss be removed from the roof and the ivy taken down from the walls. The report also stated that I should get quotes for the replacement of “several” broken, eroded and slipped roof tiles, as well as damaged brickwork, before I went ahead and bought the property. Nine months later, it became evident that the roof needed completely replacing, as did the timber windows. The external walls were also in a poor condition – none of which was mentioned in the surveyor’s report. The Surveyors Ombudsman Service decided that the report should have made me aware of the state of the roof and that it failed to note the condition of the windows. The SOS made an award of £1500 which reflected the fact that the firm didn’t provide the level of service that was promised and that the condition of the windows was overlooked. I also received an apology for the way my complaint was dealt with. A great result! Back to top


	Peter Gavin, Edinburgh. I’d been looking for a home in Scotland for a while and was still living in London when I made a bid for the house in Edinburgh, as I thought it suited my needs. The mortgage valuation found damp in some areas of the house and recommended I obtain a timber survey before going ahead with the purchase. I then discussed the report with the surveyor who advised that damp areas might be caused by inadequate sub-floor ventilation or leaking guttering. The surveyor has since denied that he gave me the impression that this wasn’t serious. I didn’t commission a timber survey before purchase but waited until I visited the property, which wasn’t until eight months later. Timber specialists then found dry rot to the ground and first floor rooms, and estimated it would cost £13,600 to put it right. I was angry that the survey failed to detect dry rot and felt that I’d been led to believe the timber problems weren’t particularly serious, which meant I’d been dissuaded from obtaining a timber report prior to confirming the offer. I also felt the surveyor’s discussion focused on ventilation, leaking gutters and woodworm, but didn’t advise on the risk of dry rot. The SOS made no award, stating that it didn’t believe I was advised not to get a timber survey, though it was possible I hadn’t been explicitly warned about dry rot. The ombudsman said the surveyor could not be responsible for my decision not to follow his advice at the outset, as his advice was clear. I didn’t accept the findings. Back to top


	Tom Parry & Angela Harris, Berkshire. We found a cottage we liked after much searching but we knew the local area had flooded in 2002. We didn’t want to buy it if it was at risk of flooding again, so our mortgage adviser contacted the surveyor seeking clarity. Though the surveyor claimed he told the mortgage adviser it had flooded, who in turn claimed he passed the information onto us, we maintain we were never told. The mortgage valuation report we later received didn’t mention the flooding, woodworm or poor condition of the felt roof. We eventually bought the house for £74,000, but a year later put it back on the market following a change in our circumstances. The same firm valued the property, but this time told the prospective buyers of the possible problems - including the flooding. We only found out about this when their offer was withdrawn, and we wanted it to be made clear that we had not deliberately misled them. Believing we were misled in the property purchase because we were not advised it had previously flooded, had woodworm and a problem with the roof, we approached the SOS. They couldn’t tell if we were told about the flooding, but said the written report made no mention of it, the woodworm or the problem with the roof. We were awarded the refund of the mortgage fee - £112, as well as £1,000 in compensation for loss and expenses as we’d lost the opportunity to renegotiate the purchase. We also received £300 for the additional stress and inconvenience we’d suffered in trying to sell the cottage. We were delighted with the response and accepted the award. Back to top

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