Case Studies
Case Studies
IMPORTANT MESSAGE
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Ensuring our website remains consistently updated with the latest projects undertaken by our team of Chartered Surveyors holds immense significance for both us and our valued customers. It serves as a platform for showcasing the wide range of challenges we tackle and provides our customers with a first-hand glimpse into the efficient and prompt manner in which our team operates. Regardless of the scale of the project, our dedicated team handles each case with meticulous care, leaving no task deemed too big or too small unattended.
At Eyesurvey we have been using the Sherlock Holmes emblem for a number of years, and we believe it reflects our meticulous attention to detail. It was something once quoted to us in reflection of the detailed analysis we provided to a client for a property that had a number of underlying problems.
We may not don the Deer Stalker Hat, long gown and carry the unlit pipe nowadays, but having looked at thousands of properties and producing countless surveys, detail is something we very much pride ourselves on. It’s that detail which creates informed decisions for our clients!
Les recalls a comment made to him in his student days. “When I was a student, my Building and Construction lecturer told the class – “Every building has a secret. It is your job to find it.”
We learn never to be complacent with our analysis, and only to make sure we have absolute clarity!
Our principles of Chartered Surveying still stands strong in over 45 years of supporting our clients.
To quote Mr Holmes….
“There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.”
One of the fundamental aspects of Chartered Surveying lies in addressing evident and identifiable problems, with damp being a common issue. Detecting damp in a property is relatively straightforward, but determining the root cause of the problem can be challenging. It is as if the arch-enemy Professor Moriarty himself devised these damp problems. Unravelling the causes of dampness often requires thorough investigation. It could stem from a buried leaking pipe, an ineffective damp-proof course, or even a precisely positioned roof tile that embraces rain carried by westerly winds. In some cases, insufficient ventilation may also be the culprit, necessitating a comprehensive exploration of all possibilities to pinpoint the exact cause.
“To a great mind, nothing is little,’ remarked Holmes, sententiously.”
On this particular matter, we disagree with Mr. Holmes’ perspective. We maintain that an excessively confident attitude may give rise to complacency, a risk we cannot tolerate given the substantial financial implications our research and recommendations hold for our clients. When assessing a property, we painstakingly scrutinise even the minutest details. Often, minor issues can escalate into more substantial problems over time, and it is our duty to promptly detect and resolve any such concerns.
“Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?”
A case we worked on recently was a great example when Eyesurvey were asked to survey a “fully refurbished and extended house” and found some cracks over 15mm/ 0.6” wide in a main exterior wall. They had been filled with a soft (non-hardening) flexible mastic, and then painted over. Most potential buyers will never notice it, but it showed major movement damage that could carry on shifting and become a serious problem to a future owner, and it was reported. It may reduce the house value by many thousands of pounds, until repaired at huge costs.
“Crime is common. Logic is rare. Therefore it is upon the logic rather than upon the crime that you should dwell.”
As Chartered Surveyors, we have yet to come across instances of valuable art by a renowned Renaissance painter being stolen. Fortunately, crime is not a prominent issue in our field. However, logic continues to be a fundamental aspect of our profession. Each property we evaluate is guided by logical principles, although occasional unexpected elements may surface. Our competitive advantage is rooted in our scrupulous attention to detail and a profound understanding of a property’s dynamics.
We hope you enjoyed our bit of fun that has been perfectly integrated into the Eyesurvey philosophy for the art of Chartered Surveying… and so to close –
“Holmes and Watson are on a camping trip. In the middle of the night Holmes wakes up and gives Dr. Watson a nudge. “Watson” he says, “look up in the sky and tell me what you see.”
“I see millions of stars, Holmes,” says Watson.
“And what do you conclude from that, Watson?” Watson thinks for a moment. “Well,” he says, “astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Meterologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. Theologically, I see that God is all-powerful, and we are small and insignificant. Uh, what does it tell you, Holmes?”
“Watson, you idiot! Someone has stolen our tent!”
– Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein”
The End!
The year at Eyesurvey – A wide range of projects!
We often get asked… “Is that something you can help with?”
In fact, it is difficult to show just how varied our workload is – and a Surveying practice covers so many things from the typical Homebuyer report when purchasing another home, but also very many things you may not expect. It also assesses the property’s value and its reconstruction cost for insurance purposes. This type of survey is non-destructive and non-intrusive, involving a visual inspection where no items are relocated, no holes are drilled, and no floors are uncovered. Here are some examples of our work, and our experiences as Chartered Surveyors, to give you some idea of what services we can offer…
Homebuyer’s Surveys
Among our most common instruction types, we conduct evaluations for flats, terraced, semi-detached, and detached homes spanning a range of ages, from recently constructed properties to those up to 120 years old. Yes, even late Victorian houses that have been converted into flats fall within this spectrum! This report offers a suitable level of detail and comprehensiveness for the majority of properties and buyers, while still offering excellent value for your investment.
Building Surveys
This kind of more detailed report is provided for the very large, far older (maybe from 15th Century onwards) or complex buildings, either being used as private homes, or non-domestic properties used for commercial activities. More complicated to inspect, and thus takes longer to prepare this type of report, and is significantly more expensive.
“Help to Buy” Valuations
when you arrange insurance, you should not simply use the Market Value – if the house is destroyed say, by a fire, and must be rebuilt, you still have the land on which it stood. Blocks of flats are far more complicated to assess. A specialist calculation must be done to reflect costs of demolition and site clearance; of the actual rebuilding; and for professional supervision by an architect or surveyor (probably with VAT on those fees). A mortgage lender will normally have their own valuer carry out that calculation, but if you’re a “Cash buyer”, you need to take your own advice.
Rent Reviews and Lease Renewals – Commercial Premises
This is a process governed either by the Lease under which the premises are occupied for rent reviews (adjusting rents at intervals as the Market Rental Value rises), and most Renewals are regulated by the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 (Part 2). Briefly, the building is carefully measured to calculate floor areas of each part; then evidence of rents on equivalent premises is gathered and applied to estimate the current rental for the subject property – usually with some negotiation following to reach a finally agreed figure. It may take several months as it is a complicated process. Our fees are structured to reflect the actual benefit to the client, based either on the actual increase we can obtain, or on an effective reduction/ saving against what the Landlord was asking for before negotiations started – the amount the tenant will not have to pay…… We have dealt with reviews in the past year on shops, and on industrial units, and lease renewal negotiations on premises occupied by Government Departments!
Schedule of Dilapidations
When entering into a commercial lease agreement, the tenant takes on the obligation of maintaining and repairing the leased property. Failure to fulfil these responsibilities may trigger an inspection and documentation process by the Landlord or Surveyor, potentially resulting in dilapidation issues. It is the tenant’s responsibility to address the specified maintenance and repair tasks within the lease period. If the tenant fails to do so, the Landlord has the authority to arrange for work to be performed by professionals and subsequently charge the associated costs to the tenant.
Compulsory Purchase and Land Compensation
Where a “Statutory Authority” such as the Highways Agency needs to acquire land for the building of a new road, or a Project like “HS2” rail link, or a local Council has to rebuild a housing estate and must “buy-in” any private ownerships, they normally do so by Compulsory Purchase authorised by Act of Parliament. The price paid is set by Market Value, and we have recently acted for a flat owner whose Council wanted to redevelop the estate in which the flat was situated. We achieved a price £40,000 above the figure initially offered by the Council.
Land Compensation
Will arise when an existing road is enlarged, or an airport becomes more than just a centre for private aircraft and will be used by more major carriers, as happened with Southend-on-Sea airport in Essex a few year ago. If a nearby owner finds his property is “Devalued” because of factors like extra noise, vibration, “light pollution”, fumes and smells, he is entitled to Compensation amounting to the difference between what the house was worth before that “new scheme” and after that came into being. We acted for some 36 owners whose homes were down-valued by improvements to a major road junction near Stanway, Essex due to additional noise and the continuous lighting installed at that junction disturbing their use of the properties. We achieved compensation payments ranging from around £1,500 to £15,000!
Building faults and defects
we were asked to advise the occupiers of a block of flats, where garden boundary walls were becoming badly cracked and were subsiding at their site, which was on sloping land. As the flats were over ten years old, and the cracks had appeared only in the last year to 18 months, we had to find a cause for the walls to start moving and breaking up, with cracks up to 40mm/ 1.5” wide and over 3 metres/ 10 feet in length appearing. No significant trees were found nearby that could cause the problem, but we found the house owner down the slope had recently had a large part of his garden excavated to level it off. That had removed support from the walls around the flats, so they started to move and crack.
An owner of a 1930s house had been having damp problems. This was built with conventional “Cavity walls”, meaning the outer walls of the house have two skins of brick or blocks fixed together with a gap or cavity between them, so the moist outer wall is isolated from the (should be) dry internal wall, while still giving a strong main wall. After investigation, we diagnosed blocked cavities, with debris from the original building works and later alterations allowing dampness to be passed from outer to inner wall. We arranged for the bricks to be removed at intervals, so the debris could be removed in stages, and for the dampness to gradually dissipate over a few months. Though that form of cure is not instant or a “magic bullet”, that is actually the proper remedy, which could not be dealt with by the well-known, but often ineffective, “chemical damp injection treatments” widely advised by some firms. Basic good building practice comes first for Eyesurvey!
For more than four and a half decades, Eyesurvey has been dedicated to catering to the needs of towns and villages in Essex and Suffolk. With our extensive expertise in residential and commercial properties in the region, we provide invaluable assistance to our valued customers. Our clientele spans a diverse range, encompassing local and public authorities, residential property owners and buyers, commercial business owners, and numerous others seeking a top-notch surveying service.
Eyesurvey says – “If the question is property, the answer is YES – so where is the problem?”
WE COVER ALL ESSEX AND SOUTH SUFFOLK POSTCODES, IP, CO, CM, SS, RM & IG
(IPSWICH, COLCHESTER, CHELMSFORD, BRAINTREE, SOUTHEND, ROMFORD, ILFORD, ETC.)
Leasehold, Councils & Compulsory Purchase
I am acting for someone who has a long leasehold on a flat, which was granted in 1992, in Barking, Outer London. The flats are 1960s built, and the local Council have decided the entire block and estate needs updating and renovation, as not all are privately owned and many are still rented from the Council. The Council have indicated they want to buy back the private leasehold flats, so as to carry out the overall scheme, as they could not do so without having all flats in these several blocks. They are currently offering to do so by individual negotiations, but if necessary will take powers for Compulsory Purchase, under the Compulsory Purchase Act 1965,(as amended) or alternatively by using the Land Compensation Act 1973 if the property is adversely affected by a “public scheme”, but land is not actually taken.
Roof Problems
The house front clearly showed a sag in the roof slope, which had concrete tiles fitted to replace slates. Concrete tiles are about three times as heavy as slates (which absorb hardly any water), but concrete tiles are more absorbent and heavier once they are wet, so the roof structure normally has to be strengthened. If not, it is likely to sag, or even collapse if stress is high enough – snow fall can be the last straw to break the camel’s back.
The two roof pictures show the small struts added lower down as an inadequate attempt to strengthen that roof slope, and circled is where the purlin (horizontal timber) has bowed downwards with the weight, causing the sag. The short struts running up from the ceiling level should have been longer and actually bearing on the purlin to support it properly. The cost to do it correctly at the time tiles were fitted was about £200 – cost to put right now is many, many times more and involves jacking up and then supporting the formation without damage!
Dilapidation Claims
“Eyesurvey have recently completed a case concerning a “Schedule of Dilapidations” on a shop unit at Lakeside Shopping Centre, West Thurrock. This is a notification under a commercial lease of breaches of the covenants (promises) to repair or maintain the premises and to keep decorations in good order. The amount of the claim involved, and alleged to be the Landlord’s loss, was over £41,000, including the Landlord’s surveyors fees.
Les Long FRICS, our Principal, inspected the unit, then checked the claim document against the lease. He found that the shop front fitted, various modifications inside the shop, all approved by the Landlord many years ago, had to be returned to the original “shell” state as at entry, when the lease ended. That was around two months after the claim document was served.
The items listed in that claim simply amounted to an intimation that those items were to be removed on vacating, and no breaches of the lease were actually involved. The Landlord’s surveyor had not prepared the correct form of notification to carry out those works. Consequently, no costs or surveyor’s fees could be claimed, if the tenant actually carried out the work as they vacated. The work was completed on time by the tenant’s contractors, on the advice of Eyesurvey, saving the client the entire amount of over £41,000, as had been claimed for the Landlord.”
Expert Witness Case
“Eyesurvey Principal, Leslie J Long FRICS, has just completed a Retrospective Valuation report as at September 2008, as Expert Witness for solicitors concerning a High Court case. Strict Court Rules of Conduct apply to any Expert Witness, even in reporting for the preliminary legal negotiations leading up to a Court Hearing. This all took many hours of careful work to prepare, including finding historic evidence of property values.
The case hinged on alleged over-valuation of a property for mortgage purposes, where the lender lost substantial moneys on a re-sale of the mortgaged property following that being re-possessed. They claimed against the original valuer for negligence, and for damages of over £90,000, plus interest. The Claimant had produced a valuation from another surveyor acting as their expert, but on a detailed reading of that report and background research, Les was able to show the original valuation was both reasonable and within a fair margin of “allowable error”.
In addition, the other “expert report” contained errors of fact, and showed an unbalanced analysis of market evidence of values at the relevant date, so this report was misleading and not proper guidance for the Court to rely upon. We are confident the Court will reject that other report for those reasons, and that the Claim will be withdrawn. Only by considerable attention to detail and checking of facts, which Les had to carry out, can his work be offered to a Court in acting as an “Expert Witness. He is willing to receive similar commissions from any legal advisers with similar requirements.”
Cavity Insulation.
Eyesurvey have recently been engaged to advise a property owner in North Essex, as to problems with the cavity wall insulation installed by injection methods around 2004. There were damp areas found inside the property. Inspection showed the injection holes in the outside walls were incorrectly spaced.
We were able to see that there was no insulation by carefully removing two bricks from different areas without disturbing the insulation that was there between the wall’s skins. Later, after poking around within the wall cavity, we discovered that there was no insulating material inside the cavity for a considerable distance from both of our openings.
A thermal imaging camera survey was scheduled, resulting in the displayed image below. The green regions indicate efficient heat retention, while the red regions indicate significant heat loss, indicating inadequate insulation. Notably, red areas are observed both above and below the main window. Furthermore, similar patterns were detected on all four walls of the property. This compelling evidence strongly suggests incomplete insulation.
This can cause dampness, due to the cold spots at points of poor insulation which tend to concentrate moisture. That will lead to damp-related mould troubles. These faults have now been reported to CIGA (Cavity Wall Insulation Agency) for remedial work.
NO VAT FEES
Business Rates Case
Our client ran a shop in Colchester Town centre, which consisted of three small units combined many years ago. He felt the Business Rates (“Non-Domestic Rates”) he was paying were too high, and asked our advice. He had already had two other “Rating Advisers” carry out the same exercise, each without success.
The chaotic state of Britain’s business rates system has been revealed by newly-published figures which show that the Government is expecting to pay £4.2bn back to businesses that appeal against their tax bill. This huge figure reflects how concerned businesses are about the burden of the tax – which brings in roughly £25bn for the Treasury every year. Since the latest revaluation of business rates was enforced in 2010, there have been appeals on 590,850 of the 1.8m commercial properties in the UK eligible to pay business rates. Businesses have appealed their rates bill on one in three commercial properties in the UK.
We carefully measured and calculated floor areas, then compared them to the Rateable Value calculations shown in the Rates Assessment on the Valuation Office website. We found the figures they had used were incorrect, due to mistakes in “zoning” the shops, from changes in floor levels caused by the slope along the street, and by incorrectly classifying certain areas within the shop units. The resulting Rateable Value as assessed was almost £10,000 too high.
We negotiated with the Valuation Office and finally, after many months and just before a Rating Tribunal Hearing, agreed a proper re-assessment of the Rateable Value. As the revised assessment corrected errors that had been applied over two “Valuation List” periods our client then received, not only Rates Rebates for almost ten years overpayments, but also Statutory Interest on that overpayment in addition – some £7,000 in all.
Rent Reviews
Our Estate Agency client had a shop used as their offices in west Colchester, on a side road adjoining a local shopping parade. The Landlord gave them notification of a Rent Review under the Lease, seeking a substantial increase in the rent. The lease did not allow for a rental reduction, only “upward or equal” rents on conclusion of any Reviews. He relied on nearby shops in the parade, arguing the rent should be similar. Evidence showed that the main parade had greater visibility and footfall than the Estate Agency shop had, and that there was reason to consider the existing rent was actually already too high.
We were then able to successfully argue for, and to agree, a “Nil Increase” in the rent. The same situation arose three years later, and once again, we successfully negotiated a “Nil increase”.
Can I “pass on” my survey or other report?
This concerns a buyer who recently lost the house he wanted to purchase due to another buyer making a better offer, after we had carried out a survey of the property for him. He wanted to “sell” the report on to the new buyer, and asked us if that was all right. That would let him recover most of the fee he had paid.
Actually, it can’t simply be handed on in return for a payment between the two persons, as the second one has no “contractual relationship” with the surveyor. He has no possible claim on the surveyor, or the surveyor’s work.
That relationship must be created, or the surveyor’s Terms and Conditions of Engagement will exclude or prevent the second person making use of that report.
For reasons especially of Professional Indemnity insurance, he will have inserted a term to say that “is only for use by only the named person [ie, the first client] and no third/ other party can use, reproduce, rely” or make use for other purposes, such as in a mortgage application, in the case of a valuation report.
The Insurance Company involved will not allow that or any report to be used “by the world and his wife”. The report has to be limited as to who can use it. The surveyor will ask the new person to agree his original Terms of Engagement, and who must accept them in writing, as well as agreeing that no fresh inspection of the property will be made. The report could then be transferred.
The surveyor can make a reasonable charge for giving his WRITTEN consent to the second person, allowing the first client to pass-on the report, and the second can then use it, just as the first client would have done.
Land Compensation
The Highways Agency carried out a new lighting installation scheme on part of the A12 main road at Stanway. The method of supporting the light standards caused increased road noise to be experienced by residents in nearby houses and bungalows. As a result, the Market Values of their properties were reduced, giving rise to claims for compensation under the Land Compensation Act 1963.
A group of the residents instructed us to act in negotiations with the Highways Agency, who were then represented by the Valuation Office.
Following long negotiations, over more than two years, this finally resulted in nearly forty of our property owner clients near that scheme on the A12 receiving compensation payments varying from £1,500 to almost £12,000.
For more information on our full services please contact us here
WE HAVE DONE IT AGAIN!
We are celebrating being voted one of the top three Chartered Surveyors in Colchester Seven years running!
Three Best Rated is an independent scheme which uses a 50-point inspection process to assess local businesses including reputation, history, complaints, ratings, satisfaction, trust, cost and general excellence.
This is recognition for providing consistent high quality services across Colchester, Essex.
NO VAT FEES
WE COVER ALL ESSEX AND SOUTH SUFFOLK POSTCODES, IP, CO, CM, SS, RM & IG
(IPSWICH, COLCHESTER, CHELMSFORD, BRAINTREE, SOUTHEND, ROMFORD, ILFORD, ETC.)
Case Studies
Here at Eyesurvey we keep our website up to date with regular projects that we are currently working on or have recently completed.
By showcasing our recent case studies it allows our clients to understand the type of issues that we are able to deal with, how we deal with them and the swift and professional manner in which our team go about it.
No job is too big or too small for our team, each case will be handled with care.
Read more about our case studies here
IN FOCUS THIS WEEK
No matter what the property issue is our team will always be the best ones to deal with the problem. We have encountered many different issues over the years, all ranging in severity and have dealt with them as quickly as possible. So no matter if you are a property owner or tenant you can get back to your daily routine. We pride ourselves on never failing to give anything but the best service to all customers for the best price.
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EYESURVEY
The security and value of your home or business is important to you. At Eyesurvey we understand this so provide a personal touch to all the services we offer. Your home or business is important to us too. Read more about the Residential and Commercial services we provide.
We are the local experts you are looking for so please give us a call to see how we can help you today.
