Mortgage valuation
A mortgage valuation is carried out on the property usually at your expense.
The lender has to satisfy themselves that the property exists and is suitable to lend against from a security point of view. Depending on the lender you may gat a copy of this report. Any serious issues will be covered but usually there is very little detail about the non essential repairs and maintenance required.
Homebuyers survey
This report is yours and is usually 5-10 pages long. It will investigate the property in much more detail regarding areas that are visible and accessible. However, as with all surveys, areas that are not accessible will not be covered and services such as sewage, electrical and heating will require further specialist reports if needed.
Full structural survey
This report is usually required in place of the homebuyers surveys if the property in question is pre 1900 and/or you are planning substantial renovations.
As with the homebuyers survey, areas that are not accessible will not be covered and services such as sewage, electrical and heating will require further specialist reports if needed.