Surveying the survey

Surveyors provide advice upon the condition of property in many circumstances. This advice should be based upon an investigation into the condition of a building made during the course of construction or at any other time in its life. If the advice is going to be reliable then the inspection must be sufficient to identify the condition of the building and the report must be reliable. The results of our research into the understanding of the recipients of reports confirm that many are being misled by the content of the document and the expectation of reliance that may be placed upon its content. The research started in 1988 and has been repeated in 1999. This confirms that public understanding of the standardized survey reports has not changed in that period. The level of inspection carried out in existing property has been shown to be varied. The techniques now used have changed little since 1960. The extent of the defects within new-built-residential property suggests that the inspection of ongoing building operations is insufficient to prevent defects being built into new buildings. The implication upon construction is that the same level of inspection that has been used to examine the final product is used to monitor and control building operations. That suggests that the profession may be incapable of ensuring the quality of new work, assessed both during and after completion, without a change in work practices and the development of new techniques. Construction quality assurance cannot be achieved if those involved seek to rely upon defects being identified by either a building inspector or a surveyor who may be monitoring the work.. The implication is that there is a need to re-think the approach to the monitoring of building operations if one is to assure the quality of the finished building. The failure of the pre-purchase report suggests that there is a need for the introduction of, and the maintenance of, a building record. This also has an impact on the Government proposal for Vendor surveys.