76% of advisers recommend private surveys over lender reports

Over three quarters (76%) of advisers recommend taking out private surveys when purchasing or remortgaging a property, according to TMA Mortgage Club research.

Related topics:  Finance News
Rozi Jones
31st July 2017
approved approval business form paperwork

The majority of advisers believe valuation reports conducted by lenders are not comprehensive enough. Advisers also agree that a private survey provides borrowers with more protection and would save them money in the long term as it is the only way to identify any defects in the property.  

This is backed up by ongoing research by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors who identified that on average, homeowners spend £5,570 on repairs once they have moved into a property, largely due to not investing in a full private survey.

Despite it being mandatory in Scotland for vendors to take out a survey (the Home Report) on the property they are selling, 43% of the brokers polled by TMA don’t believe that it should become a required part of the valuation process in the rest of the UK.

The research also shows that advisers are unsure on where to refer their clients. Currently, over a quarter (28%) of the advisers polled use a local surveyor and only 5% refer to a nationwide firm, whilst nearly a quarter of advisers (24%) refer clients to the lender’s firm of choice for a private survey.

David Copland, director of TMA Mortgage Club, said: “It’s great to see so many brokers already advising their clients to take out a survey, but we would like to see it across the board. A home is one of the most expensive purchases a person makes and whilst our advisers are on hand to make sure that their clients get the best deal, we should be ensuring that they are not about to commit to a home that could cost them thousands of pounds.

“Going forward, we will ensure that TMA members are aware of all the surveys available and will help them to develop a strong relationship with a firm that they can refer their clients to, so they don’t have to solely rely on the lender’s provider.” 

More like this
Latest from Property Reporter
Latest from Protection Reporter
CLOSE
Subscribe
to our newsletter

Join a community of over 30,000 intermediaries and keep up-to-date with industry news and upcoming events via our newsletter.