Trewin Design Partnership are members of the RICS (Royal Institute of Charterred Surveyors) and carry out a variety of building surveys in Devon and Cornwall. Details of the surveys available are listed below.

Building Surveys
Our Building Surveys are carried out by Chartered Building Surveyors (RICS) with a wide experience of different building types.  We have gained considerable experience by inspecting hundreds of properties, from thatched cottages and fine country houses to modern estate built properties.  The surveyor will carry out a non-destructive inspection of the property, including any accessible roof voids and cellars.

It is possible to combine a Building Survey with tests of building services.  Some purchasers prefer to wait until they have the Building Survey Report before going on to incur the expense of service testing.  The surveyor, having inspected the building and identified the types of services connected and their age, may advise you to have one or more tested for adequacy, repaired or replaced outright.

The whole purpose of the Report is to provide you with information on which to make a soundly based judgement about purchase.  Having read the Report and discussed it with the surveyor, you may wish to proceed with your purchase, reduce your offer or buy a similar property in better condition.

Home Buyers Reports
A Homebuyer Survey and Valuation (HSV), also known as a Homebuyer’s Report, is to a standard format as set out by RICS. It is most suitable for conventional properties built within the last 150 years, which are in reasonable condition. It doesn't detail every aspect of the property, and only focuses on urgent matters needing attention. It’s not usually suitable for properties in need of renovation, or if you’re planning major alterations.

Subject to the comments made above, an HSV includes details of:

• The general condition of the property.
• Any major faults in accessible parts of the building that may affect the value.
• Any urgent problems that need inspecting by a specialist before you sign a contract.
• Results of tests for damp in the walls.
• Damage to timbers - including woodboring insects and rot.
• The condition of any damp-proofing, insulation and drainage (where accessible).
• The estimated cost of rebuilding the property after a fire, for building insurance purposes.
• The value of the property on the open market.

Energy Performance Certificates

We have been established for over 20 years providing services in the south and southwest. We are qualified to provide EPCs (Energy Performance Certificates)

What is an Energy Performance Certificate?
An energy performance certificate is a document (similar to that found on vehicles and appliances) that will provide an energy rating for a building.  You will need an EPC whenever a building or part of a building is constructed, sold or let.  It will provide valuable information for potential purchasers and tenants on the energy performance and efficiency. It will be accompanied by a recommendation report which will provide information on how to upgrade the energy performance and the payback period for carrying out any improvements.

When do I need an Energy Performance Certificate?
From the 6th April 2008 any building other than dwellings with a total floor area greater than 10,000m² will require an EPC on construction, sale or let.

From the 1st July 2008 any building other than a dwelling with a total floor area greater than 2,500m² will require an EPC on construction, sale or let. From the 1st October 2008 all buildings that are not dwellings will require an EPC on construction, sale or let.

Dilapidations Surveys

Dilapidations are a specialist surveying discipline normally practised by building surveyors. 
The services of a dilapidations surveyor are principally required by commercial bodies that either lease property or rent it.  The lease will help define the obligations of the parties, but the wording requires careful interpretation.

The services provided by Trewin Design include:

• Preparation of Schedules of Dilapidations on behalf of landlords (and tenants in specific instances).
• Defence of Schedules.
• Agreement of the correct liability in terms of damages on behalf of either party to a lease.
• A range of other advice connected to the obligations to repair contained within leases.

The use of a firm employing specialist practitioners in this area of law and building surveying can produce real cost benefits for clients.  It is recommended that early advice is sought by both landlords and tenants prior to the termination of a lease. It may also be appropriate to address some of the potential dilapidations issues at the start of the lease rather than discover the cost at termination. To this end we can:

• Provide advice to prospective tenants.
• Prepare a Schedules of Condition for attachment to the lease that will limit repairing liability.
• Provide advice on the wording of the repairing covenant proposed.

Please contact us for specific advice about your individual circumstances.

Defects Advice

Defects Investigation is undertaken where there is specific concern about the way a part of a building has been constructed, or about its current condition.

Such work might typically involve the investigation of failure in an element such as a floor, wall or roof structure where cracking, water penetration or movement have alerted occupiers and owners to the existence of a problem.  In new construction, the investigation may subsequently be linked to Litigation under a contract for building works or result in an Insurance Claim.  The scope of the investigation is entirely dependent on the nature of the problem and how critical the consequences of failure would be.  A wide range of diagnostic techniques can be applied to the investigation of building failures, some of which are available in-house, whilst others require specialists who have the appropriate knowledge and expertise.

Building Condition Reports & Schedules

A Condition Schedule is prepared when it is important to know the state of a building at a particular point in time.  It provides no information as to the cause of defects, but rather records the superficial evidence for defects.

Schedules of Condition are often prepared for attachment to leases where the repairing obligations are limited by such a Schedule.  They are also necessary in advance of building work, where it is thought possible that the work might cause physical damage to an adjoining property.  Provision of such Schedules has now become standard under The Party Wall etc. Act for major building works in the vicinity of Party Walls.
We can prepare Schedules of Condition with photographs and provide copies as required to all the relevant parties.  The quality of our scheduling work will soon become apparent in relation to party wall matters, but where a lease is involved it may only show its true value at the end of the term.  In either case, there is considerable scope for saving money through the mechanism of a Schedule of Condition.