Is anyone here a surveyor?

maybe try using the glorious leader of china in this joke instead zed they might get it then

No, no, no, Zed, his username is "somebody" ... ah, forget it...

haha @ Ved. I thought you wuz on the wind-up. Then forgot.

Good luck Leni. Keep in touch!

Will do. Maybe LFGSS wants to organise a trip abroad to the Mutterland to watch the Berlin 6-days? I'll organise bikes for everyone *.

*Some or all of it may be impossible.

Bump

Looking to buy a small flat in East London and need to get a sense of what kind of checks I should get done at this point.

So far two different mortgage lenders have OK'd the price. The solicitor is doing various searches about access to the flat, leasehold issues, that the area is unlikely to be flooded etc.

But what is the best and cheapest way of getting an idea about whether the flat is OK wrt electrics, gas, potential leaks, rot, fungus, pests etc etc?
Do correct me if I am wrong, but I am getting the impression that hiring a surveyor for an extended survey (ca £450) at this stage is not necessarily the best idea. (Although the surveryors insist I get the full works obviously)
Firstly, I might end up paying again for stuff that has already been covered by mortgage lender and solicitor. Secondly, I have been told that surveyors aren't always that great when it comes to hard facts about technical issues, and only tell you "what could be an issue" or "needs to be looked into".

I'm a hydrographic surveyor and I suppose I could have a look round for you?

I used to (briefly) work for a surveying firm, bastards still owe me the last paycheck/invoice! (but too small to worth small claims court hassle for, and they know it).

Getting a survey is generally a good idea, though how much come back you have is all relative, I always like to think I am a fountain of knowledge on what can go wrong with a building/ house, but I'm not, so personally would always fork out for someone else to tell me their opinion even if i (think) I already know the most of it.
flats are always a bit tricky, esp when it comes to communal areas and services that are within other units or in hidden/secure parts of the building, and from past experience, its generally those bits that go wrong :(

RICS be damned as working in a surveyors office makes you a surveyor. Want a rolleyes smilie.

What do you actually want to know, is about your flat or the building the flat is in?

Thanks for responding.
At the moment I am more concerned about the inside of the flat. The freeholder is Gateway Housing, and I generally trust them as regards fire safety etc. Gateway has a strong leasholder`s association and their external maintenance and decoration seem decent enough at first glance, so I am hoping that services and stuff in the communal areas will be looked after well. In addition my solicitor did some searches that OK'd access to services if repairs are needed.

The flat being just 50 sqm I reckon there isn`t much that can go wrong. Right now I am cosidering scrapping the extended survey and isntead focus on the following:

• An electrician to do a Periodic Inspection Report.
  
• A damp engineer to reassure me that there is no water getting in under the tiles in the batroom etc.
  
  

How does this sound to you? Should I consider anything else? Gas, plumbing or similar? All advice appreciated