Get a fast, free online no obligation quote with us and know where you stand before you commit.
Prefer to speak to a human? Call now and get professional advice you can act on straight away, no jargon!
Our building surveyors work across the East of England and can provide RICS level 2 and level 3 home surveys giving you peace of mind and confidence in your purchase.
The East of England has the most varied traditional building stock of any English region, and a great deal of it is not standard construction. Timber frame, thatch, flint, clay lump and pargeting are all common, and a surveyor who only knows brick and block will miss things. It also has two ground conditions — Fenland peat and London Clay — that between them account for a large share of the country's subsidence claims. Both shape what level of survey you actually need.
Across Suffolk, north Essex and south Norfolk — Lavenham, Long Melford, Kersey, Finchingfield, Thaxted and the villages around them — a large proportion of the older stock is oak-framed with lath and plaster or lime render infill, much of it listed. The recurring problem is well-meant modern repair: cement render and gypsum plaster applied over a frame designed to breathe, trapping moisture and causing exactly the rot and beetle damage the owner was trying to prevent. Thatch brings its own considerations — ridge and coat age, fire-retardant provision, chimney condition, and the insurance implications that follow. These properties need a Level 3 Building Survey without exception; a Level 2 on a listed timber-framed cottage is not a saving, it's a gap.
Flint with brick dressings is common along the north Norfolk coast and through Breckland; clay lump — unfired earth blocks — appears widely in south Norfolk and the Waveney valley. Clay lump in particular is very often misunderstood: it performs well when kept dry and rendered in lime, and fails quickly when someone applies cement render or raises ground levels against it. Lenders can be cautious about both, so establishing the construction and its condition early affects whether your purchase proceeds at all.
Across the Cambridgeshire and Norfolk Fens — March, Chatteris, Wisbech, Whittlesey, Ely and the surrounding villages — drained peat soils continue to shrink and oxidise, and ground levels have fallen measurably over the last century. Buildings on shallow foundations move with it. We see differential settlement, distorted openings and stepped cracking that would be alarming elsewhere and is routine here, and part of our job is telling you which of it is historic and stable and which is progressive.
Southern Essex and much of Hertfordshire sit on shrink-swell clay, which makes this one of the highest subsidence-risk parts of the country, particularly in dry summers and particularly where mature trees stand close to shallow Victorian or interwar foundations. Crack pattern, crack width, seasonal behaviour and tree proximity all matter, and we assess them together rather than in isolation.
From the north Norfolk coast round to the Suffolk cliffs and the Essex estuaries, coastal erosion, tidal surge and Broads flooding all bear on insurability and mortgageability. We inspect for evidence of past flooding and flag it plainly; pair the survey with a flood search, because the two answer different questions.
Cambridge, Peterborough, Northstowe, Cambourne, Alconbury and the Bedford–Milton Keynes corridor have seen very large volumes of new build. A snagging inspection or a Level 2 survey is worthwhile here even on a warrantied home — a developer's warranty covers structural defect, not the finish quality and compliance issues that turn up most often.
We're a nationwide practice with surveyors resourced regionally, so bookings across the eastern counties are covered by surveyors who know the local building traditions.
Norwich, Great Yarmouth, King's Lynn, Thetford, Dereham, Wymondham, Diss, Fakenham, Cromer, Sheringham, Hunstanton, Attleborough, North Walsham, Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Lowestoft, Felixstowe, Sudbury, Stowmarket, Haverhill, Newmarket, Beccles, Woodbridge and Southwold.
Cambridge, Peterborough, Ely, Huntingdon, St Neots, St Ives, March, Chatteris, Wisbech, Whittlesey, Ramsey, Cambourne, Bedford, Luton, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Biggleswade, Sandy, Ampthill and Flitwick.
Chelmsford, Colchester, Southend-on-Sea, Basildon, Brentwood, Braintree, Harlow, Clacton-on-Sea, Witham, Maldon, Billericay, Wickford, Saffron Walden, Epping, St Albans, Watford, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Hertford, Welwyn Garden City, Bishop's Stortford, Hitchin, Letchworth, Royston, Ware and Cheshunt.
Buying outside the region? We survey nationwide — see our Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham and Derby pages, or call 01159 227 446 and we'll confirm cover for your postcode straight away.
Buying a property is a big decision, and our professional RICS surveyors provide straightforward Homebuyer Reports that highlight any issues, risks and potential costs, so you can move forward with confidence.
Our home surveys identify visible defects, structural concerns and areas that may need attention, helping you avoid unexpected surprises after purchase.
You’ll receive a clear, jargon-free report that explains what the findings mean in real terms.
Whether you’re buying a modern home or an older property, we’ll guide you to the right level of survey for your situation so you pay for the home survey you need.
You can feel confident you will get a fast turnaround, and a detailed report, along with expert advice for residential property purchases throughout Cambridge, Norwich, Ipswich, Peterborough, Chelmsford, Colchester, and the wider East of England region.
A side-by-side comparison of what each RICS survey level includes.
| Service features | Level 2Home Buyers Report | Level 3Building Survey |
|---|---|---|
| Describes the construction and condition of the property on the date of the inspection | ✓ | ✓ |
| Aims to identify any problems that need urgent attention or are serious | ✓ | ✓ |
| Aims to identify things that need to be investigated further to prevent serious damage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Aims to show up potential issues and defects, before any transaction takes place | ✓ | ✓ |
| Aims to help you decide whether you need extra advice before committing to purchase | ✓ | ✓ |
| Aims to enable you to budget for any repairs or restoration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Aims to advise you on the amount of ongoing maintenance required in the future | ✓ | ✓ |
| Aims to establish how the property is built, what materials are used and how these will perform in the future | – | ✓ |
| Aims to describe visible defects, plus exposing potential problems posed by hidden defects | – | ✓ |
| Where practical and agreed, provides an estimate of costs for identified repair | – | ✓ |
| Provides specific comments on energy efficiency | – | ✓ |
Speak to our team on 01159 227 446 if you are unsure which level of survey suits your property.
A Level 2 survey suits conventional properties in reasonable condition and gives you a condition-rated report on everything visible and accessible. A Level 3 survey goes considerably further and is the better choice for older, extended, altered or unusual buildings. It investigates the construction in more detail, explains the likely cause of any defects and sets out what needs doing about them. If you’re unsure which you need, call us and we’ll tell you honestly.
As soon as you submit your enquiry, an automatic quote is sent straight to you, so you’ll know the cost before you commit to anything. Use the quote form on this page to get started.
We can normally carry out your inspection within five working days of booking, and your report is then delivered within a further five working days of the visit.
We survey right across the East of England, including Cambridge, Norwich, Ipswich, Peterborough, Chelmsford and Colchester, along with the surrounding towns and villages. If you’re not sure whether your postcode is covered, give us a ring and we’ll confirm straight away.
Yes. Our surveys are carried out by RICS-registered surveyors working to RICS Home Survey standards, so you get a report that lenders, solicitors and estate agents recognise and take seriously.
A Level 2 Homebuyer Survey doesn’t include a valuation. If you need a market valuation or advice on reinstatement cost, mention it when you book and we’ll let you know the options.
Yes, and we’d encourage it. Reports raise questions, and a short conversation is often the quickest way to understand how serious something really is and what it’s likely to cost to put right.
Very few reports come back completely clear, and a defect isn’t necessarily a reason to walk away. We’ll explain how urgent each issue is and what sort of work it implies, which gives you the evidence to get quotes, renegotiate the price or ask the seller to deal with it before completion.