The annual inspection, dubbed PropertyCare+, checks the fabric of the building as well as giving advice on household appliances such as boilers.
PropertyCare+ highlights any repairs that need immediate attention, points out areas that may cause future issues, and also provides advice on routine maintenance.
It also offers guideline repair costs. By identifying problems early PropertyCare+ aims to ensure the condition of the property does not deteriorate, minimising repair costs.
Richard Sexton, director of e.surv said:
“General wear and tear, and changeable weather can turn into serious issues for your home – and your wallet. But, if you catch them in time you can easily stop costs spiralling out of control.
"PropertyCare+ is a professional inspection that gives you a detailed picture of the condition of your house, expert advice on solving any current problems and helpful guidance on maintaining a healthy house for your future.
"It should be particularly useful for the elderly and less physically able who might not get up into the attic as often as they once did and, for instance, are therefore less likely to notice problems with the roof.
"And because PropertyCare+ lays out the likely costs of making repairs proactively, it should help elderly homeowners with their budgeting – an important consideration given the majority of elderly people live off a fixed income.
"Hopefully it will also stop people getting ripped off by unscrupulous tradesmen.”
PropertyCare+ will also help homeowners who did not take out a private survey when buying their home.
A survey will identify repairs amounting to £1,800 on average – but four out of every five buyers fail to arrange a survey, instead wrongly relying on their lender’s mortgage valuation.
Richard Sexton said:
“Moving house is an expensive time and lots of people don’t want the extra expense of paying for a survey. But a few years down the line, they might decide that was a false economy.
"Even modern homes can be at risk. For instance, lots of modern properties suffer from condensation, damp and inadequate ventilation.
“Even if you had a survey when you first bought your home, if you have lived in a property for a long time, you can’t continue to rely on a survey you had done when you first moved in. Homeowners typically live in the same property for 15 years .
"Houses are living, breathing things that need continuous care, and a lot can happen over that time. Damp can set in, boilers can go on the blink, and timbers can rot.
"Without regular check-ups, costs can rack up as the condition of the property deteriorates over time. Roofs repairs, for instance, can cost anything from a few hundred pounds up to many thousands to rectify.”
PropertyCare+ also offers landlords a way to check the condition of a property they may not have visited for a while, rather than relying on tenants and managing agents to notify them of defects.
Landlords can use PropertyCare+ to develop cyclical maintenance plans, spreading maintenance costs throughout the lifecycle of owning a property, rather than responding to problems as they arise.
The cost of PropertyCare+ starts at just £199 for a two-bedroom property, up to £269 for a five-bedroom property.
