If you are purchasing a property with a mortgage, you will be required to have a mortgage valuation arranged through your mortgage lender. The mortgage valuation is NOT a survey. It is a risk assessment for the mortgage lender to consider whether the property is suitable for mortgage lending purposes and often, even if you are required to pay for it, you will not receive a copy. The mortgage valuation will not provide you with the important information you will require about the condition of the property you are purchasing. To fully understand the condition and suitability of the property you are buying and any potential problems, you need an independent survey. The issues that your dedicated surveyor will be looking out for are not always easily identifiable from your own initial viewing at the property. 

Yes. An internal and external inspection is vital to determine both the condition of the subject flat and the level of maintenance being applied to the whole building. This is essential because understanding your shared liability of ownership will allow you to budget for essential maintenance costs. For most flats it is common that the maintenance of the building and communal areas will be dealt with by a freeholder or a management company. The cost of maintaining any building is usually covered by a service charge collected from the owners of the flats from within the building. 

Yes. New build homes are not exempt from having issues and human error can occur during construction. Even if the new build property comes with a 10 year guarantee such as a NHBC, this guarantee does not always cover you for any repair of building defects that may need to be addressed. A survey will identify any issues that you need to be aware of. 

A Red Book valuation consists of an independent RICS Registered Valuer assessing the property and producing a formal report on its current market value.