to AssocRICS

The amount the claimants were seeking was excessive on the basis that claims of this nature are assessed on the basis of ‘diminution of market value’. We were able, therefore, to reduce the claim amount by around 50%.

The

School of Surveying o ers the only vocational route into the residential surveying industry.

What can we take from this case?

It is important to utilise best practice to avoid missing anything important in the condition report.

With nearly 300 learners enrolled on the Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation we are fast becoming the training provider of choice for independent practitioners and firms looking to expand their workforce.

We never found out exactly how the rats were entering the property, however, if you identify any holes or damage in the fabric of the building under inspection, or areas where rodents can potentially enter the property, extra vigilance is necessary.

It is also good practice to include a seller’s questionnaire, which includes a section asking the seller if they are aware of any issues that may affect the decision of any potential buyer.

In this case, in our response to the claimants we included that we considered it highly likely that the previous vendors of the property would have been aware of the issue but failed to disclose it to the sellers at the time of the sale. Therefore, it was our view that the claim should be re-directed to the vendors.