Sample survey reports
See what you get before you choose. We reported on the same sample flat at all three depths, with the report generator we use for client reports, so you can compare element by element.
Sample report: fictional property. The property, the client and every observation are invented; the wording is taken from typical JBS reports and the PDFs are produced by the same report generator we use for client reports.
The sample property
Sample property: top-floor flat in a Victorian mid-terrace house converted into three flats, London
A two-bedroom flat on the second (top) floor of a Victorian mid-terrace house of solid brick, with a natural slate roof behind a front parapet. The house has been converted into three flats sharing a communal entrance and staircase. The flat was occupied and furnished at the time of the inspection and the weather was dry.
Sample Level 2 Home Survey
A condition rating and a clear commentary for each element: what we saw, why it matters and what to do.
Our sample report: 27 pages
from £499
Report typically 5 working days after the inspection
Sample Level 2 Plus Home Survey
The Level 2 report plus construction and context for each element, a roof void entry record and a table of moisture readings.
Our sample report: 31 pages
from £599
Report typically 5 working days after the inspection
Sample Level 3 Building Survey
Our fullest report: adds the likely cause of each defect, how it is repaired, what further investigation should cover, means of escape and a separate energy section.
Our sample report: 36 pages
from £699
Report typically 7 working days after the inspection
The difference in one element
Here is the roof covering (D2) from the sample at each depth. Every level gives the same condition rating and tells you what to do. Level 2 Plus explains the construction and context; Level 3 explains the likely cause, the repair and what to do before you exchange. The comparison page does the same for eight parts of the report.
D2 Roof coverings
Level 2
The main roof is pitched and covered with natural slate on timber battens. To the front, the slope drains into a lead-lined parapet gutter behind the front parapet wall. Our view of the roof was limited to what could be seen from ground level and from the rear windows.
A number of slates have slipped or are missing, and there is some moss growth. The parapet gutter could not be seen, but staining to the front bedroom ceiling (E2) suggests that water has entered at some point. Localised repairs are needed to keep the roof weathertight. Your conveyancer should confirm with the freeholder or managing agent whether the roof has been repaired recently and whether any works are planned.
Level 2 Plus
The main roof is pitched and covered with natural slate on timber battens. To the front, the slope drains into a lead-lined parapet gutter behind the front parapet wall. Our view of the roof was limited to what could be seen from ground level and from the rear windows.
A number of slates have slipped or are missing, and there is some moss growth. The parapet gutter could not be seen, but staining to the front bedroom ceiling (E2) suggests that water has entered at some point. Localised repairs are needed to keep the roof weathertight. Your conveyancer should confirm with the freeholder or managing agent whether the roof has been repaired recently and whether any works are planned.
Construction and context
Natural slate is a durable roof covering and good-quality slate can last well over a century. In practice, the life of a slate roof is usually limited by the fixings rather than the slate itself: the iron nails used in older roofs corrode over time and the slates then slip. Slipped or missing slates are not uncommon on a roof of this age, but each one is a route for water into the roof structure.
Construction and context
Parapet gutters are a common and vulnerable feature of Victorian London terraces. They are hidden behind the parapet, collect water from the whole slope, and depend on the lead lining, its joints and the outlet remaining clear. Blockage by leaves or debris, or splits in the lead, can allow water to overflow into the top of the wall and the ceiling below, often without any sign from street level.
Construction and context
In a leasehold context, responsibility for the roof is likely to rest with the freeholder, with the cost recovered through the service charge. Roof works can become disproportionately expensive because of the access required, even where the underlying repair is modest.
Level 3
The main roof is pitched and covered with natural slate on timber battens. To the front, the slope drains into a lead-lined parapet gutter behind the front parapet wall. Our view of the roof was limited to what could be seen from ground level and from the rear windows.
A number of slates have slipped or are missing, and there is some moss growth. The parapet gutter could not be seen, but staining to the front bedroom ceiling (E2) suggests that water has entered at some point. Localised repairs are needed to keep the roof weathertight. Your conveyancer should confirm with the freeholder or managing agent whether the roof has been repaired recently and whether any works are planned.
Construction and context
Natural slate is a durable roof covering and good-quality slate can last well over a century. In practice, the life of a slate roof is usually limited by the fixings rather than the slate itself: the iron nails used in older roofs corrode over time and the slates then slip. Slipped or missing slates are not uncommon on a roof of this age, but each one is a route for water into the roof structure.
Construction and context
Parapet gutters are a common and vulnerable feature of Victorian London terraces. They are hidden behind the parapet, collect water from the whole slope, and depend on the lead lining, its joints and the outlet remaining clear. Blockage by leaves or debris, or splits in the lead, can allow water to overflow into the top of the wall and the ceiling below, often without any sign from street level.
Construction and context
In a leasehold context, responsibility for the roof is likely to rest with the freeholder, with the cost recovered through the service charge. Roof works can become disproportionately expensive because of the access required, even where the underlying repair is modest.
Cause and likely repair
The slipped slates appear to result from corroded ("nail-sick") fixings, which is a sign of the age of the covering rather than an isolated defect. Where slates have slipped across a slope, patch repairs tend to become more frequent, and a point is reached where re-slating is the more economic course, reusing sound slates with new fixings and a breathable underlay. We could not establish whether that point has been reached, and a roofing contractor should be asked to advise.
Cause and likely repair
The staining to the front bedroom ceiling and the dampness recorded at the top of the front wall (E3) are most likely to come from the parapet gutter. Typical causes are a blocked outlet, splits at the joints of the lead lining where it has expanded and contracted over time, or lead laid in lengths that are too long and have cracked. The gutter should be inspected from a roof ladder or scaffold, cleared, and any defective lead replaced in correctly sized lengths with drips between them. This should be done before redecoration, and at the same time as the chimney and slate repairs, so that scaffolding is erected once.
Further investigation
Obtain at least two quotations for the full scope of roof, gutter and chimney work before you exchange contracts, and ask your conveyancer how the cost would be shared between the flats.
How to read the condition ratings
- 3
Condition rating 3
Defects that are serious and/or need to be repaired, replaced or investigated urgently.
- 2
Condition rating 2
Defects that need repairing or replacing but are not considered to be either serious or urgent. The property must be maintained in the normal way.
- 1
Condition rating 1
No repair is currently needed. The property must be maintained in the normal way.
- NI
Not inspected
The element could not be inspected or seen. Where this matters, the report says what to do.
Who writes JBS reports
Joe Weaver MSc AssocRICS MRPSA, RICS Registered Valuer
Director of JBS Surveying Ltd, regulated by RICS. The report structure follows the RICS Home Survey Standard, with condition ratings 1, 2, 3 and NI. This page shows the main sections of the sample; the PDF is the complete report exactly as our report generator produces it, including the standard RICS sections, with photographs omitted. After every survey you can book a call with Joe to go through the report.
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