Frequently Asked Questions for Private Sellers

What home / house / property surveys can I advertise on this website?

You can advertise any home, house, structural or specialist survey that you own or are at liberty to sell / discuss.

However because each survey is specific to a particular property, if you do want to advertise more than one survey you will need to go through the survey registration process for each survey.

What can I do, if I am unsure whether or not I am legally permitted to re-sell my survey?

1. Firstly, ask the surveyor who prepared the survey if they are willing to agree to it’s resale by becoming one of our ‘Participating Surveyors’. If they are, then they can list the survey for you on their own individual customised web page at www.sellyoursurvey.com No doubt you will then need to come to your own agreement about how the proceeds from any sale are shared.   
2. Ensure that before you commission any further surveys, that either your new surveyor is registered with us or at the very least ensure that in the agreed terms and conditions of any future survey there are no restrictions imposed either before or after the survey is carried out which would prevent you from re-selling your survey in future.

How long will my survey be advertised on the website for?

Providing the advert complies with the terms and conditions of the website, each advert will be featured for up to 12 months. You can of course extend this period by taking out another advert.

Can I remove my advertisement from the site?

Yes, at any time. As a registered advertiser, you will have complete control over your advert and can delete it at any time.  

Does this mean I won’t need another survey to buy a house?

Possibly, it all depends on how good the survey is, and whether or not you decide to commission the originating surveyor to provide you with either an updated survey or an additional one. If unsure, always seek legal advice.

Do I need a survey if I intend on renting?

Not usually. But if you are about to enter into either a short or long term letting agreement, you might want to check out if the property you are about to rent has any survey history which might affect both your decision to rent it, and / or the level of rent which it is reasonable to pay.
 
Can I copy my survey and sell the copy?

No. Even though you may own the report (paper and ink), any copying of a survey is almost certainly in breach of copyright law, and could result in prosecution. www.sellyoursurvey.com only promotes the sale / discussion of original surveys where it is legal to do so. (See terms and conditions) 

How much should I sell / buy a survey for?

No doubt any reasonable figure would depend upon various factors, not least; the original cost, the type, the age and any additional features of the survey.

How should I conduct the sale?

This is a matter strictly between you and the buyer, although if you are both local to each other, and you judge it safe to do so, you might want to consider a simple ‘drop off’ or ‘pick up’ arrangement.

Can I register a survey for sale or my interest in finding survey on a property not in Britain?

Yes, as long as you meet both the terms and conditions of this website, and comply with any legal restrictions which might exist in the country where the survey / report was provided.   

Why do I need to log in as a registered website user to advertise my survey?

To protect your privacy as far as possible, for us to ensure that the website is not being misused in any way and to prevent you from receiving unwanted spam.

Why do I need to log in as a registered website user to simply buy a survey?

Primarily to protect our advertisers privacy, but also by requesting you log in it helps us to ‘filter out’ unwanted or anonymous visitors.

What happens to our data / details once we have logged in?

As a responsible website which is respectful of our advertisers (and buyers) right to privacy, Sell Your Survey Ltd is registered with the Information Commissioners Office as required to do so by the Data Protection Act 1998.

We guarantee not to pass on any of your details to any other party, unless requested to do so by a recognised law enforcement agency. (See privacy policy)

Where do ‘Home Information Packs’ (HIPs) fit into all of this?
As part of the Housing Act 2004, the government has brought through regulation which requires home owners (or their selling agents) to ensure that from 1st June 2007 they make available a HIP when marketing homes for sale.

The information to be included in the HIP can be broken down into two parts;

1. ‘Required Documents’ which must be included in the HIP.
2. ‘Authorised Documents’ which may be included in the HIP.

‘Required Documents’ include the following;
           
-   Terms of sale.
-   Evidence of title.
-   Copies of any planning, listed buildings, building regulations, consents and
     approvals.
-   Copies of any warranties, and guarantees, for new properties.
-   Guarantees for any work carried out on the property.
-   Local search replies.
-   An energy performance certificate

A Home Condition Report if provided at all will now be placed within the HIP as an ‘Authorised Document’, not as a ‘Required Document’ as originally intended.

Additionally, for leasehold properties the HIP must include;

-  A copy of the lease.
-  Most recent service charge accounts and receipts.
-  Buildings insurance policy details and policy receipts
-  Regulations made by the landlord or management company
 - Memorandum and articles of the landlord or management company.

However HIPs will not be required for the following;

-  Properties in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
-  Homes held on lease of less than 21 years.
-  Private sales where the property is not offered on the open market.
-  Non-residential property or where homes are in mixed use with commercial
    property.
-   Properties sold with sitting tenants, and not available for owner occupation.
-   Portfolios of residential property.
-   ‘Right to Buy’ sales by local authorities or other social landlords.
-   Seasonal and holiday accommodation which is occupied for less than 11   
     months in any year.                                                                                            

As a consequence of the above, although as a company we welcome the many positive elements which the arrival of the HIP brings to the house buying process, not least by placing a greater degree of responsibility on the house seller. It still appears to us that quite apart from the fact that the HIP is provided by the seller and not for the purchaser; the proposed new system is unable to ensure that the prospective house purchaser has as much information as they should have about the condition of a house at a reasonable price, before embarking on what is still often the most expensive transaction of their life.

Because of this we suspect that there is still going to be a significant need for independent home (and other specialist) surveys / HCR’s to be carried both before and after the introduction of the HIPs on 1st June 2007.

If you are in any doubt about any of the above, please seek legal advice.

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