Hi there, and looking for a surveyor

[chamber66]

First post here, so hello

Hopefully buying a property in France towards the end of the summer. probably in the Auvergne‎ or possibly the limosin. We have a few properties lined up to see. does any one know of a surveyor, that works in this area. Who can produce a structural type survey, like we have in the U.K ?

 

Thanks in advance

[Gardian]

We went to the RICS website and found someone local to where we were buying.

I just had a quick look and there are 1010 members throughout France, so you should be able to find someone in your preferred area.

www.rics.org

[Evianers]

Although it is almost mandatory to have the prospective property surveyed in the UK and people would raise their hands in horror if one didn't, but here in France it is unusual. We have bought two properties in which to live full time, and neither of them were surveyed. If you know more or less what to look for, it can save a lot of money.

[nomoss]

We have bought and sold five properties here, all without using a surveyor.

The current one has so far cost us 53,000€ in unforseen expenses, for defaults which were far from noticeable.

I thought I knew what to look for too, but someone was smarter than me[:(]

We could not claim "Vices cachées", as the house is too old, and none of the faults were imminently dangerous. The seller did not know about the faults, or at least could not be proven to know, as she is divorced and her husband bought the house and did the faulty work on it over 40 years ago.

We won't buy another house here without a survey!

 

 

[mint]

Nomoss, I am so glad that you have raised this point as it was something I was itching to say but, with my usual overgrown discretion (look at my signature), I didn't want to wade in.

Not only could a good STRUCTURAL or BUILDING (different from the other kinds) surveyor alert you to ongoing problems, they should also be able to point you to potential problems.

I do in fact have the current directory of surveyors attached to RICS France and I could look in it for the contact details of surveyors near you, if it would help.

I hasten to add that I have no connections, commercial or otherwise, to declare.

[nomoss]

I think reasons many French don't use a surveyor are reticence to pay for something intangible and not really caring about the standard of finish of their houses.

We lavished care on the last house for 12 years before we sold it, but one of the first things the buyers did was to fix tatty home-made flyscreens, with unpainted softwood frames, onto the outside of the carefully lasured hardwood window frames with wire nails which have split the frames and are now rusting.

After viewing hundreds of houses over many years we became used to the abysmally poor presentation and worn out appearance of most of them, trying to look beyond to what could be made of a house, but on the last occasion the rose coloured spectacles made us too myopic[:(]

 

 

[mint]

How I sympathise, nomoss, and yet, it's only too easily done.

I'd better not say anything about the house near me which has just been sold to a "professional" man (I don't mean professional in a sneary sort of way but to show my utter surprise) because I am sure he'd find out soon enough what he has bought.

I could understand, to a point, because this man has come all the way from the southern hemisphere and he last saw this house when it was prettily furnished on a lovely day last August.