Chartered Surveyors in Whitstable

Whitstable’s housing stock is dominated by nineteenth-century fishermen’s cottages, weatherboarded
seafront properties and the Victorian terraces running back from the harbour towards Tankerton.
It is a lovely place to buy and a difficult place to survey casually.

What we check in Whitstable

Weatherboarding and render on the seaward elevations take a battering from salt-laden wind, and
we frequently find soft timber behind sound-looking paint. Many of the cottages have no meaningful
damp-proof course and sit at or near beach level, so ground moisture and raised external levels are
routine findings. Beach-front and Island Wall properties need a hard look at shingle bank and sea
defence exposure, and at what the insurer will actually cover. Tankerton’s inter-war semis raise a
different set of questions — cavity wall tie corrosion, original flat-roofed additions, and loft
conversions carried out without building regulations approval.

Surveys in Whitstable

For anything pre-1900, weatherboarded or previously extended, we normally recommend an RICS Level 3
Building Survey rather than a Level 2. We will tell you if a Level 2 is genuinely adequate.

Services we provide in Whitstable

• RICS Home Survey Level 2 (Homebuyer Survey) and Level 3 (Building Survey)
• Structural surveys, specific defect reports and crack and movement assessment
• Damp, timber and condensation investigations
• Red Book valuations for probate, capital gains tax, matrimonial and shared ownership
• Party wall notices, awards and disputes under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996
• Schedules of condition, dilapidations and commercial building surveys
• New build snagging inspections and professional consultant’s certificates

Every report is produced by an RICS regulated chartered surveyor, written in plain English, and
delivered with photographs, a clear summary of the significant findings and an indication of likely
repair costs.

Whitstable survey questions we are asked most

How much does a building survey cost in Whitstable?

For a typical two or three bedroom cottage in the town our RICS Level 3 Building Survey fees start at around the level you would expect for a period coastal property, and we quote a fixed fee before we attend so there are no surprises. Larger seafront houses and anything requiring high-level access cost more, and we tell you why.

Should I worry about flooding on Island Wall?

Parts of Island Wall and the harbour side of the town fall within Environment Agency flood zones and rely on the shingle bank and sea defences. It is not a reason to walk away, but it is a reason to check the flood history, get an insurance quotation before exchange, and understand what the defences are designed to withstand.

Book a surveyor in Whitstable. Call us or use the enquiry form below and we will come back to you the same working day with a fixed fee and the earliest available inspection date.