A handy guide to our mortgage valuations: why we need them, what they cost and what they mean for your mortgage application.

A Mortgage Valuation Survey is the absolute basic level of survey that we offer through lenders. These surveys are commissioned by you, the customer but have been requested by your lender as part of your mortgage application.

Mortgage valuations can give you a rough idea of whether you are paying too much (or tool little!) for a property. However, as a type of property survey, it is very limited in scope – only likely to uncover obvious, visible defects as part of a brief inspection. It’s our job to report on the condition a property is in, what it might be worth and any potential issues the property might experience in the future.

In our opinion any survey carried out by a property surveyor should be considered essential. SWH Surveys Ltd have a specialised team of Surveyors and Valuers who have many years experience of Surveying and Valuing properties in the area, who are completely independent of any Estate Agency or Financial Lender and can offer completely independent impartial advice on the property you are looking to buy.

A report based on a brief inspection to advise the Client (usually a lender) as to the open market value and possibly the suitability of the property for mortgage purposes. It’s purpose is to describe the property and highlight only obvious defects which affect the value — it does not provide a comprehensive report on the condition of the property and it should not be relied upon by purchasers.