Building Contracts – Where Do I Start?
When you’re having building or refurbishment work done, one of the most important things is to make sure you have the right level of...
Browse through our blog posts for the latest industry news, discover more about surveying and find out what the Harrison Clarke team have been up to.
Let’s say you’re renovating a property. Maybe you own the home, manage the building, or you just bought it to fix it up. You, or a contractor, are ready to work. You pull back a ceiling tile or start stripping out some walls, and you hear a question that no one really wants to hear; […]
Whether you’re building an extension, converting your loft or doing structural alterations, you need to understand your obligations under the Party Wall etc Act 1996. It’s one of those areas that can quietly derail your project if you’re not properly prepared. A lot of homeowners don’t realise just how long the party wall process can […]
Unexpected repairs. Costly downtime. Safety concerns. If you’re a property owner or manager, these are very familiar headaches for you! Luckily, there’s a simple solution to all of them: a planned preventative maintenance survey, also known as a PPM survey. Today, we’ll be diving into what they are, why you need them, and how they […]
Adding an outbuilding to your property can be a great way to add extra space, and get some extra functionality too. Especially when more people are working from home than ever before, and looking for better spaces to work in. As surveyors, we’ve seen some truly great outbuildings. We’ve also seen some not-so-great, and some […]
When you’re about to buy a home, one of the big things you need to do is look for a surveyor. It’s easy to be swayed by flashy marketing and low prices, thinking you’re getting a great deal. Unfortunately, , we see purchasers being burnt time and time again by poor quality and frankly inadequate […]
As Chartered Building Surveyors, we often see firsthand just how much fire safety regulations impact homes and businesses, and we want to share that knowledge with you. From the history of fire safety in the UK and recent updates to regulations. As well as what you as a homeowner or a business owner need to […]
If you’re building a new property, renovating, or planning a home improvement, it’s important to know the legal elements. In the UK, building regulations ensure that structures are safe, sustainable, and suitable for the people who use them. They come from the Building Act 1984, and cover everything from fire safety to energy efficiency. If […]
It’s a homeowner’s worst nightmare. You look at your walls one day and see cracks that weren’t there before. You tell yourself it’s the house ‘settling’, but in the back of your mind there’s one word going around – subsidence. But what exactly is subsidence? What causes it, and what should you do if you […]
Buying a house can be a very expensive process. Most people need to save up a large amount for a deposit, and on top of that, you’ll need to pay solicitors’ fees, mortgage brokers’ fees and even estate agents’ fees. And that’s all before you’ve commissioned a professional building surveyor to inspect your new home. […]
You’ve put an offer in on a flat, and you’ve just got the call to say it was accepted. Yay! Celebrations all round. You’ve been round the flat twice with the estate agent and the place looks like it’s in good nick.You’ve decided where to put your furniture, and have even convinced yourself that the […]
If you have an older property with masonry walls, it’s likely that a surveyor will recommend a wall tie survey. They do this for a very good reason – wall tie failure is a common issue in older homes and can cause serious structural problems if left untreated. But it can be a bit confusing […]
Our specialist Party Wall team of chartered surveyors at Southampton-based Harrison Clarke helps clients with Party Wall matters every day. In this article, we briefly explain what the Party Wall Act is, why it is needed, how it affects you when you are planning an extension, what your responsibilities are and why it is important […]
When you’re having building or refurbishment work done, one of the most important things is to make sure you have the right level of...
When you’re buying your first house (or second for that matter), you’re full of excitement and anticipation, thinking about moving day, furniture and logistics....
Buying a property isn’t something you do very often. Well, most people don’t anyway! It’s one of the most expensive purchases you’ll make, and...
When we’re asked to do surveys, most of them are carried out on properties that were built in the Victorian era, right up to...
I had planned to write another blog post today. However, in the last 24 hours the same issue has come up twice, and every...
Every now and then someone will come to us with a tricky situation. They’re in the middle of dealing with party wall matters, and...
In any kind of property transaction, there will be a team of advisers and experts working to de-risk your purchase. These experts can be...
Sometimes you don’t want to move house. Sometimes, you just need to tweak what’s already there a bit, to make it perfectly fit your...
If you’re a business with a leased premises, you may not know that you face some hidden risks. In fact, you might not be...
Picture the scene. You’re planning to extend your home. You’ve done all of the legwork, including getting a party wall surveyor to review your...
So your neighbour’s doing building work, and they’ve damaged your property. Construction works can be loud, messy and destructive at times, so accidents can...
We’re asked this from time to time, when clients want to be on site to take a look around with the surveyor while they...
Did you know that, according to a recent poll, British homeowners move house once every 23 years, on average. We all know that moving...
Whether you’re in need of simple repairs, large scale redecoration or multi-million-poundprogrammes of work, you’ll always want to be in control of your project....
If you look at any major city in the UK, a big chunk of the housing stock is going to be over 50 years...
If you’re dealing with insurance, then you might have heard the term ‘Reinstatement Cost Assessment’ thrown around. It’s yet another bit of jargon from...
Disputes happen. In our industry, it’s usually about the quality of construction works, payments due under building contracts, dilapidations or claims of professional negligence....
Unfortunately, carrying out construction works on your property isn’t always as simple as it sounds. You may be aware that you could need planning...
RAAC is the much shorter way of saying Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete. RAAC has been making headlines in the last 6 months. But why?...
“The property is in better condition than when I took it on!” This is a phrase we hear all the time from commercial tenants,...
Party walls are a very confusing area of property law, and it’s probably one of the most common areas we get questions about. Both...
Every property needs insulation. It’s what keeps our homes so warm and toasty even through the harsh bite of English winters, and it’s an...
Buying your first home is one of the most exciting things you can ever do. But it can also be a very confusing, expensive...
Houses are incredibly complicated things. Much more than just bricks and mortar, they incorporate thousands of different parts and take dozens of tradespeople hundreds...
At Harrison Clarke, our team of specialist party wall surveyors are often asked for advice around security for expenses, and how this relates to...
Our specialist dilapidations surveyors at Harrison Clarke are often asked for advice on how tenants can prepare for a dilapidations claim. In this article,...
Our experienced surveyors at Harrison Clarke are often asked for advice on how landlords can prepare for a dilapidations claim. In this article, we...
Our experienced surveyors at Harrison Clarke are often asked for information on spray foam roof insulation and how it might affect the structural integrity...
Our experienced surveyors here at Harrison Clarke are often asked to identify whether Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) is present in buildings. In this...
We understand it can be confusing for neighbours when they receive a Party Wall Notice through the post. In this article, we explain how...
At Harrison Clarke we can offer to prepare Photographic Schedule of Condition, either for a new commercial tenant about to commit to leasing a...
Harrison Clarke are leading chartered surveyors in the Hampshire area. In this article, we will be considering what items a landlord can include in...
Harrison Clarke are leading chartered surveyors in the Hampshire area. In this article, we look at the purpose of an interim schedule of dilapidations....
Building Owners planning construction works on their property have a lot to think about, including whether their plans will be impacted by the Party...
If you are a developer concerned about navigating the Party Wall Act as you embark on your building project, Harrison Clarke’s expert team of...