RICS Level 2 Survey in Daventry

A Level 2 Homebuyer Report is a visual inspection of accessible parts only. Our surveyors look at the roof, walls, floors, ceilings, joinery and visible services without lifting carpets or moving furniture. On a house off Ashby Road or a flat in NN11 0, that gives you a clear read on the obvious risk points before exchange.

Each element is rated 1, 2 or 3. Condition 1 means no urgent repair is needed, 2 means an issue needs watching or routine repair, and 3 means serious repair or further investigation is advised. The report also highlights matters that could affect value, insurance or your timescale, which is useful on a Daventry purchase where the numbers still move between asking and sold price.

The survey is not destructive. We do not open up walls, test appliances, inspect hidden pipework or lift floor coverings, so a hidden defect behind a bathroom panel on a Micklewell Park plot will not show unless there is a visible clue. For a listed building, a heavily extended house, or a property with unusual construction, a Level 3 Building Survey is normally the better route.

• Roof coverings, flashings and chimney stacks
• External walls, pointing and render
• Ceilings, floors and visible joinery
• Visible plumbing, heating and electrics

Daventry's market still has movement in it. home.co.uk shows a current average asking price of £394,899, homedata.co.uk records an average sold price of £263,982, and there were 351 residential sales in the last 12 months, down by 17 transactions (-4.84%) year on year. In NN11 0, prices fell -0.6% over the last year, so a survey can still give a buyer room to renegotiate when visible defects are found.

The bigger planning schemes matter too. The Daventry North East Sustainable Urban Extension, outlined under DA/2020/0100, is planned for 3,400 dwellings, elderly persons accommodation, two new primary schools, a new secondary school, an extension to Daventry Country Park and highway infrastructure. Malabar on land at Malabar Farm, A425/Staverton Road, has approved phases under DA/2019/0750, with 222 properties in the first phase and 68 in a second phase, so a buyer there may want a report that picks up visible finish issues, drainage defects and incomplete detailing before completion paperwork is signed off.

Older homes still need attention. If a property is listed, or if it carries heavy alterations, a Level 3 Building Survey is usually the safer choice because the standard Level 2 is not designed for buildings that need a deeper look. That matters in Daventry's older stock as much as it does on a semi near Ashby Road or a conversion close to the town centre, where original fabric and later work can sit side by side.

Flood risk and planning paperwork sit outside the survey itself, so buyers should check those items separately before exchange. Where a plot sits low or drainage has been altered on a newer scheme, ask for completion certificates, warranty documents and any building control sign-off. West Northamptonshire Council is the local planning authority, so it is worth matching the report with the paperwork on DA/2020/0100, DA/2019/0750 or any other work that has changed the property.