RICS Level 3 Building Survey in Chesterfield

A Level 3 survey is the deepest visual inspection RICS offers for a residential purchase. Our surveyors look at all accessible parts of the building, including the loft, roof void, visible walls, floors, ceilings, joinery, chimneys and sub-floor spaces where access allows. In Chesterfield, that matters on Victorian terraced houses and altered semis, where age, past repairs and local ground conditions can combine to create issues that are not obvious at a viewing.

The report does more than list defects. It explains how the property is built, what materials seem to have been used, what condition those parts are in, and which repairs should be tackled first. On a home built on clay soil, for example, we will comment on cracking, sloping floors, sticking doors, failed pointing or signs that an extension has moved differently from the original house. We also set out the consequences of leaving a problem alone, which is where the value of a Level 3 really shows itself.

What it does not do is just as important. A Level 3 survey is not destructive, so we do not lift carpets, open up floors, test electrical systems, run a drainage CCTV survey or break into finishes to look behind them. We also do not issue a structural engineer's report, even if the survey raises concern about movement, because that follow-up needs a separate specialist instruction. If we see a roof spread issue on a Chesterfield terrace or movement in an extension, we will say so plainly and point you to the next step.

• Roof coverings, flashings and chimney stacks
• Visible walls, floors, ceilings and joinery
• Damp, mould, timber decay and ventilation issues
• Extensions, alterations and outbuildings

Chesterfield's built stock is mixed, but the older end of the market is where a Level 3 earns its keep. Victorian terraced houses are mentioned, and the wider stock also includes modern semi-detached and detached homes. In practical terms, that means our surveyors are often reading brickwork, mortar, timber and later alterations on the same property, sometimes in the same elevation.

Clay soil is one of the key local risk factors, because shrink-swell movement can affect foundations, floors and extensions. On that kind of ground, we look closely for stepped cracking, gaps around joinery, sloping floors and changes in finish line that suggest the building is moving unevenly. Damp or mould also shows up more often in older terraces without modern damp-proofing, so we pay close attention to ventilation, rainwater goods and the condition of internal plaster.

Flood risk in Chesterfield is not about the coast. Local survey data points to fluvial flooding from rivers and watercourses, plus groundwater, land drainage, sewerage and artificial sources such as reservoirs and canals. Tidal flooding is not a risk in Chesterfield, Bolsover or North East Derbyshire, and the Environment Agency's flood mapping, including Zone 3b Functional Floodplain, is part of the picture where the property sits near low-lying land or a drainage route.

• Victorian terraces with damp or mould
• Clay soil and shrink-swell movement
• Fluvial and groundwater flood risk
• Altered homes with extensions that may have moved differently