Lansdown Associates is an RICS regulated building consultancy with a London office at 85 Great Portland Street, First Floor, London, W1W 7LT. Our RICS Chartered Surveyors provide independent surveying advice across Greater London for homebuyers, property owners, landlords, tenants, social landlords and solicitors. All of our services are available for London properties, including RICS Level 2 and Level 3 surveys, damp and mould investigations, housing disrepair expert witness reports, dilapidations, schedules of condition and technical due diligence.
Our London office is in central London:
We also have offices in Liverpool, at Rodney Chambers, 40 Rodney Street, L1 9AA (our head office) and Estuary Business Park, L24 8RL, and in Manchester, at Peter House, Oxford Street, M1 5AN. We act for clients across London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Northern Ireland. Enquiries for all our offices are handled through our main telephone number, 0151 374 0905, and the same email address. Visits to the London office are by appointment only, so please contact us in advance if you would like to meet one of our surveyors there.
For buyers, choosing the right level of survey is an important decision. An RICS Level 2 survey (without valuation) is generally suited to conventional properties in reasonable condition. An RICS Level 3 building survey provides a more detailed assessment and is often more appropriate for older, extended, altered or converted properties, which are common across London.
Our damp and mould surveys establish the cause of dampness before any remedy is recommended, using moisture meters, thermal imaging, calcium carbide testing, salt analysis and temperature, relative humidity and dew point readings. For social landlords, our Awaab’s Law survey supports independent investigation of damp and mould hazards. Our guide to what is Awaab’s Law explains the duties and timescales.
We prepare CPR Part 35 housing disrepair survey reports for solicitors, tenants and landlords, and provide specialist damp and mould expert witness evidence where causation is in dispute. Our director John Jackson MRICS MEWI is a member of the Expert Witness Institute (EWI).
Central London has a substantial stock of offices, shops and mixed-use buildings let on commercial leases. Our dilapidations surveyor service acts for landlords preparing claims and tenants responding to them. Our guide to the schedule of dilapidations explains the Protocol process.
A schedule of condition survey records the condition of a property at a fixed point in time. In London it is often used before a commercial lease is signed, and before building works begin next door.
Our technical due diligence survey helps investors, occupiers and developers understand the condition of a commercial building, and the risks attached to it, before they acquire or lease it.
From a surveying perspective, London’s building stock presents a number of recurring issues. Many of these arise from the age of the buildings and the alterations made to them over many decades. The points below are general; every property should be assessed on its own merits.
London has a large stock of Victorian and Edwardian terraced and semi-detached houses. Common features include:
Many larger London houses have been converted into flats. From a surveying perspective, a flat cannot be assessed in isolation. The condition of the roof, main walls, foundations, shared drainage and common parts can affect every flat in the building.
Responsibility for those parts will normally depend on the lease, and costs may be recovered through the service charge. Interpreting the lease is a matter for your solicitor. Our role is to identify the condition of the building and the matters your solicitor may wish to investigate further, such as evidence of alterations or shared defects.
Basements and lower ground floors are a common feature of London property, whether original or later conversions. Walls below ground level are in contact with the surrounding ground and are therefore more vulnerable to moisture. Dampness in a basement may arise from:
Accurate diagnosis is essential before any remedy is chosen. Our independent damp survey is carried out by surveyors who do not sell damp-proofing treatments, so the advice is based on the cause, with no product to sell.
Unlike modern cavity walls, older solid walls generally manage moisture by allowing it to evaporate. Cement renders, hard pointing, impermeable paints and poorly detailed internal insulation may trap moisture within the wall. Solid walls can also be colder on the inside face, which may increase the risk of condensation and mould. Our guide to the types of damp explains the differences between condensation, penetrating damp and rising damp.
Parts of London are built on shrinkable clay soils, which can swell and shrink as their moisture content changes, particularly near trees. Cracking should be assessed by a surveyor, who may recommend further investigation. Our guide to what is subsidence explains the causes and signs.
Read more about Lansdown Associates.
Instructing our London chartered surveyors is straightforward:
Yes. Our London office is at 85 Great Portland Street, First Floor, London, W1W 7LT, and visits are by appointment only. We also have offices in Liverpool and Manchester.
We accept instructions across Greater London, and all of our services are available for London properties. Please contact us with the property address so that we can confirm availability and arrange the inspection.
An RICS Level 3 building survey is often more suitable for older, altered or converted properties, while a Level 2 survey may suit a conventional property in reasonable condition. If you are unsure, call us to discuss the property.
Yes. We prepare CPR Part 35 reports for housing disrepair and damp and mould claims in England and Wales, including claims involving London properties.
If you need a survey or expert advice on a London property, call 0151 374 0905 or email office@lansdownassociates.co.uk (Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00).
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