More than 200 estate agents have signed up to a new service offering buyers an accredited surveyor’s report before they make an offer.

Gazeal claims its Upfront Seller Surveys are the first of their kind in England and Wales, delivered by a network of more than 1,000 surveyors covering almost every postcode.

Reports run to nine sections, covering condition, material information, conveyancing matters and risks.

Sellers pay nothing upfront, with the fee settled on completion – and waived entirely if the sale collapses through no fault of the seller under a Gazeal Reservation Agreement.

The survey can be used by both parties, and the surveyor’s professional indemnity insurance covers both the vendor and buyer.

Fall-throughs

Bryan Mansell, Co-Founder and Chief Executive of Gazeal, says: “One of the biggest reasons sales collapse is that buyers discover a property’s condition weeks after agreeing to buy it.

“Moving the survey to the front of the sale means the offer is made on the truth, not on hope.

“The reforms are asking the industry to work this way. Our agents already do.”

The launch chimes with Government proposals for upfront sales packs covering a home’s condition, leasehold costs and chain status, alongside earlier binding agreements.

Moving the survey to the front of the sale means the offer is made on the truth, not on hope.”

Cooper Adams, a three-branch independent in West Sussex, is the first agency live on the service, marketing homes with surveys completed before launch.

Shaun Adams, Managing Director, said: “Instead of discovering problems weeks into the transaction, both seller and buyer know the property’s condition from the start. “Sellers benefit from fewer surprises, fewer renegotiations and fewer buyers pulling out.”