The ultimate building survey.

A Homebuyer Report and a Building Survey are both done by a surveyor, to a defined scope, on a set date. They are useful and we recommend having one.

What neither is obliged to do is lift anything, open anything up, or crawl into somewhere unpleasant. Both are visual inspections in which secured panels, electrical fittings and inspection chamber covers are explicitly not removed.

So a builder walking the same property is doing a different job. Not a better one, a different one, and the two together are what we mean by the Ultimate Building Survey.

The Homebuyer Report is the middle option. It describes the construction and condition of the property on the day it was inspected, flags problems that need urgent attention, and tells you what needs investigating further.

It also does two things a Building Survey does not: it gives you a reinstatement cost for insurance, and it gives you a market valuation.

What it does not do is explain how the property is built or what happens next. It tells you there is a problem. It does not tell you what fixing it involves.

The more detailed Building Survey tells you more about how the property is built and the materials used.

It guides you on repairs that are needed and how long they will take, and warns you of the consequences of not acting.

But here is the big one: it should identify potential problems posed by hidden defects. In other words, the problems that are not clearly visible.

That word 'should' is carrying weight. It is still a visual inspection, and hidden means hidden.

Row by row, what each one actually commits to.

1:05 · As part of the comprehensive Building Survey, John carried out a damp survey and discovered extensive damp issues.

1:49 · Part of the Building Survey involved checking the cellar, which proved quite difficult to access given John's size.

2:12 · In the cellar, there was more water damage. This time from a leak. But what could be causing it?

2:29 · The property owner had even gone to the trouble of channelling the water away from the wall using an imaginative device.

3:06 · Older terraced houses sometimes have a lead water pipe beneath the floor. Could a damaged pipe be the cause of the leak?

3:54 · The leak was causing the floor joists to rot. Had John not spotted the water damage, the buyers would have inherited a major problem.

There are certain things you should be looking out for when you view a property with the intention of purchase.

Being prepared before you go can ensure you don't miss any important details or forget to check certain aspects.

Unless the house is a new build, it's likely to be imperfect. Spotting those imperfections and working out their extent is what tells you whether to put in an offer, and at what.

Here is our property viewing checklist. It is not exhaustive, but it will give you a good idea.

Get a Homebuyer Report or a Building Survey. Which one depends on the property: older, altered or unusual buildings justify the Building Survey, and if you want a valuation and a reinstatement figure you want the Homebuyer.

Then take a builder as well, because the two jobs are not the same job. A surveyor is reporting on condition to a defined scope. A builder is working out what it would cost to put right and whether it is worth buying at the price.

That is the whole argument, and the film is four minutes of it happening.