A ‘HOME MOT’ FOR SAFER HOMES

1. A ‘HOME MOT’ FOR SAFER HOMES Graham Ellis BSc MRICS RICS UK Associate Residential Director Attlee Suite Portcullis House, 12th May 2014

2. A ‘HOME MOT’ FOR SAFER HOMES THE ROYAL INSTITUTION OF CHARTERED SURVEYORS (RICS) • Consumer protection and the development of the profession for the public advantage at the core • Parliament Square HQ • 120,000 members worldwide • Members dealing with residential property in UK on day to day basis: Valuers, Surveyors, Estate agents, Letting agents, Property Management • 200,000 plus surveys on residential property undertaken every year, and growing.

3. A ‘HOME MOT’ FOR SAFER HOMES 1. “MY INTERPRETATION OF A ‘HOME MOT’…..” MOT – definition Cambridge Dictionary on-line “a test that all UK road vehicles more than three years old have to pass each year in order to prove that they are safe to drive” HOME INFORMATION PACK – definition Dictionary Central on-line “a set of documents giving comprehensive information on many aspects of a property being bought or sold, e.g. various searches conducted, copies of the deeds and information regarding energy efficiency” HOME MOT – my interpretation “a set of managed, up to date, trusted documents attached to a home giving comprehensive information to prove that it is sound, safe, comfortable and affordable to live-in”

4. A ‘HOME MOT’ FOR SAFER HOMES 2. “DOES RICS PROVIDE A SERVICE THAT FALLS UNDER THE BROAD HOME MOT BANNER?” No but it does provide RICS HOME SURVEYS services which can form the keystone element of a Home MOT Three levels of survey now firmly established…. LEVEL 1: RICS Condition Report (CR) LEVEL 2: RICS HomeBuyer Report (HBR) LEVEL 3: RICS Building Survey (BS)

5. …but safety hazards, legal issues, lifestyle issues… A ‘HOME MOT’ FOR SAFER HOMES Surveys no longer just about damp, timber, and structural movement…

6. A ‘HOME MOT’ FOR SAFER HOMES CARBON MONOXIDE – gas appliances and equipment reported in Section G Services • G2 Gas/oil • G4 Heating • G5 Water heating Note: surveyors will NOT test the services

7. A ‘HOME MOT’ FOR SAFER HOMES Also presence of gas appliances and equipment can be made/ cross-referenced under F Inside the property • F5 Fireplaces, chimney breasts and flues • F6 Kitchen fittings

8. A ‘HOME MOT’ FOR SAFER HOMES Lack of Gas Safety Certificate/safety issues can be reported in Section J Risks and also under each element in Sections F and G as a Condition rating 3 – defects that need to be Investigated urgently

9. Safety hazard – services Gas explosion rips house apart in Northumberland Daily Mail 17 April 2007 Boy, 7, dies in house fire as mother desperately tries to save him from attic bedroom Daily Mail 28th October 2008 A ‘HOME MOT’ FOR SAFER HOMES

10. A ‘HOME MOT’ FOR SAFER HOMES 3. “WHAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN A HOME MOT-TYPE SERVICE?” Anything that affects the soundness, safety, comfort and affordability/value of a home….. Building: condition inside and outside - records/warranties for repairs, maintenance and replacement carried out Services: gas, electrics, water, heating, water heating, drainage - safety certificates and specialist reports, records/warranties for repairs, maintenance and replacement works carried out Grounds: garage and outbuildings, garden features, boundaries, trees, drive and pathways – condition & maintenance records Environmental: flooding, ground conditions, Japanese Knotweed – specialist reports, risk management programmes Energy & Sustainability: EPCs, Green Deal and ECO – record of works undertaken Legal matters: searches, guarantees, warranties, valuations, leases - documents Risks: asbestos, lead pipework, safety glass, legionnaires disease, condensation, electro-magnetic fields – specialist reports Many of these issues will be identified in an RICS Home Survey….

11. Safety hazard – asbestos (1970s bungalow) Condition rating 1 – no repair is currently needed. The property must be maintained in the normal way Safety hazard – asbestos (same bungalow) Condition rating 3 – defects that are serious and/or need to be repaired, replaced or investigated urgently A ‘HOME MOT’ FOR SAFER HOMES

12. Safety hazard & condition issue – electrics and roof, both condition rating 3s A ‘HOME MOT’ FOR SAFER HOMES Safety hazard – lack of safety glass condition rating 1

13. Safety hazard – services Condition rating 3 (further investigation) – no test certificates Safety hazard – services Condition rating 3 (further investigation) – no test certificates, damp, fire condemned) A ‘HOME MOT’ FOR SAFER HOMES

14. Environmental issues e.g. Japanese knotweed, flooding A ‘HOME MOT’ FOR SAFER HOMES Safety hazard – unstable wall Condition rating 3

15. Legal issues Shared driveway over boundary Maintenance Condition rating 2 Defects that need repairing or replacing but are not considered to be either serious or urgent. The property must be maintained in the normal way A ‘HOME MOT’ FOR SAFER HOMES

16. Energy issues Solar panels Green Deal & ECO measures A ‘HOME MOT’ FOR SAFER HOMES

17. A ‘HOME MOT’ FOR SAFER HOMES 4. “MY INTERPRETATION OF THE VALUE ADD OF A HOME MOT APPROACH…” A professional managed Home MOT could • Improve the safety and comfort of occupiers and visitors • Improve owners and occupiers understanding of how a home works • Enable owners and occupiers to make informed decisions on repairs and improvements • Provide secure on-line storage of important documents • Reduce the cost of living in a home eg. reduced insurance premiums • Protect the value of a home • Improve the home buying and selling process • Improve neighbour relations • Reduce incidents for emergency services • Help the government achieve carbon saving targets

18. A ‘HOME MOT’ FOR SAFER HOMES CAN A HOME MOT BE DELIVERED? • RICS Home Surveys services and other ‘core’ component services already available • Sources of specialist information available • Much work on process and systems etc. already done for the Home Information Pack • Industry and consumer appetite

19. A ‘HOME MOT’ FOR SAFER HOMES Thank you gellis@rics.org