We recently had a Level 3 with Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors at a property we are buying in Highgate. The property is in poor condition. Neil found almost 70k estimated defects. We have just renegot... See more
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We recently had a Level 3 with Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors at a property we are buying in Highgate. The property is in poor condition. Neil found almost 70k estimated defects. We have just renegot... See more
Company replied
Refreshing to find a company these days where you speak with the person doing to work. Neil and Dunham's were excellent. Neil is very experienced and knowledgeable and knows what he's doing. Process w... See more
Company replied
We were buying a house in Crouch End and that fell through when we had Dunham Hale Surveyors booked in. We finally found our dream home in Muswell Hill and instructed Dunham's to carry out a Level... See more
Company replied
Needed a survey fast due to an Auction property in 5 days. Dunham Surveyors stepped up, survey done day after report complete day after that. Amazing. The feedback from Neil was excellent. Best survey... See more
Company replied
We specialise in RICS Level 2 HomeBuyer Reports, RICS Level 3 Building Surveys, Structural Movement and Subsidence Inspections, and Drone Roof Surveys for houses and flats of all ages, from modern developments to period properties. Every survey is carried out by an experienced RICS-qualified Chartered Surveyor, ensuring a detailed inspection and a clear, practical report. Our surveys are written to help buyers understand the true condition of a property, identify potential risks, and make confident decisions before committing to a purchase. Where access is limited, we also use drone technology to inspect roof coverings, chimneys and other elevated areas that cannot be safely viewed from ground level. Clients choose Dunham Hale for our independent advice, clear reporting and responsive communication before and after the survey. We believe a good survey should not only identify issues, but also explain what they mean and what steps may be required next. Whether you are buying your first home, investing in property, or purchasing a period building, our aim is to provide professional surveying advice you can trust.
Trafalgar House, 110 Manchester Road, WA14 1NU, Altrincham, United Kingdom
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First time buyers and very pleased we chose dunhams. Detailed report and good communication helped us to know what was wrong with our new house. Will use again when we next move.

Reply from Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors
I was very disappointed with the service received. They were very responsive when discussing the survey, e.g. should we purchase level 2 or 3 survey. Then once payment was received I could not get through on any contact number (mobile or office) I had made arrangements with our real estate for the roof to be accessed and advised the Dunham hale office to let the surveyor know access could be provided on the day to assess the roof via the real estate agent, they confirmed. However the surveyor was not informed and I had to sort access out on the day of the survey. Additionally, post moving in the water pressure isn’t great and the boiler was broken- neither was picked up on the survey and we have had to incur extra costs to fix. Would recommend going elsewhere.

Reply from Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors
Very good service and better than the last surveyors we used. Neil is a very experienced and knowledgeable surveyor and the communication was first rate. Took an extra day than stated but the report was of high quality. We used the extra drone survey for the roof and we found out about a new roof which was estimated at 25,000. Current in negotiation about our offer. Neil and Dunhams were 5 star. We would certainly use them again.

Reply from Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors
We used Dunhamhale surveyor for our house purchase in Croydon. Excellent, and Neil our surveyor was very thorough and provided detail in the report and allowed us to negotiate 16k off the house. The drone survey was extra but worth every penny.

Reply from Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors
Great report and Jane answered all our questions. Exceeded our expectations. Would use Dunham again. My only complaint is Trustpilot. Three times I tried to add this review and each time the screen froze. Nothing against Dunham though.

Reply from Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors
Easy process. Great value level 3 survey and drone survey. Excellent customer service. Jane was a pleasure with and went above and beyond the expected service. She took time to discuss the survey in detail.
Would highly recommend

Reply from Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors
Booked a Level 3 Survey with drone footage of the roof of the property we are looking to purchase.
I found the report detailed and the drone footage allowed us to talk to the owners in regards to issues.
I was a bit iffy about which company to use for a survey due to some of the reviews but overall I am happy with the report as it pointed out some things we were unaware of but also pointed out the things we were aware of but wanted some feedback so we could have a discussion.
The only thing I would comment on which tbh is minor was that I didn't receive a notification to say "the survey was booked on x date" just an email to say it was done a few days after it complete but definitely not something to rate down on.
Survey was returned within the timeframe they promised and was as detailed as I was expecting based on their templates.
Lee (Ref: 240550)

Reply from Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors
Asked Dunhamhale to conduct a level 3 survey. Overall no bad, did the job.
Minus 1 star each for :
1. Was told that my friend can claim the referral bonus by sending my invoice with his email address. Did so, but no feedback at all.
2. Received an email in *October*, inviting to write a review in trustpilot, offering an Amazon voucher. However the deadline date is *30-Sep*
Eric (report ref 240533)

Reply from Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors
Excellent service, prompt replies to any queries and thorough report received within a week. Would highly recommend

Reply from Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors
We asked Dunham Hale to provide a RICS Level 3 Survey for a property we are purchasing. Responses to our initial inquiry were prompt and report was returned to us within 5 working days of the inspection.
Overall, the service was good, and the report of sufficient detail to satisfy our needs. However, responses for some of our email inquiries were not always answered. For instance, we inquired about the free drone survey promotion (as our initial inquiry was made during September). We also asked about receiving a phone call on the day of the inspection, as well as the proper procedure for processing a referral (my sister had referred Dunham Hale to us), but we received no response.
Elwin (Report ref 240545)
Edit (29.10.2024):
We have since been contacted by Dunham Hale to clarify some of the issues raised in my review. Happy to say the referral will be processed pending the proper checks. It was also explained to us that the Drone Survey was not necessary for our particular circumstances as it would provide no extra benefit for us. Have upgraded our rating as a result.

Reply from Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors
240531 – Sun Cheung
The survey was carried out in 7 days after my instruction for a level 2 homebuyer report. A detailed survey report was completed in 2 working days. The report provided comprehensive information and supported with pictures for reference. Such information is useful for a home buyer.
Thanks for their prompt response and service. Have referred a friend to use their survey service already.

Reply from Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors
Had a couple of issues filling out the original quote request form, this was resolved after emailing customer services.
The survey was carried out very quickly and the report returned to us sooner than expected.
The Level 2 Home buyers survey highlighted a couple of things but no in depth comments or guidance were provided. Many sections were just noted as 'unable to investigate due to furniture' or something like that, which gave a sense of lack of care and rushing through the survey. We asked for some follow up information from the surveyor via email, and after getting no response we called to chase, again with no luck. Eventually we got through the next day just to be told there was a backlog in the inbox and we would get a response soon. When we got the response it was just wording cut and copied from their survey rather than any actual advice or insight. It just advised that we go and get opinions from architects, which just felt like passing the buck. If we knew we'd be getting quotes from other entities after the survey anyway, rather than actual advice, we may have gone for the lesser survey and saved some money!
We'd previously used this company for a different property and were very impressed, so chose to use them again this time. Sadly, on this occasion we would only rate the service we received as 'fine'.
Victoria. Ref: 240532
Well your response to Trust Pilot reviews is faster than emails anyway!

Reply from Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors
Please read this review and DO NOT PROCEED WITH THIS FIRM. I employed Dunham Hale to conduct a level 2 building survey as they were RICS registered and had a competitive quote. However, the quality of their survey was terrible, lacking information on mandated areas (e.g. outside space) AND where defects were noted, included only vague descriptions of the issue such that it protected themselves from future recourse but didn’t provide any specificity to guide on the extent of the problem observed. Although Lvl2 surveys are not as comprehensive as Lvl 3, contrary to what Dunham Hale Surveyors have feedback, the report output was woefully lacking and provided FAR LESS DETAIL AND SPECIFICITY THAN RICS RECOMMEND OR PROVIDE IN THEIR EXAMPLE REPORTS. In short, it was completely useless! AVOID
Addendum: well done for sharing my full address in your feedback Dunham Hale. Your professionalism continues to… meet expectation.
Addendum 2: I reviewed the example level 2 report on your own website again and the disparity with the report provided to myself was vast. I wasn’t expecting a layer of detail associated to. Level 3 survey (with the exception of the grounds section that was completely absent) but just to be specific about the observations noted to make them actionable. I have previously shared valid examples of this with you and this feedback has not been taken seriously.

Reply from Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors

Reply from Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors
Difficult to contact, and then I thought they were unpleasant when I eventually spoke to them.

Reply from Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors
I enquired with this company for a quote for a level 3 RICS survey for our potential purchase of Barrow Cottage, Halebarns. I was very specific from the outset that this was a grade II listed thatched cottage and the address was given. From the photos on the listing on rightmove it is clear that this is a timber framed house.
Booking process was ok, although not great communication, with an automated email giving me a quote when I had just booked/paid for the survey. I had to badger them for a date for the survey.
Once the survey had been done I gave them 7 working days (as they had advised) and then emailed, simply to ask them for a timescale as to when the survey report would be ready as I appreciated it was an unusual building. No response. Emailed again 3 days later. No response.
Received the report after 14 days with a very defensive email from the surveyor stating that it is an unusual building which required more input than normal. Yes, I told you that at the start!
The survey is very long (109 pages) with many photos (), initially I thought this represented great depth of survey. However on further reading, the photos are very random (no correlation with the text) and not helpful, and there was not one mention of the overall condition of the beams of the house, bearing in mind this is a timber framed house - the whole structure is dependent on the integrity of the beams! There was one photo of ‘woodworm’ but no text supporting/explaining this. Lots of photos of the damp meter showing ‘high levels of damp’ (when the type of meter she was using measures salts not damp). On further email to the surveyor, I was told she couldn’t tell me whether the woodworm was active or not and its extent and that I’d need a PCA timber survey for that and the damp.
Clearly a PCA timber survey would be useless as these are done by damp-proofing companies who just want to sell you their products/DPCs.
Instead I commissioned a consultation from a heritage surveyor. What a difference! Extremely knowledgeable, pragmatic and constantly looking to see why the property was damp, why the walls of the house were bowed, not just describing the appearance. He was very scathing of the report we had already had, pointing out multiple missed issues, facts that are simply wrong which underline how much the surveyor clearly does not understand timberframe buildings, and the fact that it had seriously underestimated potential repair costs. Dunham Hale estimated this at approx £95,000 but with such significant deficiencies in the structural integrity of the house (all missed by this surveyor: rotted sill beam, multiple rotted upright beams, snapped purlin/rafter clearly visible inside the house, inappropriate use of render/cement, blocked drains, broken/missing guttering/drainage, ground levels being 1m too high, chimneys needing to be completely rebuilt, full rethatch required etc) the restoration costs are approx £412,000.
Had we proceeded to purchase this property at the agreed price, we would have bankrupted ourselves or been stuck living in a property which is literally falling down around us.
Wrote an email to complain. No response. Emailed again stating I would take this complaint to RICS. No response.
If they are not competent to provide a report on a heritage building, from a probity point of view they should have declined to take on the work. Instead they took my money and provided me with a poor and misleading report.
Can’t state this clearly enough - DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY - find an appropriately trained/competent surveyor instead. (And I wouldn’t rely on the RICS ‘qualification’ - it’s clearly pretty meaningless).
Further to your reply, I had my reservations after I had paid for the survey, with the complete lack of response, as the fee has to be paid upfront - too late for me to change my mind.
As for not knowing what the property is before you arrive - I had told you it was a listed thatched cottage and a simple google search would have shown you the outside of the house. Fairly easy to see it is a timber framed structure.
Re the length of time it took to get the report - my heritage surveyor got his comprehensive report to me within 5 working days.
With regard to the rest of your reply, what would be the point of getting a survey if I then have to get a damp survey, timber survey, roof survey etc on top? Yes, I should have absolutely gone to a heritage surveyor first time around who not only inspected all these areas but gave me conclusions as to why there were problems and more importantly gave me a plan re how to go about correcting these issues. Unfortunately, I have only bought one house before and it is not a listed property. My point is that the surveyor’s probity should play a part in whether you can complete a full survey. If you can’t, you shouldn’t accept the work.

Reply from Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors
Thanks to Dunham Hale for a thorough level 3 survey who helped support my case to knock a few thousand off the agreed price with the seller. Very friendly over the phone and provided a competitive quote, surveyor was booked 3 days after I called which was far better than the availability of other local surveyors. Highlighted areas that I didn't even know could be a problem. Would 100% use Dunham Hale again. 240421

Reply from Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors
The level 3 building survey was promptly sent to me. I hope to use the findings, including following up with tradesmen investigations, to reasonably negotiate with the vendor during the buying process, if appropriate.

Reply from Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors
Professional service quick to respond to my enquiry would use again

Reply from Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors
Excellent Service!
Only took two weeks to carry out the survey and provide a very detailed report.
Thank you!

Reply from Dunham Hale Chartered Surveyors
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