Keeping you safe and warm in your home is a top priority for us. If you have an assured or fixed term tenancy, we have a legal duty to check your home regularly, so we have an ongoing programme to review of the condition of homes.
This means you may receive a letter advising you that one of our Stock Condition Surveyors will be visiting your home to carry out a survey.
All of our Surveyors will carry a letter of authorisation from Sovereign Network Group, confirming that they have been instructed to carry out the survey. This letter will inform you what company will be carrying out the survey (some surveyors work directly for SNG but we also use several specialist partners) and will include a Frequently Asked Question sheet.
What is a Stock Condition Survey?
We’ll be surveying components in your home so we can make sure we know which homes need maintenance work and/or improvements, and include them in our future plans.
This stock condition survey is separate to our usual safety programme such as gas safety checks, fire risk assessments and electrical testing.
Our Stock Condition Surveys comply with the Government’s ‘Decent Home Standard’ and one is required as part of your tenancy agreement. Homes are programmed to be surveyed every five years, so homes in the same area may have a survey at different times.
What will happen?
During the visit, which takes less than an hour, the friendly surveyor will view all rooms, both inside and outside of your home. They will look at the kitchen, bathroom, heating / water, windows, external doors, extractors fans, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, consumer unit, rainwater goods (guttering / downpipes), roof / loft space, outbuildings, basements, external walls and paths, boundaries, and the general structure of your home.
This is a visual inspection only - they won't do any drilling or lift any flooring. They may also take photographs, but they won't take any photos of you or your personal possessions.
What's in it for you?
For you, the customer, this survey can be extremely beneficial as it will give you peace of mind, knowing your home is well maintained and safe. Without it, you could miss out on important repairs and improvements to your home.
We understand these surveys may feel a bit intrusive but rest assured, we’re not checking how tidy your home is: we’re just making sure it meets health and safety standards and is in a good state of repair.
Our surveyors are committed to fair equality standards. We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from residents about their experience of the survey. Don’t just take our word for it, here’s what they had to say:
- “The surveyor was professional and had a good look round my home.”
- “The surveyor listened to my concerns about them visiting my home, but they put me at ease and turned up when they said they would.”
- “The surveyor identified an issue with my staircase that I hadn’t even noticed. They reported it back to the Property Team who then made an appointment to fix it.”
What do you need to do?
- Please look out for your letter, with the date and time our surveyors are in your area carrying out surveys.
- If this is not convenient, please get in touch to rearrange a visit using the details on the letter.
- Continue to report any repairs in the usual way by contacting customer services. The surveyor will not be able to help with these.
Before the survey
- If you have furniture or belonging which blocks access to the fixtures and fittings mentioned above, we'd be grateful if you could move them out of the way so we can clearly see their age and condition.
- The surveyor will also need access to the loft (if you have one). If there's anything blocking the way - so that they couldn't place a ladder safely - please could you move these so they can do the necessary checks in the loft space.
On the day
- Because of several serious injuries to employees, we kindly ask that all animals are kept under control when the surveyor is visiting. Any dogs must be secured behind a closed door in a separate room before they arrive. This will also help to stop your pets potentially getting distressed about us being there.
- We would also request that you do not smoke in your home when the surveyor is with you.
- The surveyor will bring all the equipment they need with them, so you don't need to do anything while they are with you.
Extra peace of mind
- Your letter will say if you can expect an SNG surveyor or a surveyor from one of our partners, and which one. They will only visit between 9am and 5pm on a weekday.
- They must be carrying ID and produce a letter of authority for you on SNG headed paper. They may also be wearing a branded uniform for the relevant organisation.
- If you have any doubts, you can call them to check the name of the person on your doorstep: find their contact details in your letter.
- Alternatively, you can also call SNG on 0300 5000 926 to check. All our Customer Advisors have access to the list of our own surveyors and those working on our behalf.
What happens after the survey?
We collect the data from your home to plan what future investment is required in your home, both now and in the future.
We will be in contact when your home is next programmed for improvements. We'll write to you to let you know what to expect - until then, you don't need to do anything.