Civilised Surveying Services Ltd Reviews 73

I recently used Nick Lake from Civilised Surveying Services for a property survey and was very impressed with the service. He was professional, thorough, and took the time to explain everything clearly, giving me real confidence throughout the process.

The report was detailed yet easy to understand, and Nick was always at the end of the phone whenever I needed him, happy to answer any follow-up questions. I’d highly recommend Nick Lake and Civilised Surveying Services to anyone looking for a reliable and knowledgeable surveyor.

FANTASTIC - AMAZING KNOWLEDGE SND HELPFUL.

Great job by Nick and his team. Second survey I have used them for on a buy to let property and I’ve had a great experience both times

Nick provided me with an excellent, comprehensive L3 survey report on an older property I was looking to purchase. It’s allowed me to fully understand what I was taking on, any potential risks and used for further negotiations/indemnity asks. Nick has been on hand post-report to help with queries, as a sounding board and is always willing to help. I would highly recommend him as a surveyor and would happily use again.

Nick was fantastic arrived on time, highly detailed report. Very satisfied , highly recommend

“Excellent survey, great information, amazing communications. Great from start to finish - we are very happy and would recommend Nick and the team”

We instructed Civilised Surveying Services Ltd after finding Nick Lake online and believing, from his website and LinkedIn, that we were hiring a RICS-level professional to carry out a full Level 3 Building Survey. At the time, his public profiles were displaying RICS and SAVA diploma-style references and he referred to RPSA membership, which gave us the clear impression that he held those qualifications and was governed by the appropriate professional bodies. The fee charged was in line with what you would expect for a high-end, professionally regulated survey.

After completion, we suffered a serious structural issue involving the chimney and surrounding structure. We have had to pay over £21,000 in emergency remedial works, with further thousands now required after discovering that removal of the chimney breast has caused additional problems to the upper roof and supporting structure.

When we went back to the report in light of what happened, we found that the chimney was not clearly flagged as an urgent or dangerous structural risk. The wording described the chimney breast as being in “satisfactory” condition and suggested that a builder could simply “add supports”. We have since been advised by other professionals that this advice is not consistent with what Building Control would normally expect for an unsupported or altered chimney, and that the level of risk should have been clearly and prominently highlighted in a Level 3 report.

When we queried his qualifications, we were informed by RICS that Mr Lake is not a RICS member and has not completed the RICS diploma he referred to. In email correspondence with us, Mr Lake himself described the RICS / SAVA / RPSA references and branding as “typos” and “old templates” and said they would be removed. He even thanked us for pointing this out and commented that “no one else has noticed this”, which, in our view, effectively confirms that he had been presenting those qualifications to the public for years without challenge. In our opinion, we were induced to use his services, and to pay a premium price, on the basis of qualifications and professional status that he did not in fact hold.

When we asked for his professional indemnity insurance details so that the matter could be dealt with properly, he repeatedly refused to provide them, despite the existence of a signed contract and a clear dispute about the quality of the survey.

After Mr Lake was challenged over his qualifications, we believe he then gave misleading accounts to review platforms in an effort to have genuine reviews suppressed. Because of this, we reported the matter to the police so that his conduct could be looked into formally.

Based on our experience, we do not consider the report we received to be worth the price charged, nor do we consider it to have properly warned us of the very significant risks and costs we have since faced. In our honest opinion, we would not use this company again and would strongly encourage anyone considering them to independently verify any stated qualifications or memberships, insist on written confirmation of professional indemnity insurance at the outset, and obtain a second professional opinion before relying on any survey report.

The cheek of it, the owner replied to say it’s a fake review, and he knows full well what legal action he faces, anyone who wants to verify our review, check archived web pages and type in mr lakes website and LinkedIn, then you will see how many times he’s changed his education bio, and just ask him for his insurance before he starts the job, and he will refuse.

The SurveyTeam are very supportive and approachable. You know in advance who will be conducting the survey, and their service is really affordable. I received a full, detailed report that gave me confidence before buying my first home. As someone new to the UK, navigating the process was quite challenging for me. Nick was fantastic—he clarified all my doubts about the issues highlighted in the report, which helped me proceed with the contract confidently.y

Nick and team were excellent from start to finish. Great service and really thorough report.

I received a buyer's home survey carried out by Nick for my home purchase. I had a very good experience throughout the transaction. The registration procedure was straightforward and easy, and the report I received was detailed with clear, understandable text. The report includes conditional ratings for each of the main building elements and provided excellent information about the building's condition. Nick also offered post-survey support and was happy to answer all my queries. Overall, it was a great pleasure working with him.

A very professional and friendly service delivered in a timely manner.

We were recommended Nick and the complete service provided was top notch. Communication and advice was very much appreciated. Will full recommend and will definitely use again.

This is the second time we have used Nick, his service is first class, from contract, the survey and the final report, all highly professional, timely and a very personable attitude. I would not hesitate in recommending this company! Thank you Nick and team!

Nick was punctual, carried out the survey thoroughly and was helpful explaining various aspects of the survey and willingly answered questions about his findings. All in all a stress free experience during the ever stressful experience that is moving house.

Brilliant service. Would highly recommend. Very detailed report. Couldn't fault Nick.

Nick was brilliant from start to finish. He turned up on time, was incredibly thorough, and explained everything in plain language without any jargon. You can tell he really knows his stuff and genuinely cares about doing a proper job. His report was clear, honest, and easy to follow, which made my decisions so much easier. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him!

Found Nick to be a true professional. He did his jobg well and was available for all questions.
Would recommend him highly

Nick has been a nice guy to deal with he seems very knowledgeable and professional. Nick surveyed a bungalow we are purchasing. He was able to come out reasonably quickly. His report was very comprehensive pointing out advisories and containing many photos to back them up. All very detailed. Anything we weren’t sure of he was able to explain over the phone.
He told us that there was insulation foam in the loft and advised that this was the vendor’s responsibility to remove. All done very smoothly and Nick was able to re visit and assess the roof timbers once removed again the reviewed report was sent out relatively quickly. Nick messaged to say he was working over the weekend on it and let me know when it was done and when to expect it in my inbox. Again he was able to explain the findings in the report over the phone.
I would recommend Nick again.

Nick is very personable as well as being very professional. He pushed the boat out for us so that we could get our survey done quickly. His report was very thorough and instructive. We would recommend Nick at Civilised Surveying Services.

We contacted Nick to do a survey for us and told him we were in a hurry, he carried out required survey within a week and phoned us immediately after doing it to tell us about property. We received a comprehensive 143 page report shortly after and we phoned Nick after reading it to discuss certain points. He was very helpful and we proceeded with the purchase of the property with confidence. Since moving in I have texted Nick about a certain improvement to the property and he responded immediately with advice. I would certainly recommend Civilised Surveying Services.