Find our FAQs below. If your question hasn’t been answered here, drop us a line.
We work with a wide range of private clients, property owners, leaseholders, freeholders, buyers, sellers and professional advisers.
Our clients often include homeowners, investors, solicitors, accountants, lenders, developers and companies that need clear, specialist property advice. Whether your matter is personal, transactional, financial or part of a wider professional instruction, we can help you understand the right next step.
Yes. You do not need to know the exact type of valuation, survey or report you require before contacting us.
Many clients come to us because they have a property issue, deadline or decision to make, but are not yet sure what professional advice is needed. Tell us what you are trying to achieve and we will explain whether we can help, which service is most appropriate and what information we need from you.
The previous criteria to have owned the property for more than 2-years was abolished on the 31st January 2025.
Once we receive your enquiry, we will review the information provided and consider how we may be able to assist.
We may ask for further details about the property, your objective, any relevant deadlines and any documents you already have. Where appropriate, we will then confirm the proposed scope of work, our fee, likely timescale and the next steps before you decide whether to proceed.
For a lease extension or freehold purchase: the address, the unexpired lease term, the current ground rent and the review pattern. For a valuation: the address, the valuation date and the purpose the report is needed for.
This depends on the nature and complexity of the transaction. Most assignments are completed within our standard turnaround of 5 to 10 days from the date of inspection. For urgent instructions we can often complete within as little as 24 hours.
We work mostly on fixed fees, agreed in writing before instruction, so you know the cost at the outset. Hourly rate and success-related structures are available case by case where the work is harder to scope.
We will explain any likely additional costs before you proceed.
Depending on the matter, additional costs may include Land Registry documents, specialist searches, legal fees, third-party professional fees or further work if the scope of the instruction changes. We aim to be clear from the outset so there are no unnecessary surprises.
Blakes is regulated as a practice by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, firm registration number 752265, and our valuers are RICS Registered Valuers. We hold professional indemnity insurance with £1,000,000 of cover on an each-and-every-claim basis.
We regularly prepare Market Valuation Reports in accordance with the RICS Global Standards (Red Book valuations) which are suitable for submission to HMRC for a variety of purposes including Capital Gains Tax and Inheritance Tax (probate valuations).
When you contact us, we will ask who the report is for and what it needs to be used for. This allows us to confirm the correct format, level of detail and professional standard required. It is important to identify the intended use at the beginning, as not every report is suitable for every purpose.
Yes. We regularly work with solicitors, accountants and other professional advisers.
With your permission, we can liaise directly with your adviser to obtain information, clarify requirements and help progress the matter efficiently. This can be particularly helpful where a report is needed for a transaction, tax matter, dispute, negotiation or formal legal process.
We act throughout London and the South East, and regularly across all 32 London boroughs. Our office is at 15 Approach Road, Raynes Park, London SW20 8BA.
Not always. Some valuations can be prepared from a desktop appraisal supported by title documents, floor plans and comparable evidence, while others require an internal inspection. We’ll tell you which applies before we start.
Our role is to provide professional, objective advice based on the information available, our market knowledge and the relevant surveying or valuation standards.
We will explain our reasoning clearly and identify any important assumptions, limitations or areas of uncertainty. Our advice is designed to help you make informed decisions with confidence.
Yes, depending on the nature of the dispute and the expertise required.
We can review the background, consider whether our professional input is relevant and explain how we may be able to assist. This may include informal advice, a formal report, negotiation support or expert evidence where appropriate.
Blakes combines specialist property expertise with practical, client-focused advice.
We understand that property matters can feel complex, time-sensitive and unfamiliar. Our aim is to explain the issues clearly, provide strategic guidance and help clients move forward with confidence.
Yes. We can review existing information and advise whether further professional input may be needed.
Where appropriate, we can provide independent advice, a formal report or assistance in responding to another party’s position. This can be helpful where there is uncertainty, disagreement or a need for a second opinion.
To instruct us, please contact the team with the property details and a brief explanation of what you need.
We will review your enquiry and confirm the proposed scope of work, fee, likely timescale and any documents required. Once the instruction is agreed, we can begin work and guide you through the next steps.
Yes. We act for both, subject to conflict checks before we accept any instruction. Acting on both sides is why we can tell you early how the other surveyor is likely to argue the figure.
Yes. We act regularly for clients living outside the UK, and the appraisal, reporting and negotiation stages can all be handled remotely.
The premium reflects the ground rent the landlord gives up, the value of receiving the flat back later, and, where the lease is short, marriage value. Each element turns on valuation assumptions that are genuinely arguable, which is why the figure a landlord’s surveyor proposes and the figure we assess often differ.
Once the unexpired term falls below 80 years, marriage value becomes payable under the law as it currently stands, which increases the premium significantly. Acting before that point is usually the single biggest saving available.
Either party can apply to the First-tier Tribunal to determine it, between two and six months after the counter-notice. Most claims settle by negotiation before a hearing, and we advise on whether a tribunal application is commercially worthwhile against cost, risk and time.
Qualification depends on the building, the proportion of residential floor space, and how many leaseholders take part. Two-flat buildings are common and both leaseholders must participate.
The total premium is assessed for the building, then apportioned between participants — usually by reference to the value of each flat and the length of each lease. Flats with shorter leases carry a larger share.
A claim can still proceed provided enough leaseholders participate. Non-participants keep their existing leases, and hope value in respect of those flats forms part of the premium the participants pay.
For inheritance tax the figure returned must reflect open market value under section 160 of the Inheritance Tax Act 1984. A Red Book valuation sets out the evidence and methodology behind the figure, which is what HMRC expects to see.
An agent’s appraisal is a marketing opinion rather than a formal valuation, and it can be challenged. Where the estate is near a tax threshold or the property is unusual, a Red Book report is the safer course.
It is a valuation of a property as at a past date — commonly 31 March 1982 or an earlier acquisition date for capital gains tax, or the date of death for inheritance tax. It relies on comparable evidence from that period rather than today’s market.
It is a report prepared to the standards required by the Civil Procedure Rules, including the expert’s declaration and statement of truth. It sets out the reasoning and evidence so the court can test the opinion.
Sometimes, but the roles differ: an expert’s duty to the tribunal or court overrides their duty to the client. We will tell you at the outset which role we are performing.
Yes. Our surveyors have given evidence before the First-tier Tribunal, the County Court and the High Court.
A Level 1 Condition Report suits a modern property in good order. A Level 2 HomeBuyer Report suits most conventional houses and flats. A Level 3 Building Survey suits older, altered, extended or unusual properties.
A Level 2 report identifies visible defects and rates them by urgency. A Level 3 goes further into construction and the causes of defects, with more detailed advice on repair.
Not automatically. A valuation can be provided alongside a survey where you need one, but it is a separate piece of work.
It is an assessment of what it would cost to rebuild a property after total loss, including demolition, professional fees and VAT. It is the figure your buildings insurance should be based on — not the market value.
Common practice is a full reassessment every three years, with indexation in between. Building costs have moved sharply in recent years, and under-insurance can reduce a claim payout proportionally.
It depends on the property, the title and how quickly you need certainty. We advise on the right route and can introduce suitable agents or auction houses — we take no commission on the sale, so the advice is independent of who handles it.
