Frequently asked questions

Most of our prices are fixed by the value of the property, in bands, and include VAT. Specific and general structural inspections and standalone drone roof inspections have a starting price, and we confirm a fixed fee before you book. Homes above our top value band are quoted individually. See our prices page for current figures.

Yes. Every price on our website includes VAT. The total shown by our price calculator already includes any travel supplement for your address and any optional extras you choose, such as the express report or drone images. See our prices page for details.

Only for addresses more than about 25 miles from our base in Hemel Hempstead, where a travel supplement applies. The price calculator works this out from your postcode and adds it for you. For properties further afield, contact us and we will confirm whether we can help, and any travel cost, before you book.

We are based in Hemel Hempstead and cover Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and north-west London. A travel supplement applies beyond about 25 miles of Hemel Hempstead. If your property is outside these areas, contact us and we will tell you whether we can help.

Get a price with our online calculator and book online, or call us on 07572 190983 or email info@dbiss.uk. We need the property address, details of the selling agent or whoever will give us access, and your contact details. We send our terms of engagement for you to agree before the inspection.

It depends on our diary and on when the seller or agent can give us access. When you book, we offer the next available dates. If you are working to a deadline, such as an exchange date, tell us when you book so we can take it into account.

Yes. If you are working to a deadline, choose the express option when you book. We then issue the report within 2 working days of the inspection, rather than typically within 5 working days. The express option costs extra; see our prices page.

Andrew Parker AssocRICS MCIOB, the Responsible Principal of DBISS. He is an Associate member of RICS and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Building. Andrew is our only surveyor, so the surveyor who inspects your property signs your report. DBISS is regulated by RICS, so the surveyor who inspects your property is the one who signs your report.

It depends on the size, age and condition of the property and on the type of inspection. A small modern flat takes much less time than a large period house with outbuildings. We can give you an idea of the timing when you book.

It helps if the seller clears access to the roof space hatch, the boiler, the electricity and gas meters and any cellar, and leaves keys for outbuildings and windows. Where an area cannot be reached safely, we cannot inspect it, and the report will say so.

No. Our inspections are visual and non-invasive. We do not move heavy furniture or stored items, lift fitted carpets, floor coverings or floorboards, or open up the structure. Where something limits the inspection, the report says so and explains whether further checks are needed.

No. We inspect the electrics, gas, water, heating and drainage visually, and in a Level 3 survey we may also see them working in normal use, but we do not test them. Where it is sensible, we recommend tests by a qualified engineer, such as an electrical installation condition report or a gas safety check.

Yes, where there is a safe way in and the hatch is not blocked or sealed. We do not move stored items, and insulation can hide parts of the ceiling structure. Where the roof space cannot be inspected, or only in part, the report says so.

No. We inspect roofs from the ground, from the roof space and from other safe vantage points. A drone roof inspection is included in our Level 3 survey where flight is permitted, and drone images can be added to most of our other services.

Typically within 5 working days of the inspection. If you choose the paid express option, we issue it within 2 working days of the inspection. If you opt out of our use of AI tools, the report may take up to 3 working days longer.

Our Level 2 and Level 3 reports rate each part of the home. Rating 3 means defects that are serious or need urgent repair, replacement or investigation. Rating 2 means defects that need repair or replacement but are not considered serious or urgent. Rating 1 means no repair is needed at present. With ratings 1 and 2, normal maintenance is still needed. NI means not inspected.

No. We do not provide valuations, market value opinions or reinstatement cost assessments for insurance. If your lender carries out a mortgage valuation, that is for the lender and is not a survey of the property's condition. If you need a valuation, you will need to arrange it separately.

Our Level 3 reports give budget costs for some repairs, where they can reasonably be estimated from the inspection. Our Level 2 reports do not include costs. In either case, get quotations from suitably qualified contractors before you commit to buy.

Yes. Once your report is issued, we offer you a call with Andrew to go through the findings and answer your questions. It helps to read the report first and note anything you would like explained.

We use AI tools to transcribe the surveyor's site dictation and to draft report text from his own notes and photographs. The findings, condition ratings, costs and advice are his, and Andrew reviews and signs every report. You consent to this in our terms and can opt out, which may add up to 3 working days. See our AI statement.

The report is for you, the client named in it. You can share it with your professional advisers, such as your solicitor, but no one else can rely on it. If you want to include it, or part of it, in another document, ask us first.

A drone roof inspection is included in our Level 3 survey where flight is permitted. For a Level 2 survey, snagging inspection, schedule of condition or structural inspection, drone images are an optional add-on, again where flight is permitted. They are not offered with a damp and timber survey. We also offer a standalone drone roof inspection.

If weather or airspace rules prevent the flight, we deduct the drone element of the fee, or refund it if you have already paid. Where practical, we may offer to come back and fly within 14 days instead, at no extra cost. For a survey, we then inspect the roof from ground level and other safe vantage points.

Drones must not fly in the Flight Restriction Zones around most airports and airfields without permission, and flying is restricted around some other sites, such as prisons. Strong wind, rain and poor visibility can also rule out a flight. We check each address and the forecast before the inspection, and make the final decision on site.

Yes. DBISS is registered with the Civil Aviation Authority as a drone operator. We plan every flight to meet the CAA rules that apply to it, including checks on restricted airspace and the weather before we fly.

Close views of roof coverings, ridges, valleys, chimneys, flashings, gutters and flat roofs that are hard to see from the ground. We annotate the images to point out what we found. A drone cannot see under roof coverings or confirm that a roof is watertight.

We plan each flight around the property we are inspecting and point the camera at it. Parts of neighbouring property can appear in the background of some images. We handle all images in line with our privacy notice.

Please tell us first, by email to info@dbiss.uk, by phone on 07572 190983 or in writing. We deal with every complaint under our complaints handling procedure, which is published on our complaints page and explains how and when we will respond.

If your complaint is not resolved through our procedure, you can refer it to the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR), which provides independent redress. Our complaints handling procedure explains when and how you can do this.

If you are a consumer, you can cancel within 14 days of the day you accept our terms. If you ask us to carry out the inspection within that period and then cancel, you pay only for the work done up to that point. Full details are in our terms of engagement.

Yes. DBISS is regulated by RICS, firm number 871137, and Andrew Parker AssocRICS MCIOB is the Responsible Principal. Drone Building Inspection and Surveying Services Ltd is registered in England and Wales, company number 13629883, with its registered office at 8 Ritcroft Street, Hemel Hempstead HP3 8PF.

We use your details to arrange and carry out your inspection, prepare your report, deal with any questions or complaints, and keep the records we are required to keep. Our privacy notice explains what we collect, why we need it, how long we keep it and your rights.

With your consent, given in our terms of engagement, we use AI tools to transcribe the surveyor's site dictation and to draft report text from his notes and photographs. You can opt out, and the report may then take up to 3 working days longer. Our AI statement explains how we use these tools.