Chartered Surveyors in Stratford
Stratford has been transformed more than almost anywhere in London. The regeneration around the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has added thousands of modern flats and new-build homes, from East Village to the towers around the station, alongside the area’s older Victorian terraces and pockets of former local-authority housing. For buyers, the big questions here are often less about age and more about leasehold: build quality, cladding and fire safety, service charges and the terms of the lease.
Where a flat may have cladding or external wall fire-safety issues, we’ll flag it and set out exactly what to ask your solicitor to confirm – the EWS1 position, remediation liability and the service-charge implications. We don’t carry out external wall fire-safety assessments ourselves.
As chartered surveyors in Stratford, we tailor the inspection to the property. On modern flats — including large developments such as East Village — we look at build quality and finish, and we pay close attention to cladding and fire-safety matters, which in some blocks have led to remediation, higher service charges and mortgage difficulties. On any leasehold home we examine the wider building, common parts and roof, and flag the lease, service-charge and major-works questions to put to your solicitor. The older Victorian terraces and ex-council houses, meanwhile, bring the traditional issues of their age and construction.
For a modern flat or home in good order, a Level 2 (RICS Home Survey) is often proportionate — though the leasehold and cladding enquiries matter just as much as the survey. For any home built in the 1930s or earlier, anything ex-local-authority or non-traditional, or a property that has been altered, a Level 3 (Building Survey) gives the fuller, element-by-element picture. Where you need a formal figure — purchase, probate, matrimonial or lease extension — our RICS Registered Valuer provides Red Book valuations.
Beyond survey and valuation work, we also prepare Schedules of Condition for landlords and tenants agreeing a property or commercial unit’s condition before a lease begins, advise on dilapidations at lease end, and act as expert witness, with reports prepared in accordance with CPR Part 35 for civil proceedings and the Family Procedure Rules where a matter falls within the family courts. We also carry out reinstatement cost assessments for buildings insurance, helping homeowners and landlords in Stratford avoid the under- or over-insurance that comes from an outdated rebuild figure — see our reinstatement valuation service. Our Red Book valuations also cover Help to Buy and shared ownership staircasing and capital gains tax, in addition to the purchase, probate, matrimonial and lease extension work mentioned above — services relevant across Stratford and the surrounding area, including Bow, Leyton, West Ham and Maryland.
We cover Stratford and the surrounding area, including Bow, Leyton, West Ham and Maryland, with independent, RICS-regulated advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a survey on a new-build flat in Stratford?
Yes. Even new flats can carry snagging defects, and in Stratford the bigger issues are often cladding and fire safety, service charges and the lease. We inspect the property and set out exactly what to ask your solicitor about remediation, EWS1/building-safety matters and future costs.
Is a Level 2 or Level 3 survey right for my Stratford home?
For a modern flat or house in good order, a Level 2 Home Survey is usually proportionate. For any home built in the 1930s or earlier, anything ex-council or non-traditional, or a heavily altered property, a Level 3 Building Survey is the wiser choice.
What are the cladding and fire-safety risks around the Olympic Park?
Some post-2000 blocks have required cladding remediation, which can affect service charges, mortgageability and saleability. We flag where these questions arise and what evidence (such as building-safety documentation) you and your solicitor should obtain before committing.
Do you cover Bow, Leyton and West Ham too?
Yes. We survey across Stratford and the neighbouring areas, including Bow, Leyton, West Ham and Maryland, matching the inspection to each property.
Buying a flat or house in Stratford, Bow or Leyton? Get an independent RICS view — and the right leasehold enquiries — before you exchange. Contact Gibsons Surveyors to discuss the right survey or valuation and receive a prompt, no-obligation quote.