# New flat: getting a survey before taking possession- architect or engineer?



## geological (Jan 18, 2019)

We committed to buying a flat. It is more or less finished and we want to move in soon. But only if everything is up to scratch. The promissory contract gives us some leverage so we think it is probably worth getting a survey in order to pick up on problems before we move in, after which we would have to rely on the (by repute not very reliable) after-sales people. Apparently the norm is to engage an engineer or an architect. But I have no idea who is best. One issue is: the building is supposed to be A rated for energy but would either be able to tell whether that is really the case without us spending an awful lot of money? Has anybody else been in a similar position or otherwise got this information? Thanks in advance.


----------



## LuciaFragoso (Jul 15, 2020)

Hi,
I did a research for some clients who wanted to do something like you refer before buying a house and a colleague recommended this one: Home-en
I think they do the kind of work you are looking for.
I am still selecting the house for these clients so I didn't use their services yet to be able to give you more feedback.
I hope it helps,
Kind regards,
Lúcia Fragoso


----------



## hktoportugal (Feb 25, 2019)

We decided not to do a survey when we bought our new properties. The builder by law needs to correct any deficiencies that are detected. In Portugal buildings have a 5 year warranty after delivery date. But I guess it all depends on how trustworthy your builder is. We have had some minor issues that surfaced in the first year which were subsequently corrected by the builder. None of those issues though would have been detected if we had done a survey beforehand.

As to the energy rating: as part of the final deed the builder needs to provide you with an energy certificate. This certificate is a document that attests to the energy efficiency of the building. This document is an official document and issued by the competent authority: the Energy Agency (ADENE). It contains detailed energy consumption characteristics related to (for instance) air conditioning and domestic hot water, as well as measures to reduce energy consumption like for example double glazing or the reinforcement of insulation. This certificate is valid for 10 years for residential buildings and small commercial buildings and services.


----------



## geological (Jan 18, 2019)

[QUOTE="hktoportugal, post: 15231694, member: 1718132"

As to the energy rating: as part of the final deed the builder needs to provide you with an energy certificate. This certificate is a document that attests to the energy efficiency of the building. This document is an official document and issued by the competent authority: the Energy Agency (ADENE). It contains detailed energy consumption characteristics related to (for instance) air conditioning and domestic hot water, as well as measures to reduce energy consumption like for example double glazing or the reinforcement of insulation.
[/QUOTE]
Thanks, I thought there was something like this but I did not have the detail you gave. In England an independent surveyor of sorts comes round and has a look, takes note of loft insulation, boiler type etc. I guess these people are accredited by a national agency but they do not spend long. I guess they assume that everything that is in place or supposed to be in place (e.g. according to the building regulations in place at the time of construction?) does its job and they do not run lots of tests to ascertain that. But whatever is the case in England I wonder how thorough/ independent the process is in PT. For instance ours is in a large building. Would they test each unit individually or would they test a representative one or even assume that everything is according to the submitted plans? I appreciate you probably would not know for certain but I would be grateful for your opinion. Maybe unlike you, I have little trust in our builder's after-sales service.


----------



## hktoportugal (Feb 25, 2019)

geological said:


> But whatever is the case in England I wonder how thorough/ independent the process is in PT. For instance ours is in a large building. Would they test each unit individually or would they test a representative one or even assume that everything is according to the submitted plans? I appreciate you probably would not know for certain but I would be grateful for your opinion. Maybe unlike you, I have little trust in our builder's after-sales service.


As far as I have been told they definitely don't assess units individually, the building's energy assessment is based on the "ficha tecnica de habitacao" which the builder needs to submit containing the functional details of the house and which is also part of the final deed (and submitted by the builder to the local city counsel).


----------

