# Home Inspector



## Cemie (Nov 4, 2011)

Hello! My husband and I recently moved to Portugal and are in the process of looking for and eventually buying a home. We found a house that seems just perfect, but we want to do our research before we commit to anything. In the U.S. where we're from, usually either the seller or the buyer will hire a Home Inspector, who is a non-affiliated person knowledgeable in the areas of construction, electrical, etc. who will examine the house and make a report on any repairs that are needed. 

Does such a thing exist in Portugal? If so, would anyone be able to recommend someone reputable in the Miranda do Corvo/Lousa area? If not, how did those of you who have purchased homes find out the work that needed to be done on your houses in advance?

Thanks kindly for your advice.


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

He's called a surveyor in the UK and I have to say, I've never heard of one in Portugal and I think most people just ask a good/English speaking builder to look the place over for you and give you an honest opinion. ...... that's certainly what we did. 

Your area is quite close to me here in Figueiro Dos Vinhos and my builder has been an absolute diamond. He speaks fluent English, does a very good job at a fair price and is very helpful indeed so feel free to send me a PM if you need me to put you in touch with him. 

Incidentally, he doesn't charge for the initial inspection etc.


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

Ask your friends partner who should have good local contacts through bank, the professional your used too doesn't really exist in Portugal and is more specialised into areas


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## Cemie (Nov 4, 2011)

Thanks so much both of you for your helpful replies. I figure there are many things here that'll be different than in the U.S. 
Travelling-man, I appreciate your offer; I'll send you a PM.


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

Maybe I should expand a bit there are Chartered Surveys here but few and far between, what is worthwhile is being aware that depending on the age of property then you might have a certain amount of information available from seller

If property built pre 1951 it only requires a Certificate saying it was built pre 1951

Post 1951 it requires a Habitation Licence, at least there should be plans of property, and property should have been completed to the Building Codes of year of Licence

From 2004 new builds reguire Ficha Technica de Habitação (contains plans, licences etc do with construction) plus Licença de Habitação or Licença de Utilizaçao

From 2008 new builds reguire Ficha Technica de Habitação plus Livro de Obra (more detail on construction etc) plus Licença de Habitação or Licença de Utilizaçao

Plus all property must have an Energy Certificate to register with a Portuguese Estate agent for sale and a requirement for sale to be completed (sellers expense not buyers)

Generally property renovated, added to etc where planning permission was a requirement would have to comply with the building regs and certification reguired at the year of renovation.

So there are certain things you can ask for to help make a decision on property


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## Cemie (Nov 4, 2011)

Thanks so much for the elaboration, Canoeman. I plan on doing some research to see if there are any surveyors in our area, but in the meantime I'll hire a builder to take a look at the property. I've heard it might be worth asking at our bank for a recommendation, so that's another potential option.

Just to clarify - if the house is about 100 years old, but was renovated say 5 or 10 years ago, we'd have to comply with any regulations/certification requirements from 5 or 10 years ago in addition to the energy certificate. 

Thanks again so much for your help!


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

No the current owners would need to comply so they should present all necessary certificates etc so the house is legal, *it should be their expense* and personally I wouldn't buy a property that wasn't legal or I needed to legalise too much can go wrong.

Whether they needed certification, licences will very much depend on the renovation they did and whether licences or planning permission was necessary


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## Cemie (Nov 4, 2011)

Thanks again for the clarification. I agree that if a home isn't legal or too much seems off then it's not the right place for us. There's just too much potential for something to go wrong and that's the last thing I'd want to deal with.


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## robc (Jul 17, 2008)

Hi Cemie

As an alternative you can always commission an Independent Report from an Engineer.

Civil Engineer for structural works and Mechanical Engineer for fittings and such items as pipes and drainage.

Cost on Silver Coast around €250 ish depending on house size. A good Lawyer or Architect should know these people in your locality

HTH

Rob


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## Cemie (Nov 4, 2011)

Thanks so much for that information about the engineers, Rob.  I'll ask around to see if anyone can recommend someone.


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## Alamos (Apr 22, 2014)

Cemie said:


> Hello! My husband and I recently moved to Portugal and are in the process of looking for and eventually buying a home. We found a house that seems just perfect, but we want to do our research before we commit to anything. In the U.S. where we're from, usually either the seller or the buyer will hire a Home Inspector, who is a non-affiliated person knowledgeable in the areas of construction, electrical, etc. who will examine the house and make a report on any repairs that are needed.
> 
> Does such a thing exist in Portugal? If so, would anyone be able to recommend someone reputable in the Miranda do Corvo/Lousa area? If not, how did those of you who have purchased homes find out the work that needed to be done on your houses in advance?
> 
> Thanks kindly for your advice.


Hello, 

We moved to the Alentejo in jan of this year. Like you, we wanted a survey done on the house. We used a very good surveyor from Loule. No connections with him, other than use of services. Well worth the money spent, since the first property looked at had problems we hadn't noticed.

Contact me if interested in details


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## Cemie (Nov 4, 2011)

Thanks so much for the offer, Alamos! If I can't find anyone closer to Miranda I'll definitely be in touch. That's great that your surveyor was able to catch those issues with the house before you bought it. I figure it's better to spend a few hundred euros just to be safe than potentially thousands down the road after a nasty surprise.


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

You can always use as a negotiation on price


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## Cemie (Nov 4, 2011)

Quite true, Canoeman. In fact we've just been out to take another look at the house with the builder Travelling-man recommended and at first glance there appeared to be some work that needed to be done so we thought we'd use that as a bargaining chip. However, after a thorough examination we discovered that the "ready to move into renovated" home was in shambles and would probably cost more to repair than the selling price. So glad we brought the builder out - we would have been in for an awful shock.


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## anapedrosa (Mar 21, 2011)

We commissioned an engineer to assess a property. The cost was considerably higher than 250€ (we paid 450€). However, I have to say we felt that it was worth it. He does evaluations for banks and produced a full report. For us, property boundaries, ownership, what could be built and recent sales history of comparable properties were part of the package.

Coming from Canada, I was also used to home inspections and the one thing I would recommend is to list all of your service expectations in detail. Through the whole process of purchasing and building I have found the only challenges to occur when I assumed we each meant the same thing, even when we referred to something by the same name.


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## Cotovio (May 8, 2014)

Cemie said:


> Hello! My husband and I recently moved to Portugal and are in the process of looking for and eventually buying a home. We found a house that seems just perfect, but we want to do our research before we commit to anything. In the U.S. where we're from, usually either the seller or the buyer will hire a Home Inspector, who is a non-affiliated person knowledgeable in the areas of construction, electrical, etc. who will examine the house and make a report on any repairs that are needed.
> 
> Does such a thing exist in Portugal? If so, would anyone be able to recommend someone reputable in the Miranda do Corvo/Lousa area? If not, how did those of you who have purchased homes find out the work that needed to be done on your houses in advance?
> 
> Thanks kindly for your advice.


hello, I am Joseph, From Bremen, Germany..I was also, On my way to Miranda Do Corvo..AND...Thinking ..Of looking at this wonderful cottage,...But thank God ..I did not to so..It is the same one that you went to see it...a 30.000..2 bedroom..It says on paper it is in great condition????? But ..I believe its not.so.. .
The Agent..I will NOT USE HIM...If that is the case...
He must have know it...
Jose carvalho


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