RICS Level 2 Survey in EX9

Budleigh Salterton is not the usual commuter spot. People are drawn here for the coastline, the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, straightforward access to the South West Coast Path, and the calm, established feel of the community. That is why EX9 tends to attract buyers looking for a lifestyle property, rather than people making fast investment moves. With only 88 sales over the past year, down 33% on the year before, homes here change hands in low volumes, are often one-offs in valuation terms, and regularly come to market at prices buyers are sensible to examine closely.

House prices in EX9 sit around 7% below the 2022 high of £533,332, although Property Solvers data records a 3.1% rise across the last 12 months. At the upper end of the market, where detached houses average £750,280, the price of a RICS Level 2 survey is tiny compared with the overall purchase. In practical terms, that fee can uncover defects costing tens of thousands of pounds to put right, or give buyers solid evidence for a reduction that outweighs the survey cost by some distance.

Across much of the land around Budleigh Salterton, the AONB designation brings tighter limits on permitted development rights than buyers would see in ordinary residential areas. Extensions, outbuildings and changes to a property's external appearance can need planning permission even where the same work might otherwise be automatic. During inspection, our surveyors record any visible alterations and highlight where planning consent or building regulations approval should be checked before exchange of contracts.

The Jurassic Coast shapes EX9 in more ways than one. Those well-known red cliffs are made of Triassic sandstone, and although the cliffs are themselves a protected geological feature, nearby homes can still be affected by the ongoing reality of coastal erosion. We always comment on environmental setting in our surveys, especially flood risk and exposure to coastal erosion, where an EX9 address sits close to the seafront or the estuary.

The older housing stock in EX9 creates its own inspection issues. Many Georgian properties in Budleigh Salterton are Grade II listed and were built with solid brick or stone walls bedded in lime mortar. These are not like modern cement-pointed cavity walls. They are meant to breathe, with moisture passing through the wall fabric itself. Where repointing has been done in hard cement mortar, which we see very often in Devon, that original breathability is lost. Moisture then gets trapped behind the harder mortar, and the result can be decay in the brickwork and in the timbers bonded into, or resting on, those walls.

Roof coverings across EX9 differ a good deal according to the age of the property. Victorian and Edwardian houses often have clay tile or Welsh slate roofs, and many are now well over 100 years old. Typical findings include failed mortar to ridge tiles, leaving them loose, individual slates or tiles that have slipped, cracked or been replaced with non-matching materials, and lead flashings to chimney stacks and parapet abutments that have split or lifted through thermal movement. If direct inspection of the roof covering is not possible, we say so clearly and recommend a specialist roofer's inspection.

Thatched cottages are part of the EX9 picture, including in nearby Otterton. They usually need specialist thatching contractors for repairs and insurance, and in most cases they are not a good fit for a RICS Level 2 survey. We will always advise if a Level 3 Building Survey is the better choice for a particular EX9 property, especially where the construction is non-standard or a heritage designation makes matters more involved.

Coastal conditions speed up wear in ways buyers from inland areas do not always expect. Salt-laden air causes painted and stained finishes on external timber to break down faster, leaving window frames, fascias and gates open to moisture. Metal parts, including rainwater goods, fixings, and ironwork to balconies or gates, also corrode more quickly in salty air. Homes exposed to sea spray or standing in open seafront positions need more regular external upkeep, and deferred maintenance of this kind turns up often in EX9 surveys.

Drainage can also be a weak point in EX9's older houses. A large number of Victorian and Edwardian homes in the town still rely on combined drainage systems that are now more than 100 years old. Clay pipes may crack, fracture or collapse, and root intrusion from mature garden trees is something we see regularly. During the inspection we check drainage access covers, and where there is slow drainage, pooling, or signs of ground movement near drain runs, we recommend a CCTV drain survey.

Sales data for EX9 is led by detached houses, which fits a coastal retirement and lifestyle market where larger and more private homes attract the strongest demand. With an average price of £750,280, this part of the market covers everything from sizeable Georgian and Victorian town villas in Budleigh Salterton itself to newer detached homes on infill sites and architect-designed houses on prime cliff-top plots. Different styles, different ages, same need for careful inspection, especially with coastal exposure in the mix.

Terraced homes in EX9 average £370,406 and are largely made up of Victorian and Edwardian cottages along the older streets of Budleigh Salterton. Because these are solid-wall buildings without cavity construction, they are the homes most prone to damp and among the most likely to have been altered over time in ways that do not meet modern building regulations or listed building rules. We inspect them with particular care and make clear where further checks by a specialist damp contractor or structural engineer are justified.

At an average of £302,520, flats in EX9 are commonly either conversions of larger Victorian and Edwardian houses or purpose-built coastal apartment blocks. Where a flat sits within a converted period building, our Level 2 survey covers both the flat itself and the shared structural parts, including the roof, external walls and foundations, which all owners in the building are jointly responsible for maintaining. We also note when service charge records and maintenance paperwork should be requested from the management company or freeholder before exchange.

Semi-detached houses in EX9 average £424,472, sitting between the more accessible terraced market and the higher-value detached sector. A good number date from the inter-war years of the 1920s and 1930s, with cavity wall construction but original slate or tile roofs and single-glazed timber windows that are now often past their intended lifespan. For many incoming buyers, improving insulation and glazing is high on the list, and our reports comment on present condition as well as the likely cost implications of that work.