Tony Swainston Building Surveyor

Tony is a super professional. He is thorough, he is collaborative, he takes genuine interest in your case and will provide the best detailed advice. Tony is really great.

The overall impression of Tony from the very first contact to the final report was one of a professional working to the highest standard. The attention to detail was exceptional, albeit a little overwhelming when reading the report at 2am! I particularly liked the option to visit towards the end of the survey to discuss matters in person at the property.

After getting four quotes we instructed Tony to conduct a Home Condition Report for a 1970s house that we were intending to buy. Reasons we chose Tony were that we wanted a good inspection of the roof and Tony uses WiFi cameras on poles and a drone to inspect inaccessible places, puts (good quality.) photos into the report as visual evidence, requests the property owners to complete a supplementary questionnaire. In the past we have had MRICS surveys so I read up about the schemes through which Tony qualified and was satisfied. Tony was very proactive in asking for specifics that we would like him to look into and was equally proactive in addressing these including finding additional info online. The report itself was absolutely excellent, far more thorough than our past MRICS Home Buyers Reports, excellent photographic evidence, great layout, clearly written in plain English. It does take longer to produce so if you're in a rush, it's worth checking when Tony will produce it. We waited two weeks. Tony gave great advice on follow-on inspections and also on how to build evidence to renegotiate the purchase price. The owners accepted our revised offer without debate, in part I believe because of the strength of evidence from the survey report and the follow-on inspections that we commissioned on Tony's advice. We saved 5X the survey cost on the renegotiated price. Final proof of the pudding: I've just recommended Tony to a good friend who is buying a house.

Tony attended our property this week to advise on some issues with damp we are having. He was super efficient from start to end and explained the processes thoroughly so we could decide on the most suitable option. Tony arrived in time and was very friendly and made me feel quite at ease. He encouraged me to take notes and ask questions and his report followed by email very quickly. The advice to remedy the issues identified was balanced and not solely based on ‘best practice’, there was plenty of practical and realistic advice that we can action. I am so glad we sought Tony’s advice and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him. I feel we have a clear direction that whilst won’t be cheap, should be effective and sort the issues out properly in the long run. Thank you Tony!

Tony came to my 1900's flat to investigate and give advice / recommendations (followed 2 days later by a report / email) to resolve a persistent damp problem in an internal wall. We were at the flat for about 2 hours. He was also happy to answer some subsequent questions I had after our face to face meeting. Various things had been done in the past as well as recently in attempts to resolve the long standing damp problem. The problem, as Tony explained to me appears to be a more complex situation. This is due to refurbishment works done to the rest of the flat over the years which inadvertently had not considered the impact those works would have on the property. Tony was most helpful, easy to talk to and helped me understand the very likely contributing factors to the damp problem and also gave clear recommendations what needs doing to put things right. In order to come to this conclusion, Tony went beyond the immediate brief of the task in order to clarify the wider scenario for me. He was very professional and thorough, clearly enjoys his work and is keen to ensure that he has done his job well. I would highly recommend Tony for any survey.

My wife and I instructed Tony to carry out a survey on a property we were purchasing earlier this year and we did this due to the reviews on Trusted Traders. I can say that we completely agree with the previously posted comments and found Tony to be extremely professional, helpful and thorough throw out the entire process. I personally spoke to him on the phone on several occasions about certain issues found in the survey and also asking for advice which was freely given, informative and balanced. Unfortunately this purchase fell through and we are still searching for our next property but when we find it we will definitely be instructing Tony to carry out the survey. Highly recommended.

We cannot praise Tony enough - he really is brilliant. Tony is extremely thorough and his attention to detail is second to none. He goes above and beyond to investigate every nook and cranny of a house, spending many more hours at a property than other surveyors. What we loved most about Tony was that he offered to meet us at the property at the end of the survey, so that he could explain his findings. He walked us around the property, and even drew diagrams for us. Nothing was too much trouble and we felt we understood everything really well. He was also happy to answer additional queries on the phone later - nothing was too much trouble! Such a refreshing change from other surveyors we’ve used before. We commissioned Tony twice, both times for a full building survey. The first time, he found a series of major issues in a property and we decided not to buy it on the strength of his findings. When he came to survey the second property, he found no major issues but gave us really great detailed advice about possible improvements we could make. We feel so lucky to have found Tony. We would choose him every time over a cheaper surveyor - he can potentially save you tens of thousands in the long run and is worth every penny.

We were really pleased to find an excellent surveyor like Tony. He is extremely thorough with his work. He is not only professional but really friendly and make you feel very comfortable chatting with him. We were given an option to meet him at the property which was an excellent idea as we wouldn't have so much understanding reading the report itself. He also offered to take calls if we there was any queries from the report. We just felt we had a good personal service. He explained in lay terms to make us understand and we felt we learned many new things which would help us in future. Tony is a good value for money and I will have no hesitation to recommend him to my family and friends.

We could not have hoped for more from Tony's visit. He was professional, knowledgeable, and generous with his time. He went out his way to listen to and address our concerns, and ensured he used language which was jargon free and easy for the layman to understand. We would not hesitate to engage his services again.

Tony carried out surveys on 2 flats for us. He was very easy to deal with and carried out the surveys with the minimum of fuss. On completion he met with us and talked us through the key points, clearly explaining anything we did not understand. His subsequent report was easy to read, accurate and comprehensive. Really, we could not have asked for a better service and I have no hesitation in recommending him.

This is the second time we have used Tony and, once again, he has done a sterling job. He happily travelled some distance to the site, having already arranged access directly with the vendor. His subsequent report was comprehensive, thorough, accurate and self-explanatory. As before, he was a pleasure to deal with and I have no hesitation in highly recommending his services.

Tony completed a survey for us on a home we are purchasing. He is very knowledgeable and thorough. I was really impressed with the lengths that he went to to help us, nothing was too much trouble. The advice that he gave us was invaluable. He explained technical terms in an easy to understand way and the information he gave us on our new home was really useful. I have never had a survey on a house I have bought before but I would not buy a house again without consulting Tony first.

I recently engaged Tony for a home survey on a couple of Victorian flats. They are primarily bought as an investment. Tony is very detailed and his points on planning regulations, safety and future problems for both the building and the internal fittings and fixtures are very helpful. A lot of sound advice, some technical and some practical. From the reports I learned a lot and I would definitely engage Tony again in the future. It was a pity I could not join him for a walk round the properties, hopefully on my next purchase.