RICS Level 3 Survey can spot the handiwork of the botched DIY-er

Anyone looking to buy a home from a keen DIY-er should beware.

Research shows that fewer than half of us (43 percent) would employ a professional tradesperson to carry out maintenance on their home, while almost a third (29 percent) would try their hand at plumbing, a quarter (24 percent) would be keen to get wired into electrical work and 13 percent would be undeterred by a lack of skill or knowledge to try and fix a boiler or central heating.

What all that means is that if a DIY-er is then ready to sell a home they've done up themselves, any buyer should be arming themselves with as much professional knowledge as possible to ensure the work that's been done is up to standard.

And this is where a RICS Level 3 Survey carried out by a chartered surveyor who is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is essential.

Surveyor Local only works with RICS chartered surveyors to offer buyers top-quality, affordable RICS Level 3 Surveys that will reveal essential information about a property's structure, exterior and interior.

Comparison site GoCompare carried out research into the sort of DIY jobs many of us are not afraid to tackle, noting that some homeowners could be invalidating their home insurance by not instructing qualified tradespeople to do essential work.

According to GoCompare, standard home insurance that does not have accidental damage cover would not cover homeowners against a DIY disaster that affected their property or possessions.

Their research showed 58 percent of those quizzed would do any work themselves or ask friends or family for help, while 7 percent said they'd put off home maintenance indefinitely so they didn't have to do any work.

High numbers were willing to do electrical, plumbing or gas maintenance without having any qualifications, but GoCompare points out that those types of repairs should always be done by a registered professional. And doing that kind of maintenance yourself could also invalidate home insurance.

Crucially, when you come to sell your home, work done to electrics, gas or plumbing should come with a guarantee that you can present to any prospective buyers.

The GoCompare survey revealed the top 10 outstanding maintenance jobs for homeowners across the UK, many of which would also be flagged up by a chartered surveyor during an inspection.

They include repairing cracked walls, repairing exterior paintwork, fixing a damp problem, fixing blocked or damaged gutters, repairing damaged brickwork or mortar and replacing cracker shower trays or baths.