Property Inspection Report For Immigration & Visa

The lead surveyor holds an MSc in Environmental Health and is an experienced environmental health practitioner, he is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health. Therefore, all our reports are recognised and accepted by the Home Office. We are a reputable environmental health consultancy with considerable expertise in housing and immigration inspection. We provide services to both the public and solicitors/immigration advisors. ​ ✓ We are a traceable, independent environmental health consultancy registered as a private limited company (Ltd). ✓ Reputable company with considerable expertise in providing housing reports for immigration and housing disrepair. For housing disrepair related inspections please see environmental health house inspection. In recent months we have come across a few customers who's applications have been declined due to the property inspection report not being accepted by the Home Office. This is largely due to the surveyor not understanding the requirements and not being suitably qualified. Reports from estate agent, although probably cheaper are not accepted. Reports from those who do EPC's are not acceptable, they do not have a good understanding of housing legislation and surveying using HHSRS.

The report is valid for 3 months from the date of issue.

The report produced from an onsite inspection typically costs between £70-300 and depends on your location. The price takes into consideration a number of factors. It is always best to provide a postcode for an accurate price. The online property inspection is usually £99.

Our reports are fully compliant with UKVI (United Kingdom Visa and Immigration) guidance and fulfill the Housing legislative criteria stipulated by the Home Office. The report will consist of the following: ​ A description of the property ​ Name of the sponsor and applicant. ​ Type of property ie rented or homeowner occupied Breakdown of the number of rooms and size. ​ An environmental statement stating whether the property is free from category 1 hazards. We assess hazards using HHSRS (Housing Health and Safety Rating System) in accordance with the Housing Act 2004. ​ A statement of whether the property would be statutorily overcrowded by the addition of the person seeking entry to the UK. Statutory overcrowding is defined in the Housing Act 1985 and we utilise the methodology in the legislation to determine if the property is and will be overcrowded.

Entry clearance applications for the UK require adequate accommodation. UKVI stipulates in the immigration rules that "adequate" accommodation is a necessary requirement for UK partner and parent visa applications. Adequate for the purposes of UKVI means the property being relied upon in the application will not be: ​ overcrowded and does not violate public health and safety regulations ​ Essentially if you want to improve your chances of the visa being granted. In most circumstances it would be advisable to get a housing report. As the property inspection report proves to the entry clearance officer, the accommodation in question is satisfactory. UKVI operating guidance states: ​ "Obtain[ed] an independent assessment of the number of rooms and occupants of the proposed accommodation. A report from a suitably qualified body certifying that a personal inspection has been carried out and giving details of accommodation inspected is usually acceptable for this purpose. Above all, the Entry Clearance officer must be satisfied that the accommodation will not become overcrowded within the definition of the Housing Act 1985 or that it will not contravene public health regulations".

The on-site housing inspection for immigration can usually be completed in about 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the house and the number of rooms.

We are an environmental consultancy, other than immigration inspection we provide environmental health house inspections and expert witness reports for statutory nuisance claims which can involve giving evidence in court. Please see our general services website for more details: https://www.scientificservicesgroup.com/

We are professional surveyors who have studied Environmental Health at university and are conversant in housing legislation coupled with knowledge of building pathology. Our qualifications and experience allow us to be registered with the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health. Therefore, our reports are detailed with reference to the relevant legislation and have a degree of authority as we are subject matter experts. The Home Office as a result accepts our reports. Whereas, estate agents lack a formal education which would allow them to conduct surveys for immigration. This often means they are unable to translate the relevant housing legislation and apply it correctly or even identify hazards and building deficiencies. Furthermore, they have no professional oversight from an appropriate body. We occasionally get clients coming to us after having an estate agents report which has resulted in a declined visa. This can be heartbreaking for the client and there is no redress when this happens from the estate agents.