Can a survey confirm that a building is safe?

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During a survey, the area in question could certainly be viewed, to ascertain if there were any issues. The surveyor would look for settlement, cracking, distortion etc and they would offer an opinion. However I would assume that there is no view of the RSJ or the bearing ends so the exact works and appropriateness could not be confirmed.
I would always suggest that if the building regulation approval is not available then you seek to get it retrospectively, prior to entering into a legal commitment to purchase. This would obviously sign off the works as being appropriate and also highlight the future sale-ability of a property.
When you come to sell the property in the future this question is more than likely to be raised again by any potential purchasers. The lack of building regulation for the removal of an internal wall may also affect your building insurance policy, which should also be noted and looked into further.

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Jonathan Oldham

JMO Surveyors Ltd

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