Civilised Surveying Services Ltd

Mr Lake responded to our review calling it fake, so I attached his own email to remind him of his own admissions so he can refresh his recollection. We instructed Civilised Surveying Services Ltd after finding Nick Lake online and believing, from his website and LinkedIn, that we were hiring a RICS-level professional to carry out a full Level 3 Building Survey. At the time, his public profiles were displaying RICS and SAVA diploma-style references and he referred to RPSA membership, which gave us the clear impression that he held those qualifications and was governed by the appropriate professional bodies. The fee charged was in line with what you would expect for a high-end, professionally regulated survey. After completion, we suffered a serious structural issue involving the chimney and surrounding structure. We have had to pay over £21,000 in emergency remedial works, with further thousands now required after discovering that removal of the chimney breast has caused additional problems to the upper roof and supporting structure. When we went back to the report in light of what happened, we found that the chimney was not clearly flagged as an urgent or dangerous structural risk. The wording described the chimney breast as being in “satisfactory” condition and suggested that a builder could simply “add supports”. We have since been advised by other professionals that this advice is not consistent with what Building Control would normally expect for an unsupported or altered chimney, and that the level of risk should have been clearly and prominently highlighted in a Level 3 report. When we queried his qualifications, we were informed by RICS that Mr Lake is not a RICS member and has not completed the RICS diploma he referred to. In email correspondence with us, Mr Lake himself described the RICS / SAVA / RPSA references and branding as “typos” and “old templates” and said they would be removed. He even thanked us for pointing this out and commented that “no one else has noticed this”, which, in our view, effectively confirms that he had been presenting those qualifications to the public for years without challenge. In our opinion, we were induced to use his services, and to pay a premium price, on the basis of qualifications and professional status that he did not in fact hold. When we asked for his professional indemnity insurance details so that the matter could be dealt with properly, he repeatedly refused to provide them, despite the existence of a signed contract and a clear dispute about the quality of the survey. After Mr Lake was challenged over his qualifications, we believe he then gave misleading accounts to review platforms in an effort to have genuine reviews suppressed. Because of this, we reported the matter to the police so that his conduct could be looked into formally. Following completion of this report, enquiries were made with the university named in connection with Mr Nick Lake’s stated academic background. The university has confirmed that, although they hold a record of Mr Lake having been associated with the institution, he did not obtain a BSc degree in Quantity Surveying (or any equivalent Level 6 degree qualification) as had been represented in his professional details. Based on our experience, we do not consider the report we received to be worth the price charged, nor do we consider it to have properly warned us of the very significant risks and costs we have since faced. In our honest opinion, we would not use this company again and would strongly encourage anyone considering them to independently verify any stated qualifications or memberships, insist on written confirmation of professional indemnity insurance at the outset, and obtain a second professional opinion before relying on any survey report.

I recently used Nick Lake from Civilised Surveying Services for a property survey and was very impressed with the service. He was professional, thorough, and took the time to explain everything clearly, giving me real confidence throughout the process. The report was detailed yet easy to understand, and Nick was always at the end of the phone whenever I needed him, happy to answer any follow-up questions. I’d highly recommend Nick Lake and Civilised Surveying Services to anyone looking for a reliable and knowledgeable surveyor.

I would definitely recommend Nick. The Level 2 report he produced for me was extremely detailed, and he has been very generous since the survey in answering my follow-up questions and guiding me through this part of the buying process.

This is the third time I have used Nick at Civilised for a homebuyer survey as I’ve had multiple moves. Each time he’s been great. Really thorough reports and Nick was on hand with any questions I’ve had during the whole process.

Nick was fantastic arrived on time, highly detailed report. Very satisfied , highly recommend.

A number of our clients have used Nick recently when requiring a detailed survey on an older property that they are purchasing. I have only heard positive feedback on how thorough Nick is and how detailed his reports are. He is always on hand to answer questions and provides a great all round service. Would highly recommend.

Nick was very professional and friendly. He was prompt on making appointments and communicating deadlines and any potential delays. His report was very detailed with photos and recommendations on any repairs required to the building and how best to maintain it during our occupation as it was a very old house. I would highly recommend and would use Nicks services again. Thanks again Nick and wish you all the best.