Areas we cover
Based in Chobham, Surrey, Oliver James Chartered Surveyors carries out residential surveys and valuations across Surrey, South West London, Berkshire and the north of Hampshire - most instructions within a 45-minute radius of our base. Local knowledge matters in surveying: construction methods, soil behaviour, conservation status and common defect patterns vary street by street, and a surveyor who knows the area writes a more useful report.
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The areas on this page are for residential surveys and valuations. Business rates work is not tied to a local patch: we act for ratepayers across the South of England and London, with current clients as far afield as Bristol, Essex, Norfolk, Luton and Manchester.
Why we don't survey nationwide
A surveyor who travels two hours to an unfamiliar town can only tell you what they see on the day. A surveyor who works locally can tell you what they see and what they typically find on that street, in that decade of housing, on that soil type.
We've made a deliberate choice to keep our work local. Within our coverage area, we know:
- The housing stock. Victorian terraces in Putney behave differently to Victorian terraces in Guildford - soil, exposure, building tradition and a hundred years of repair history all leave their mark.
- The soil. Much of Surrey and South West London sits on London clay, with all that implies for subsidence in dry summers and heave in wet ones. Parts of north Hampshire transition to chalk and flint. We adjust observations accordingly.
- The conservation rules. Chobham, Cobham village, parts of Esher, Guildford old town, Wimbledon village, Richmond, Windsor - different conservation areas have different consent requirements that affect what your future works will look like.
- The local market. Comparable values, typical price movements, what a buyer can reasonably negotiate. Useful context throughout the report and the post-survey conversation.
County-wide coverage across Surrey
Surrey is our home county and the bulk of our work. The housing stock is mixed: Victorian and Edwardian housing in older town centres (Guildford, Woking, Farnham, Godalming), enormous volumes of 1930s semi-detached suburbs (Esher, Cobham, Walton-on-Thames, Camberley), 1960s-70s estate developments (Bracknell-adjacent Surrey Heath, Woking), and period cottages and rural properties in the villages (Chobham, Shere, Hambledon, Wonersh, Albury).
What we typically find in Surrey:
- Subsidence and heave indicators on Victorian and Edwardian solid-wall properties, particularly where mature trees sit close to drains on clay soils
- Bay window movement on 1930s semis - often a foundations issue rather than a roof issue
- Lath-and-plaster ceilings nearing end of life in pre-war housing
- Asbestos cement gutters and downpipes on inter-war housing
- Cement-rendered chimney stacks where the original lime pointing failed
- Conservation constraints affecting external repair specifications in village locations
Towns we cover:
Woking, Guildford, Chobham, Camberley, Farnham, Cobham, Esher, Weybridge, Leatherhead, Dorking, Reigate, Redhill, Epsom, Staines-upon-Thames, Walton-on-Thames, Cranleigh, Godalming, Haslemere, Egham, Virginia Water, Bagshot, Lightwater, Pirbright, Knaphill, Frimley, Addlestone, Chertsey, Shepperton, Ashtead, Bookham, Effingham, Ripley, Horsell.
Period housing across South West London
South West London is our other major work area. The housing stock is dense, predominantly Victorian and Edwardian, with significant Georgian and Regency elements in Richmond and Twickenham, and a steady flow of period-flat conversions and post-war mansion blocks throughout. We're particularly experienced with terraced period housing in Putney, Wandsworth, Clapham, Balham, Wimbledon and Tooting - and with the leasehold complexities of converted flats across the area.
What we typically find in SW London:
- Subsidence and heave on London clay, particularly Victorian and Edwardian terraced housing
- Defective parapet detailing on Victorian end-of-terrace properties
- Original lead, copper or cast iron rainwater goods at end of life
- Sash window decay and historic repair compromises
- Party-wall sensitivities affecting basement extensions and loft conversions
- Original cast iron drainage often defective or partially replaced with mismatched materials
- Lease and management-company issues affecting communal repair (flats and converted properties)
- Chimney stack defects, particularly on tall Victorian terraces where lateral access is limited
Areas we cover:
Putney, Wandsworth, Clapham, Balham, Wimbledon, Kingston upon Thames, Richmond, Twickenham, Teddington, Surbiton, New Malden, Hampton, Barnes, Mortlake, Kew, Tooting, Earlsfield, Southfields, Battersea.
Ascot, Windsor and east Berkshire
Our Berkshire work is concentrated in the east and south of the county - Ascot, Sunningdale, Sunninghill, Bracknell, Wokingham and Windsor. The housing stock here is distinctive: large detached Edwardian and inter-war homes in Ascot and Sunningdale, Georgian and Victorian housing in Windsor, and heavy post-war new-town development in Bracknell from 1949 onwards. Newer estate development continues across Wokingham and Crowthorne.
What we typically find in Berkshire:
- High-value detached homes with substantial extensions and alterations - careful assessment of conversion and extension quality is critical
- Period Windsor housing with Georgian and Victorian construction details requiring lime-based repairs
- Bracknell-era 1950s-70s housing with characteristic post-war construction features (concrete lintels, particular roof tile types, original asbestos elements)
- New-build estate development across Wokingham and Crowthorne - snagging issues common
- Conservation area constraints in Windsor and parts of Ascot
Areas we cover:
Ascot, Sunningdale, Sunninghill, Bracknell, Wokingham, Crowthorne, Sandhurst, Windsor.
Farnborough, Fleet and the north Hampshire commuter belt
Our Hampshire coverage focuses on the north of the county - Farnborough, Aldershot, Fleet, Yateley, Hook, Basingstoke and the surrounding villages. The housing stock is mixed: significant former military housing in Aldershot and Farnborough, Edwardian and Victorian terraces around historic town centres, large-scale post-war development in Basingstoke, and modern commuter suburbs in Fleet and Church Crookham.
What we typically find in north Hampshire:
- Former MOD housing with characteristic construction (specific eras, build qualities and known defect patterns)
- Basingstoke 1960s-80s expansion housing with the construction signatures of those decades
- Chalk and flint construction in older village properties - different repair tradition to the brick-and-render typical of Surrey
- New-build estate development across Fleet, Yateley and around Basingstoke - snagging work common
- Edwardian and 1930s terraces around Farnborough centre with typical period defects
Areas we cover:
Farnborough, Aldershot, Fleet, Yateley, Hook, Odiham, Basingstoke, Hartley Wintney, Church Crookham, Crookham Village.
Local guides to the towns we work in most
For our priority coverage areas, we've written dedicated guides covering typical housing stock, common defect patterns, and what to look for when buying in that specific town.
Chobham
Listed cottages, rural Surrey, conservation area
Woking
Inter-war estates and new-build town centre
Guildford
Period housing in conservation, suburban estates
Putney
Edwardian flats and Victorian terraces
Richmond
Georgian, Victorian and period mansion blocks
Kingston upon Thames
Victorian terraces and riverside new-build
Weybridge
Arts & Crafts villas and modern estate development
Esher
1930s suburbs and period village centre
Outside our usual area?
Within roughly 45 minutes of Chobham covers the great majority of our work - but we'll travel further where the scope justifies it. Larger Level 3 instructions, multi-property valuations, expert-witness work and instructions with specific niche relevance (Victorian, period or unusual construction) are all reasons we'll happily extend coverage.
If your property is outside the standard coverage areas above, send the address and a short description - we'll reply within the working day with availability, fee and travel.
Common questions about coverage and travel
- Do you charge extra for travel?
- For properties within our standard coverage area, no - our fee is fixed and includes travel. For instructions outside the standard area, we may quote a small travel uplift, which we'll always confirm in writing before you instruct.
- How quickly can you attend?
- Most weeks we can attend within 3-5 working days of instruction across our standard coverage area. For urgent instructions (auctions, chain pressure) we'll do everything we can to fit you in sooner. Send the address and we'll confirm availability the same working day.
- Do you cover conservation areas and listed buildings?
- Yes - across Surrey, SW London and Berkshire in particular, our work regularly involves conservation-area properties and listed buildings. The Level 3 Building Survey is our recommended report for this category, and we'll flag consent requirements and repair specifications that respect the building's status.
- Are you familiar with specific local developments and housing types?
- Almost certainly yes within our standard coverage area. We've surveyed across most decades of housing from the 1850s onwards, including major post-war estate developments (Bracknell, Basingstoke), new-build schemes from every volume developer, period housing in conservation areas, and former MOD housing in Aldershot and Farnborough. If you want to confirm before instructing, call or email - we're happy to share what we typically find on a specific scheme or street.
- Do you work on commercial property?
- Yes. Business rates is a core part of the practice - Check, Challenge and Appeal, empty rates and reliefs on offices, industrial, retail and leisure property - and it is not limited to the survey areas on this page. We act across the South of England and London, with current clients as far afield as Bristol, Essex, Norfolk, Luton and Manchester. For other commercial work, such as rent reviews or lease renewals, get in touch and we will either help or point you to the right firm.
- Do you work outside the South East?
- For residential surveys and valuations, generally no - local knowledge is the point, and our coverage is Surrey, South West London, Berkshire and north Hampshire. Business rates work is different: the rating system is national and the evidence is on the Valuation Office record, so we act for ratepayers across the South of England and London.
Discuss your property with a Chartered Surveyor.
A short, no-obligation conversation is usually enough for us to recommend the right level of report and provide a fixed-fee quote.