From assessing the condition of a building to advising on repairs, it’s a job where no two days are the same – for Barry Winters, Building Surveyor at Hindwoods, that’s part of the appeal

Posted on 17 July 2025

Q: Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you ended up at Hindwoods?
A: I trained as a building surveyor and got my degree, then worked for various firms in building surveying roles. In 1999, I retrained as a mortgage valuation surveyor because the income was better, but my background in construction was always useful. Over the years, I’ve moved between building surveying and valuations, including a stint as a capital works project surveyor and manager at a major London NHS hospital. After being made redundant from the mortgage business, I did some disrepair surveying before joining Hindwoods, where I’ve been for about a year and a half now. 

Q: What did your disrepair surveying role involve?
A: I worked as an expert witness for court-appointed cases involving disputes between tenants and landlords over repairs. My job was to determine what the cause of the defect in question was, who was responsible for the repair and what remedial works needed to be done. It required a different style of reporting, as lawyers want things to be very black and white, but in building surveying, things are rarely that clear-cut.

Q: Was your role at Hindwoods a new position?
A: Hindwoods had people doing similar jobs before, but not actual building surveyors in the way I am. They had project managers and general practice surveyors, but I’m what you’d call a ‘pure’ building surveyor with some valuation experience.

Q: What makes your role special?
A: No two days are the same – and that’s one of the attractions of the job. The processes might be similar, (‘a brick is a brick, a stick is stick’) but every property and situation is different, so you’re always facing a new circumstance.

Q: Do you now specialise in any particular type of surveying?
A: I like the variety. Some firms specialise in party wall matters or dilapidations, but I enjoy doing all sorts of work. One of my favourites is investigating specific defects – like a drain problem or damp issue – where you have to use your knowledge on how buildings are put together in order to diagnose the cause and determine possible cures, even though much of the evidence is hidden.

Q: Can you share an example of a challenging defect you’ve investigated?
A: I had a case of a tall house in Blackheath where there was damp at the lower ground floor. The issue turned out to be related to the main drainage pipework serving all the bathrooms coming down the building. Diagnosing it required understanding of how the building’s drainage system worked, even though 95 percent of it was hidden. Sometimes you have to suggest several possible causes – and confirming them might involve invasive investigation, which clients are often reluctant to do.

Q: How does your work split between commercial and residential properties? 
A: I do more residential work because the firm manages mostly residential properties, but I do handle some commercial jobs, especially when new leases are involved. Commercial leases are shorter and reviewed more often, while residential leases can last 100 years or more.

Q: How do you manage and prioritise your workload given everyone thinks their job is urgent? 
A: Most building issues aren’t truly urgent– buildings don’t fall down overnight. If something is urgent, like a building is about to collapse or there is a gas explosion, then that’s not usually my remit. Most matters are time-sensitive rather than urgent, like serving notices under the Party Wall Act or delivering a homebuyer report on time. These have set timelines, so I phase and diarise them accordingly.

Q: Can you explain your role in party wall matters?
A: Under the Party Wall Act, I’m appointed – along with a surveyor for the other side – to look after the wall itself, not the people living there. My job is to ensure the structural integrity and stability of the shared party wall when one side wants to do building work on their side and the other side often isn’t as keen. Many people think I’m their personal surveyor, but really, I’m there for the wall. The process is about making sure protocols are observed and providing paperwork in case there’s a dispute later.

Q: In commercial property what are dilapidations and who is responsible for them?
A: Dilapidations are repairs or maintenance issues that need addressing at the end of or during a lease. The landlord appoints me to do the inspection and schedule the works, and the outgoing tenant usually appoints their own surveyor to negotiate. It’s a bit of a battle of wills, but usually, we reach an agreement on what’s covered by the lease. The dilapidations inspection should take place before the end of the lease to give the outgoing tenant the time to affect the repairs. This often doesn't happen, and the costs of those repairs are then used as an unofficial financial penalty against the outgoing tenant to compensate the landlord for the repair works not done before the lease ended.