I had hoped the survey would provide me with guidance on progressing with the purchase, instead its clouded the issue further. I will likely walk away and put the financial loss (conveyancing and survey costs) down to experience. I’d rather not say who the surveyor is at this stage, except to say it’s a local company, not a nationwide setup. I have contacted the surveyor, and their regulatory body without any success; however, I’m still persisting through their channels.
To answer your earlier question regarding T&Cs. Prior to engaging the surveyor you’re supposed to receive a signed ‘Terms of Engagement’ which outlines the agreed process. However, this can be circumvented by sending a generalised unsigned 'copy and paste' document which is what I received. It 'may' not best practice (unsure), but I doubt it helps me in anyway.