How much does a house survey cost in the UK?

A HomeBuyers Survey Cost is cheaper than the Building Survey cost due to several factors, however, the key reason is that the building surveyor spends longer providing a Level 3 Building Survey. We have a nationwide panel of local surveyors, with our Level 2 house buyer survey starting at IINC VAT, or the Level 3 building survey from INC VAT. You can read more on the different costs here: HomeBuyers Survey Cost Full structural survey cost - aka Level 3 Building Survey House Survey Cost Or, get an instant quote based on your needs: Get a Survey Quote

What are the 3 types of house survey?

RICS has three types of house surveys - a condition report, HomeBuyers Report and a Building Survey. Building surveys are suited for larger and older properties, or if you’re planning major works for Edwardian and Victorian properties. The HomeBuyers Report is better suited for properties under 70 years old, that have not had major extensions, such as bungalows or flats. When purchasing a flat, you would only need a HomeBuyers Survey. Survey fees are cheaper on a flat as the surveyor is limited to what they can access and therefore there is less work to complete compared to a house. This is reflected in the house survey cost.

Does a house survey cost more in London?

The simple answer is yes, however, the more detailed answer is that London house prices are higher than the rest of the country, so you'll find that a homebuyers survey will cost more than outside of London. There is a caveat to this, though, because the capital is a busy market and there are a lot of RICS Building Surveyors, so there is fierce competition. With a little shopping around you should be able to find a quote that suits your budget, however, don't just base your buying decision on price - cheap doesn't mean you'll get quality or early availability. You can check out the cost for surveys in different parts of London here: Home Buyers Survey London Home Buyers Survey Central London Home Buyers Survey West London Home Buyers Survey East London

Can I negotiate price after survey?

If your survey reveals damages to the property, but you still want to purchase it, you can negotiate the price with the seller. If you decide to take on the costs of repairment, there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to do this. We explain how to do this in our article - How to negotiate when buying a house

What to do if there is a problem?

We take matters like this very seriously and our surveyor would like the opportunity to reply to your complaint in full. The first step is for you to send your formal complaint in writing, setting out the reasons for your complaint and providing any additional evidence that supports it. This includes any existing photos (photos and other supporting evidence are incredibly useful so please provide these). The surveyor will send you their Formal Complaints Procedure which sets out their time frames to respond to your complaint. The surveyor will take all reasonable steps to resolve your complaint and may ask to revisit the property. After completing their review, the surveyor writes to you in response to your complaint. This will hopefully address your complaint through providing additional information where possible. In the event that you are still unsatisfied with the surveyor, you can pursue a third-party dispute resolution service that the surveyor is registered to. You cannot raise a complaint to the dispute resolution service until you have raised a formal complaint to your surveyor. The details of the dispute resolution service for RICS surveyors are: Service Provider Address Email Website Service Provider Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution Address 100 St. Paul's Churchyard, London, EC4M 8BU Email applications@cedr.com Website https://www.cedr.com/consumer/rics/ The dispute resolution service is free for you to use and considers all information provided by you and the Surveyor. You can read the guidance notes here. They provide their independent opinion on the delivery of the Service by the Surveyor. If you are unhappy with the decision from the dispute resolution service, you can ask for a further review by another person at CEDR. If after this further review you are still unhappy, then you can seek to look to reclaim your losses through the legal system.

House Survey

We provide a wide variety of house surveys, RICS market valuations and level 2 & 3 home surveys available from 20/12/2024*, as well as:

Specialised surveys for damp & timber, asbestos, drains. Plus, structural engineers inspections for subsidence, building an extension, removing load bearing walls or chimney breasts.

Current Market Valuation

RICS Level 2 Survey

RICS Level 3 Survey

Specialist Property Survey

"Competitively priced service, the agent I dealt with was very helpful. On the day of the survey itself, I received a call from the surveyor to run through his initial findings. The quality of the report produced was excellent, very detailed and thorough. If needed I will be using SAM Conveyancing's services again in the future for sure."

National Coverage

Panel of RICS Surveyors

Same week availability*

Cost from £375 EXC VAT

Reports in 5 Days**

The importance
of getting a
house survey

What do they look for in a house survey?

In a house buying survey, they look for visual signs of defects and indicators of the condition of the property. For example:

What does a house survey include?

This depends on which house buyer survey you end up choosing. There are different types of house surveys you can get and we have hand selected some of the best surveyors in the field to work with. They provide a service we are prepared to put our name to. We have a number of different specialist surveyors who handle different types of surveys, which include:

A new build property suitable for a snagging survey from SAM Conveyancing

What is included in a Snagging Survey?

Your surveyor will examine all aspects of the build and fabric of the property to check that it matches the plans and specifications which the developer set down for it and is generally finished to a high standard.

It will identify any visible defects such as cracked tiles, leaking plumbing and sloppy painting.

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Toy houses on stacks of coins representing an independent current market valuation from SAM Conveyancing

What is included in a current market valuation?

A property valuation report will include a detailed analysis of factors which influence the market value of your house. For example, location, property condition and local market. Your surveyor will take notes and photographs and compile these into a valuation report for you. Providing an accurate and unbiased valuation for sale, buy-out, transfer or staircasing.

This valuation does not include a reinstatement value for insurance purposes.

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Standard Construction house suitable for a Level 2 House Survey with SAM Conveyancing

What is included in a Level 2 Home Survey?

A Level 2 House survey is a visual, non intrusive inspection of the inside and outside of the building and any permanent outbuildings. The surveyor won't lift up fitted carpets or boards, but will flag in their report if there is visible evidence to suggest there may be a hidden defect. It will give a detailed report on the overall condition of the property. It is not an exhaustive inspection and no tests are undertaken.

It includes a valuation as well as a reinstatement value for insurance purposes, which Level 3 does not.

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Edwardian houses suitable for an a Level 3 House Survey with SAM Conveyancing

What is included in a Level 3 Home Survey?

A Level 3 House survey is a more thorough and detailed inspection of the inside and outside of the building and any permanent outbuildings. The surveyor will spend much longer inspecting the property, with more consideration for the roof, grounds, floors and services.

They will aim to establish how the property is built, the materials used and how they are likely to perform in the future as well as outlining repair options and timelines as well as risks of not acting.

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Specialist house surveys

Structural house surveys

If subsidence, or potential subsidence has been identified in the property, or if you want to make structural changes to the building, you will require a structural house survey from a structural engineer:

Cracks in the wall to be investigated in a subsidence survey from SAM Conveyancing

What is included in a subsidence survey?

Subsidence is usually first flagged in a Level 2 or Level 3 survey, if subsidence is suspected you must instruct a structural engineer to inspect the property to determine whether the building is subsiding (very slowly falling down) this is different from a subsidence report.

The subsidence survey will determine the extent of movement and associated damage, initial advice on the cause, remedial recommendations and whether temporary support is required, as well as whether an insurance claim may be appropriate.

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A chimney breast in a partially renovated house awaiting a structural engineer's survey from SAM Conveyancing

What is included in a chimney breast removal survey?

The structural engineer will aim to determine the strength and durability of the building and the potential impact of your project. They will determine what is needed, make any necessary structural calculations for your design and suggest the appropriate materials to use.

You will need these structural calculations to submit to building control in order to get approval before you begin the project.

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A partially demolished, load bearing wall supported by acro-props as part of renovations calculated by a structural engineer in a load bearing wall survey from SAM Conveyancing

What is included in a load bearing wall survey?

The report will detail the strength and durability of the structure and the impact of removing the load bearing wall. They will determine what additional support is needed to remove the the wall while maintaining the structural integrity of the building.

They will provide structural calculations for your design and recommend appropriate materials. You will need these structural calculations to submit to building control in order to get approval before you begin the project.

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Is it worth getting a house survey?

Getting a property survey should be an essential part in the conveyancing process. This can reveal serious damages to the house you're interested in buying, therefore saving you thousands of pounds which you would otherwise have to pay for repairs. You can book different types of house surveys depending on your needs.

Get a House Survey Quote

Does the solicitor arrange a survey?

You are responsible for arranging the homebuyer surveys, so you will need to book them yourself. When you choose us, we handle all of the booking process for you. We have negotiated 'better than direct' fees with all of our panel surveyors, to save you money. Booking is easy, so when you are ready to instruct, complete this simple form or call us on 0333 344 3234 (local call charges apply).

During our call we'll discuss what your intentions are and which survey would better suit your style of property. We will then email you a competitively priced & fixed fee quote setting out the scope of work for the service chosen.

We take all of the property details including:

1 Your full names and correspondence address;
2 Property address;
3 Type of property; and
4 Estate agent or access details.

We then book in one of our surveyors on the earliest available date (normally the next working day*) or on a specific date of your choice. Our panel of RICS surveyors are all regulated by RICS and hold one of the following accreditations:

Associate RICS (AssocRICS)

Member RICS (MRICS)

Fellow RICS (FRICS)

Frequently Asked Questions

COST

THREE

LONDON

NEGOTIATE

Complaints

Home Buyers Survey

A HomeBuyers Report is general visual inspection for flats, new properties or bungalows of standard construction. Most leasehold flats should have a HomeBuyers Report, however the only exception are converted properties which may need a Building Survey.

HomeBuyers Report Example

A Mortgage Valuation Survey is not a HomeBuyers Survey

People have been known to confuse a mortgage valuation with a HomeBuyers Survey. This confusion can prove costly and end up in a home buyer having to fork out for expensive repair costs which should have been shared with the vendor with this reflected in a reduction in the original sale price. If you're buying a property in Ascot with a mortgage, your lender conducts its own mortgage valuation to calculate the value of the property and this is in no sense a report on structural defects.

A HomeBuyers Survey notes defects as well as including a full valuation of a property independently of the mortgage lender or anyone else. The information in it can be used to get quotes for the cost of fixing any issues and presents evidence for bargaining with the seller about sharing repair costs, if appropriate.

RICS Building Survey

Most freehold houses that are over 50 years old, that have been refurbished/developed or are unusual in style, should get a Building Survey. A Building Survey used to be called the Full Structural Survey and is the most comprehensive visual inspection a surveyor can provide. Choosing a HomeBuyers Report when you should have a Building survey can be costly if key defects don't get reported in the detail you require.

Building Survey Example

Meet our Building Surveyors

We employ only expert Building Surveyors to undertake surveys. Whether you are buying an old run down 'doer upper' or standard construction freehold house, our surveyors have seen them all.

With a vast number of years of experience completing surveys on properties we'll be able to give you the detailed report you need to know what defects there are with your property.

Meet our Surveyors

FREE Online Conveyancing Process For Buyers

Our conveyancing process area includes:

online checklists
videos
free downloads
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It is completely free to use - from start to finish - and saves your progress along the way.

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House Survey

The importance
of getting a
house survey

What do they look for in a house survey?