Property surveys explained: which survey you need before you buy

The short answer

A survey tells you about the condition of the home you are buying: its structure, roof, walls, damp, timbers and services, and the repairs or maintenance it is likely to need. Neither the conveyancing, nor the searches, nor your lender's valuation does that. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland a survey is not a legal requirement, but RICS, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, recommends one.

Book it soon after your offer is accepted, so the report arrives well before contracts are exchanged. Until exchange you can still renegotiate or walk away; once contracts are exchanged, you are committed to buying the home as it is.

The three levels of RICS Home Survey

Surveyors regulated by RICS offer three levels of report under its Home Survey Standard (RICS is preparing a new edition of the standard, which may change them):

• Level 1, once called a Condition Report: the condition of the main parts of the home, with risks, possible legal issues and urgent defects pointed out, but little advice on what to do about them. It suits conventional and newer homes, built from common materials and in good condition
• Level 2, once called a HomeBuyer Report: everything in Level 1, with a closer look at the roof space and drainage where they can be reached, and advice on defects and the repairs and maintenance they may need. It suits conventional homes in reasonable condition, simple in form and layout. It can include a valuation of the home and a figure for rebuilding it, to help you insure it for the right amount
• Level 3, once called a Building Survey: the most thorough, with an in-depth analysis of the home's condition and advice on defects, repairs and maintenance. It suits large, older or run-down homes, homes of unusual construction or that have been altered, and anyone planning major works

If you are unsure which you need, describe the home to the surveyor and ask which level they recommend, and why. A more thorough survey costs more, but a problem found before exchange is one you can still negotiate over.

A mortgage valuation is not a survey

If you are buying with a mortgage, your lender arranges a valuation, and you may pay for it. It tells the lender whether the home is enough security for the loan. As RICS puts it, a mortgage valuation is for the benefit of the lender, not the buyer, and it will not include the detail of a survey. Some are done without anyone visiting the inside of the home.

A valuation below the price can mean a smaller loan, so talk to your mortgage broker or lender straight away if that happens. A valuation says nothing, though, about damp, a roof near the end of its life or wiring that needs replacing.

Specialist reports

A surveyor may recommend a closer look by a specialist before you commit. Common ones are:

• A structural engineer, for cracks or movement
• A damp and timber specialist, for rot, woodworm or damp the surveyor could not trace to its cause
• A drainage survey, often with a camera, for drains that may be blocked or damaged
• An electrical installation condition report from a registered electrician, for old wiring, and a gas safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer
• A tree survey, for large trees close to the building, and a specialist survey if Japanese knotweed is suspected

Arrange these before exchange, and ask your conveyancer whether the timetable allows for them. If the seller has already had work done, ask for the reports, guarantees and certificates, which your conveyancer can ask the seller's conveyancer for.

New build homes and flats

For a new build, the developer's warranty covers some defects for a set period, but it does not replace an inspection before you move in. A snagging inspection lists finishing defects for the developer to put right, ideally before completion; see buying a new build home.

For a flat, a survey looks at the flat and at the parts of the building the surveyor can see. The lease, the service charge, the building's insurance and any major works planned are for your conveyancer, who reads the lease and the replies from the landlord or managing agent; see leasehold explained.

If the survey finds a problem

A survey that finds problems is doing its job. Before exchange, you can:

• Ask the surveyor what the problem means, how urgent it is and what further investigation it needs
• Get quotes for the work, so you know what it is likely to cost
• Ask the seller to put it right before completion, or to reduce the price to reflect the cost
• Walk away, if the problem is too serious; money already spent on searches, legal work and the survey is not usually refunded

Tell your conveyancer what the survey found. Some findings, such as an extension or a wall taken out, raise legal questions too: whether planning permission and building regulations approval were obtained. Your conveyancer can raise them with the seller's conveyancer. Indemnity insurance can cover some legal risks, but it never puts right a physical defect.

Choosing a surveyor

Choose a surveyor regulated by RICS, which you can check on the RICS website, with experience of homes like the one you are buying and of the area. Ask:

• Which level of survey they recommend for this home, and why
• What the inspection covers and what it leaves out, such as lifting floors or testing the services
• When they can inspect, and when the report will arrive
• Whether they will talk you through the report and answer questions afterwards
• What it costs, including VAT

The surveyor works for you, and the report is yours: read all of it, not only the summary.

Next steps

Book your survey once your offer is accepted, and instruct your conveyancer at the same time, so the survey and the legal work run side by side. Get an instant conveyancing quote to see your legal costs in full, and read the conveyancing process for what happens when.