A home buyers survey is the middle of the three RICS levels. It is a visual inspection of everything the surveyor can see and safely reach, written up with a condition rating against each element, and it is aimed at a house in reasonable order that you are about to buy. It does not open up the fabric and it is not a valuation for your lender, which is the single most common misunderstanding a buyer arrives with.
Decide whether the level fits the house
The mid level report suits a conventional property in apparently sound condition. An older building, one that has been extended or altered, or one showing movement is the case the top level exists for. Buying the cheaper report on a house that needed the dearer one is how a survey becomes a receipt rather than a decision.
Separate the survey from the lender's valuation
A mortgage valuation is commissioned by the lender for the lender and is not a survey of the house for you. Some firms bundle the two and some do not. Ask which document you are buying, who it is addressed to, and whether you can rely on it, because a report addressed to a lender is not one you can act on.
Ask what the quote assumes about size and access
Fees scale with floor area, the number of storeys and outbuildings, and with travel. A quote given before anyone has asked how big the house is has assumed something. Give the firm the floor area, the age, the number of bedrooms and whether there is a loft conversion or a cellar, and the number you get back will be one they will stand behind.
Check what is excluded before you accept
Almost every report excludes what could not be seen: under carpets and behind furniture, roof voids without a safe hatch, drains, and services that were not tested. A good surveyor lists those exclusions and says which of them they think matters on this house. The list is part of the product, not the small print.
Use the report to price the offer, not to walk away
The value of the report is in the next conversation. Condition ratings and a repair list give a buyer something specific to put to a seller, and the cost of the survey is usually a fraction of what one properly evidenced item moves the price by.
Questions people ask about home buyers survey
What is the difference between a home buyers survey and a homebuyers report?
They are two names for the same mid level RICS product, which is why a search for either brings back the same firms. What matters is the level rather than the trade name a firm prints on the cover.
Does a home buyers survey include a valuation?
Some firms offer the mid level report with a market valuation and reinstatement figure included, others as a condition report only. It is an option rather than a given, so ask before you book if the valuation is why you are buying it.
How long does a home buyers survey take?
The inspection of an average house is usually a matter of hours rather than a day, and the report follows some working days later. Ask for the report turnaround in writing if you are working to an exchange date.
Can I be present during the survey?
Most surveyors are happy for a buyer to attend at the end of the inspection, which is the cheapest advice you will ever get. It is a courtesy rather than a right, since the seller controls access.