Structural survey is the traditional name for the most detailed inspection a building surveyor offers, published today as level 3 of the RICS Home Survey Standard. It is a whole building inspection with the licence to investigate what can be safely reached, and it is written to explain rather than to list. It is not a structural engineer's calculation and it is not a valuation.
What the surveyor inspects
Roof coverings and structure where the void is accessible, walls inside and out, floors where they can be seen, windows and doors, chimneys, drainage covers, outbuildings and the grounds so far as they affect the building. Services are visually inspected rather than tested unless a specialist is instructed.
What the report says
For each element: what is there, what condition it is in, what has caused any defect, how urgent the remedy is and what that remedy should be. The explanation is what separates this level from the one below it, and it is what makes the report useful in a negotiation.
What a sample looks like
Most practices will send a redacted example. Look for specific recommendations rather than lists of possibilities, for photographs referenced to the text, and for a clear statement of what could not be inspected and why.
What it is not
It is not a guarantee, and no surveyor can see through a wall. It is not a structural engineer's report, which is a narrower instruction producing calculations. It is not a mortgage valuation, which is written for the lender.
Questions people ask about structural survey
What does a full structural survey involve in the UK?
A long inspection of the whole property, inside, outside and in the roof void where safely accessible, followed by a written report explaining condition, cause, urgency and remedy element by element.
Is a level 3 structural survey the same thing?
Yes. Level 3 of the RICS Home Survey Standard is the current name for what was long called a full structural survey or a building survey.
Do I need one on a new build?
Rarely. A new build under warranty is usually a snagging exercise instead, which is a different and cheaper instruction aimed at finishing defects rather than at structural condition.