Money
What does a home survey cost at each RICS level?
RICS describes a Level 1 survey as starting at a few hundred pounds, and some bespoke Level 3 surveys as costing over £1,000. Firms set their own fees. There is no official price by postcode. A lender’s valuation is a different job. Those words are RICS’s, reviewed 24 October 2026, not a quote for your house.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless a source says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What fee figures does RICS actually publish?
The RICS consumer guide describes Level 1 as the lowest-priced of the three and says it starts at a few hundred pounds. It describes some bespoke Level 3 instructions as costing over £1,000. It does not publish a menu of prices for a two-bed flat in Leeds or a Victorian terrace in Bristol. Anyone who does, without saying which firm quoted it and when, is not quoting RICS.
The fee is for the inspection and the report at the level you agreed. Travel, a very large house, a listed building, or a request for a market valuation on top of a Level 2 can change what a firm asks. That is a conversation with the firm, not a cell in a national table.
Why does the level change the fee?
Level 1 is a shorter visual overview and generally does not tell you how to manage defects. Level 2 spends longer, including a more extensive look at the roof space and drainage chambers, and it advises on repairs and maintenance. Level 3 is the longest visual inspection, aimed at older, altered or unusual buildings, and it discusses repair options, timing and what happens if you do nothing. More time on site and a longer report are why firms charge more. They still set the number themselves.
| Product | What RICS says about cost | What you are buying |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Starts at a few hundred pounds | Visual overview. Generally no advice on managing defects. |
| Level 2 | No separate national figure on the consumer guide | Repair and maintenance advice. Optional valuation. |
| Level 3 | Some bespoke services over £1,000 | Most detailed visual survey. Not automatically a valuation. |
| Lender valuation | Not given as a survey fee | For the lender’s security decision, not your repair list. |
What should you ask before you accept a fee?
- Which RICS level, and is a market valuation included or not?
- Does the fee include the report, or is there a separate charge if you want it discussed afterwards?
- What happens if they cannot get into the roof space or lift a drain cover?
- Is the firm regulated by RICS, and who handles a complaint?
- Will they say, before the inspection, if this building really wants a different level?
A cheap Level 1 on a heavily altered house is not a bargain if you then pay for a Level 3 anyway. A Level 3 on a straightforward modern flat may be more survey than the building needs. The RICS member should help you choose. The fee follows that choice.
What does the survey fee not include?
It does not include the repairs. It does not include a drains CCTV survey, an electrical installation condition report, a gas safety inspection, or a structural engineer’s monitoring of cracks, unless the letter specifically says so. Those are further investigations the report may recommend. Price them separately, from the specialist, after you have read why they were asked for.
It is also not a solicitor’s fee and not an insurance premium. If a seller offers to “throw in a survey”, read who instructed it and whether you may rely on it. A report addressed to someone else is a poor substitute for one instructed by you.
Common questions
Is there an average Level 2 fee I can budget?
Not from RICS, and not from this page. The consumer guide gives a starting description for Level 1 and an upper illustration for some Level 3 work. It does not publish an average Level 2 fee. Ask two regulated firms for a written figure for this address and this level.
Do surveys cost more in London?
Firms may charge more where their time and travel cost more. RICS does not publish a London multiplier, and this page will not invent one. Compare written quotes for the same level on the same house.
Does adding a valuation change the price?
It can, because a Level 2 with a market valuation and a reinstatement figure is a different product from a survey-only Level 2. The firm should say which one the fee covers. A valuation is still not a repair schedule.
Can you rely on a survey the seller already paid for?
Only if you are comfortable that it was done at the right level, recently, and that you have a right to rely on it. Many reports are addressed to the person who instructed them. Your solicitor can look at the terms. A fresh instruction is the clean way to have the duty owed to you.
Should you take the cheapest quote?
Not on price alone. Check the level, whether the firm is regulated by RICS, and what the fee leaves out. A lower number for a shorter inspection is not the same product. This page does not rank firms.
Do you get the fee back if the survey is alarming?
No. You are paying for the inspection and the report, including the uncomfortable parts. An alarming Level 3 that stops you buying a bad roof has done the job you paid for. The contract with the firm sets out cancellation, not a refund for bad news.
Are the RICS figures inclusive of VAT?
The consumer guide describes the figures as the cost of the service in ordinary language. It does not, on that page, set out a VAT rule for every firm. Ask whether the quote you receive is inclusive.
Is a Scottish Home Report the same price?
No. In Scotland the seller provides a Home Report, including a Single Survey. That is a different system from you choosing and paying for a Level 1, 2 or 3 in England and Wales. Do not compare the fee as if the products were the same.
Sources
Key facts
- What RICS publishes
- Level 1 starts at a few hundred pounds. Some bespoke Level 3 services cost over £1,000. That is a description, not a tariff.
- What this page will not do
- Invent a fee by bedroom count, region or postcode. No such official list is cited here.
- Level 2
- You can instruct survey only, or survey plus a market valuation and a reinstatement figure. The valuation version is a different product. RICS does not publish a separate national fee for it on the consumer guide.
- Lender valuation
- Paid for, in practice, as part of the mortgage process. It is not the price of a Level 2 or Level 3.
- Reviewed
- 24 October 2026, against the RICS consumer guide. Ask the firm for a written fee for this house.