Choosing a survey

What is the difference between a RICS Level 2 and Level 3 survey?

RICS Level 2 advises on repairs and maintenance for a conventional home in reasonable condition. Level 3 is the more detailed visual survey for an older, altered or unusual building, or if you plan major work. Level 3 is not automatically a valuation. Neither level opens the structure as standard, and neither guarantees what is hidden.

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.

Which buildings is each level for?

RICS describes Level 2 as suitable for a conventional house, flat or bungalow built from common materials and in reasonable condition, without a stack of alterations. Level 3 is the one they point at a large, older or run-down property, a building of unusual or non-standard construction, or a home you intend to alter heavily. If the estate agent calls everything a “full survey”, ask which of those two sentences the instruction matches.

The surveyor should help you choose before they inspect. Buying Level 2 because it is the familiar name, on a house that has been extended three times in three different materials, is how people later say the survey “missed” the junction. The level sets the depth. It is written on the report.

What will the report actually tell you?

Both levels describe condition and flag serious problems and anything that needs investigating. Level 2 adds advice on repairs and maintenance, and a more extensive inspection of roof spaces and drainage chambers than Level 1. Level 3 goes further into how that particular building was put together, the options for repair, a sense of timing, and what happens if you leave it. It is still a visual survey on the day. It is not a guarantee.

Level 2 against Level 3, paraphrased from RICS’s own comparison. Not a copy of the report template.
Question	Level 2	Level 3
Aimed at	Conventional homes in reasonable condition	Older, altered, unusual, or major works planned
Repair advice	Yes	Yes, in more depth, with options and consequences
Roof space and drains	More extensive than Level 1	Broader still
Opens up the structure	No, not as standard	No, not as standard
Market valuation	Only if you buy the valuation version	Not automatic

What will neither survey open up?

RICS says the visual inspection does not remove secured panels, electrical fittings or inspection-chamber covers as a matter of course, though Level 2 and Level 3 look further into spaces that can be entered safely. Floorboards stay down. Wall plaster stays on. A spray-foamed roof void may stop the surveyor seeing the timbers at all. If they could not see it, the honest line is that it was not inspected.

They do not rewire the house or issue an electrical installation condition report.
They do not service the boiler.
They do not CCTV the drains unless the report says that separate inspection happened.
They do not monitor a crack for six months.

How do you choose without being sold the longer one?

Match the level to the building, not to your anxiety and not to a package name. A simple modern flat in ordinary condition is the sort of home RICS describes Level 2 for. A Victorian house with a basement, a loft conversion and a flat-roofed rear addition is the sort of home they describe Level 3 for. If you are unsure, ask the firm to say in writing why they recommend one. Level 3 is not a status symbol, and Level 2 is not a cut corner when it is the right scope.

Scotland is different. Sellers provide a Home Report with a Single Survey. Do not use this Level 2 versus Level 3 choice as if it were the Scottish system.

Common questions

Is Level 3 always the better survey?

No. It is the more detailed visual survey, for buildings that need that detail. On a conventional home in reasonable condition, RICS describes Level 2 as the matching product. Paying for Level 3 does not create a guarantee, and it does not include a valuation unless that was agreed separately.

Is an old house automatically a Level 3?

Age is one reason RICS gives for choosing Level 3, along with size, condition, unusual construction and alterations. An old house that is simple and in sound condition may still be discussed as a Level 2. Ask the surveyor to justify the level against this building, not against the year on the listing.

Does Level 3 include a valuation?

Not automatically. A market valuation and a reinstatement figure are part of a Level 2 when you buy the survey-and-valuation version. If you need a number for the lender, that is a different instruction. Do not read a condition report as a price.

If Level 2 misses something, should it have been a Level 3?

Only if the thing was within the deeper visual scope and should have been seen or commented on. Something concealed behind plaster can be outside both scopes. The complaint is about the agreed level and the standard, which is a matter for the firm’s process, not a reason to assume the longer report would have x-rayed the wall.

Which level suits a flat?

A conventional flat in reasonable condition is within the homes RICS describes for Level 2. A flat in a converted house, with shared structure you cannot see and alterations, is a reason to discuss Level 3. The lease still decides what you are allowed to repair. The survey does not read the lease for you.

Can you upgrade from Level 2 to Level 3 after the visit?

Only if the firm agrees to a further inspection. The Level 2 report is the product of the Level 2 scope. Asking them to “make it a Level 3” in the office does not add the time they did not spend. If the building turns out more complicated than the listing, say so before they leave site if you can.

Does this choice exist in Scotland?

The seller’s Home Report, including a Single Survey, is the Scottish system. You can still commission extra advice, but you are not picking Level 2 versus Level 3 in the same way as a buyer in England or Wales.

The report just says “homebuyer”. Which level is it?

HomeBuyer is the old name for what RICS now calls Level 2. Building Survey is the old name for Level 3. Read the cover and the description of inspection. If it does not say, ask the firm which standard and which level they used before you compare it with these pages.

Sources

Key facts

Level 2: Previously called a HomeBuyer Report. For conventional property in reasonable condition. Advice on defects, repairs and maintenance. Optional market valuation.
Level 3: Previously called a Building Survey. The most detailed of the three. How the building is built, repair options, timing, and the consequences of not repairing.
Both leave out: Opening up the structure as standard, and testing services. Concealed elements stay concealed unless a further investigation is agreed.
Valuation: Only a Level 2 instructed as survey and valuation includes a market value. Level 3 is not automatically a valuation.