Services
What does a home survey say about plumbing, heating and the boiler?
A home survey does not service a boiler or pressure-test the plumbing. It records what the surveyor could see: age if it is shown, leaks, and whether something worked on the day if they say they tried it. Gas work is for a Gas Safe registered engineer, which is a different appointment from the survey.
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 does a home survey actually look at?
A RICS Home Survey is a condition inspection, not a maintenance visit. On plumbing and heating the surveyor looks at what is accessible: the boiler if they can see it, exposed pipework, tanks and cylinders, radiators, and any leak, stain or corrosion that is there on the day. They may say whether the heating or hot water was operating. They say that only if they actually checked. Read the sentence. Do not upgrade “not tested” into “tested and fine”.
Level 1 is the narrow end of that. RICS says no tests of the services are undertaken, and the surveyor does not test installations or appliances. They visually inspect a sample of the parts of the service systems that can be seen. A Level 3 has more room to discuss condition and what to investigate. It is still not a boiler service and still not a pressure test of the pipes, unless the report says a separate specialist test was done.
Why is a survey note not a boiler service?
Servicing a boiler means taking it apart far enough to clean and check it, and, for gas, doing that under the gas safety rules. A surveyor does not do that job on a Home Survey. They do not flue-gas analyse the appliance, prove its combustion, or certify it. If the boiler is gas, the person who may work on it is an engineer on the Gas Safe Register. The Health and Safety Executive regulates that safety regime. Follow the gas page for the landlord rules and for what a buyer does not automatically have to produce.
| Question | Home Survey | Specialist |
|---|---|---|
| Can they note the make, model and a date on the plate? | Yes, if they can see it | Yes |
| Can they record a leak or that heating was on? | Yes, if that is what they saw | Yes |
| Do they service the boiler or pressure-test the pipes? | No | Only if that is the job you instructed |
| Can they certify a gas appliance? | No, unless the report says a separate gas test was done | A Gas Safe registered engineer, for gas |
What should you do with age, leaks or a cold radiator?
Write down what the report actually says. A visible leak under a cylinder, a weeping valve, or staining on a ceiling is a defect you can ask a plumber to price. A boiler that did not fire on the day is a reason to ask why, not a reason to invent a new boiler. The condition rating, where the surveyor uses one, follows the RICS definitions of how serious or urgent the issue is. The rating is not a parts list and not a quote.
Age is the same kind of fact. If the data plate shows a year, the surveyor can record it. There is no year in this guide at which that boiler is to be replaced. Older boilers can still be serviceable. Newer ones can be badly installed. Ask a competent person to look at the appliance you are buying. Do not accept a replacement price that starts from the surveyor’s adjective rather than from an inspection of this boiler. This page does not publish boiler prices.
What can you ask before you treat the services as known?
- Which parts did you see, and which were hidden by covers, furniture or stored items?
- Did you run water or find the heating on, or is the system untested?
- Is the appliance gas, oil, electric or solid fuel? Gas work is a Gas Safe matter.
- Are you describing a leak you saw, or a risk you could not check?
- What further inspection do you want before exchange, and who should do it?
Oil and solid fuel are not gas, so they are not the Gas Safe job described on the gas page. They are still outside a visual Home Survey. Ask who is competent for that fuel. Your solicitor can ask the seller for service history. A missing service history is a gap in the paperwork. It is not, by itself, a failed test the surveyor never carried out.
Common questions
Does a home survey pressure-test the plumbing?
No. A Home Survey does not pressure-test the pipes, and Level 1 does not test the services at all. The surveyor records leaks, stains and the condition of what they could see. A pressure test is a separate instruction to someone whose job is the plumbing.
Does the survey include a boiler service?
No. Servicing is a maintenance task, and the surveyor does not strip the boiler down or certify it. They may look at the outside and say whether it was running. For a gas boiler, that work belongs to a Gas Safe registered engineer.
If the boiler is old, does the survey mean it has to be replaced?
No. Age is a fact the surveyor can record when it is shown, and this guide does not set a replacement rule. Ask an engineer to inspect the appliance. Pay for a replacement only if that inspection, not the date on the plate, supports it.
The report says the heating worked. Is that a clean bill of health?
It means the surveyor found it operating when they visited, if that is what they wrote. It is not a service, not a safety certificate, and not a promise about next winter. If they say they did not turn it on, do not fill the gap yourself.
How is Level 1 different on services?
RICS says a Level 1 inspection includes no tests of the services. The surveyor looks at a sample of visible parts. A higher level can say more about condition. None of the levels is a plumber’s test or a gas certificate unless the report brings in that separate work.
There is a small leak. Is that urgent?
Read the rating and the location. A drip at a trap may be maintenance, while staining into a ceiling or around electrics is a different matter. The survey records it, and a plumber prices the repair after looking. The report is not that price.
The boiler is gas. Is the survey enough?
No. Gas work is regulated by the Health and Safety Executive, and the people who may do it are on the Gas Safe Register. Use the gas page for landlord records and for why a buyer is not automatically that landlord. Commission the gas check if safety is part of your decision.
Sources
Key facts
- Not a service
- A Home Survey does not service the boiler, strip it down, or pressure-test the plumbing. Those are different jobs.
- What it can record
- Age if it is marked, visible leaks, corrosion, and whether heating, hot water or a tap worked on the day, if the surveyor says they checked.
- Level 1
- RICS says a Level 1 inspection does not test the services. The surveyor looks at a sample of the parts that can be seen.
- Gas
- Work on gas appliances is for an engineer on the Gas Safe Register. The Health and Safety Executive regulates gas safety. The survey page on gas explains the split.
- Age
- A date on a data plate is information. This guide does not give an age at which a boiler is to be replaced, and it does not give a replacement price.