What is the difference between a RICS Home Survey Level 1, 2 and 3?

What is each RICS level actually for?

RICS introduced the current three-level Home Survey on 1 March 2021 so buyers could compare like with like. The right level depends on the age, size, condition and complexity of the building, and on whether it has been altered. An RICS member should help you choose before they inspect. If you already have a report, the level is named on the cover. Read that line before you argue with the ratings.

Level 1, previously called a Condition Report, describes the condition, identifies risks and potential legal issues, and highlights urgent defects. RICS says it will note defects but will generally not tell you how to manage them. It is aimed at conventional houses, flats and bungalows built from common materials and in good condition. The Level 1 scope of inspection is a visual look, less extensive than Level 2 or 3, with no tests of the fabric or services.

Level 2 was previously called a HomeBuyer Report. RICS says it suits conventional property in reasonable condition, simple in form, without a stack of alterations or extensions. You get more detail than Level 1, including advice on defects that may affect the property and on maintenance or repairs. You can buy it as a survey only, or as a survey and valuation. The valuation version adds a market value and an insurance reinstatement figure. The survey-only version does not.

Level 3 was previously called a Building Survey. RICS describes it as the most comprehensive of the three: an in-depth analysis of condition, with advice on defects, repairs and maintenance. Choose it for a large, older or run-down property, a building that is unusual or altered, or if you are planning major work. It describes how the property is built, the materials, visible defects, problems that hidden defects could pose, repair options, a repair timeline, and what happens if repairs are not done.

What does each level include, and what does it leave out?

Every level describes the construction and condition on the day of inspection, and flags serious or urgent problems and anything that needs investigating to avoid serious damage. That is the floor, not the ceiling. Level 1 stops at the description. Level 2 and Level 3 are the ones that help you decide on extra advice before you commit, and that talk about ongoing maintenance so you can budget.

RICS says the standard visual inspection at Level 1 and Level 2 does not remove secured panels, electrical fittings, inspection chamber covers and similar features. Level 2 and Level 3 include a more extensive roof-space and drainage-chamber inspection than Level 1. Level 3 is a longer look at a wider range of issues, including the roof space, grounds, floors and services. None of these surveys is a guarantee that something concealed is sound. If the surveyor could not see it, the honest mark is that it was not inspected.

Which level should a buyer instruct?

For a conventional modern home in apparently decent condition, RICS points buyers towards Level 1 if all they want is a basic overview, and towards Level 2 if they want advice they can budget from. For a Victorian house, a property with extensions, a flat with an unusual construction, or anything you intend to remodel, Level 3 is the one RICS describes as fitting. If a surveyor suggests a higher level than you expected, ask them what about this building makes the lower one a poor fit. That conversation belongs before the inspection, not after a thin report.

A mortgage valuation is not one of these surveys. A lender’s valuation is for the lender. It can be a short inspection or, in some cases, a desktop opinion. It does not replace a Level 2 or Level 3 you commission for yourself. If you want a market value inside a RICS product, that is the Level 2 survey-and-valuation service, or a valuation agreed separately. Do not assume a Level 3 contains a figure. The RICS comparison marks valuation and reinstatement against the Level 2 valuation column, not against Level 3.

Scotland is different. Sellers provide a Home Report, which includes a Single Survey, an energy report and a property questionnaire. Buyers there are not usually choosing between Level 1, 2 and 3 in the English way. This page is about the RICS levels used when you commission a survey yourself, which is the usual path in England and Wales. Northern Ireland has its own practice. If the report in your hand is a Scottish Single Survey, do not force it into this three-level frame.

How much does a RICS home survey cost?

RICS does not publish a tariff. On its consumer guide it says the cost is variable: Level 1 sits at the lower end and starts at a few hundred pounds, and a Level 3 sits at the higher end, with some bespoke services costing over £1,000. A larger or more complex home takes longer and costs more. The firm prices the time to do that level of service, plus travel and overheads. Those words are RICS’s, reviewed here on 24 October 2026. They are not a fee for your purchase. Ask two or three regulated firms for a written quote that names the level.

Anything beyond the standard visual inspection — drains CCTV, a damp specialist, an EICR, opening-up — is a separate instruction with its own fee. A cheap Level 2 on a complicated old house is often the expensive choice, because the report will keep telling you to investigate things a Level 3 would have discussed.

Common questions