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Choosing a survey level

Why do the words ‘full structural survey’ not mean you have booked a RICS Level 3?

Because that phrase is not a RICS level. Level 3 is a defined Home Survey with a published scope. A firm working outside the RICS Home Survey Standard should show you its own scope in the quote. The report may be careful, and it may not use condition ratings 1, 2 and 3. Do not rename it a Level 3 when you negotiate.

Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.

What is the fuller explanation?

Compare three things in writing: who will visit, what they will not open, and which definitions the ratings use if they use ratings. A lower fee can be a smaller scope. It can also be a different qualification. This page does not say a non-RICS inspection is worthless, and it does not say a RICS survey is complete. Read the exclusions either way.

If a lender has asked for a report ‘by a RICS surveyor’ or to the Home Survey Standard, a different product may not satisfy them. Ask the lender. Do not assume the badge on a website is the instruction on the invoice.

What should you ask your surveyor?

  • Is this quote a RICS Level 1, 2 or 3, or a different product?
  • If you use ratings, whose definitions are they?
  • What will you not inspect that a Level 3 would still leave as not inspected?

What are the typical next steps?

  1. Get the scope in the quote before you compare fees.
  2. Ask your lender if they have required a RICS product.
  3. Do not call the report a Level 3 in negotiation unless the instruction says Level 3.

Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.

Also asked about this

Is a cheaper non-RICS report always a worse report?

No. Price is not quality. The written scope is what you compare. A cheap Level 3 and an expensive undefined visit are different mistakes.

Does RICS set the fee for other firms?

No. RICS does not publish a national fee, for its own levels or for anyone else.

Sources