Listed buildings and conservation areas
Can the surveyor confirm the official list entry from the estate agent’s particulars?
No. In England the grade and the description sit on Historic England’s list, a brochure is not that record, and a home survey does not amend it. If the surveyor did not check the list, they should not copy a grade off the particulars. The survey describes the condition of the building it inspected.
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?
Agents write “Grade II” because the seller said so, or because a previous advert did. Sometimes they are right. Sometimes they have the wrong building or the wrong grade. The surveyor’s job is not to republish the advert. Historic England explains how list entries work and that listing covers the building. Reading that entry is how you learn what was written down. Walking the house tells you the condition.
Ask your solicitor to obtain the entry and to compare it with the house. Do not ask the survey to upgrade, downgrade or delist anything. If the report says the building appears altered from what a casual reader might expect, that is still not an amendment of the list. Wales is a different record, handled by Cadw, and this question does not substitute an English entry for a Welsh one.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did you check a list entry, or only hear the grade from the agent?
- If you did not check, will you avoid stating a grade?
- Which defects are condition, regardless of the grade?
What are the typical next steps?
- Get the list entry through your solicitor. Do not rely on the brochure.
- Use the survey for condition even after the entry arrives.
- Do not ask the surveyor to correct the list.
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
If the brochure never mentions an outbuilding, is that outbuilding outside the list?
Do not decide that from a brochure. Read the entry with your solicitor. The survey still only describes what it saw.
Can a home survey rewrite the grade?
No. A grade is a listing label, not a condition rating, and the survey does not amend the list.