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Non-standard construction

What should you ask a lender before you pay for a Level 3 on a non-standard house?

Ask whether they will consider this construction at all, and what evidence they need. A Level 3 is the detailed survey RICS describes for unusual buildings. It is money well spent only if a mortgage, or your own decision, can still proceed once the construction is known.

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?

Some buyers pay for a Level 3 and then learn the lender does not lend on that system. Ask first. Give the lender the construction in plain words, or the surveyor’s words if you already have a cheaper report. Ask what certificate or engineer’s report they would want. Then decide whether the Level 3 is for you, for them, or for both.

RICS’s consumer guide describes Level 3 as the survey for older, altered or unusual construction, and describes some bespoke Level 3 fees as over £1,000. That is their published description, reviewed with these pages on 24 October 2026, not a quote. Your firm’s letter is the quote. Do not skip the lender question to save that fee, and do not treat the RICS description as the bill.

What should you ask your surveyor?

  • What construction words should I use with the lender?
  • Would a Level 3 change your advice, or only explain it more fully?
  • Which defects are about condition even if the lender says yes?

What are the typical next steps?

  1. Email the lender or broker with the construction before you instruct the expensive survey.
  2. If they say no, stop and look at other lenders or other houses. A Level 3 will not overturn a blanket rule.
  3. If they say yes, subject to a report, commission the report they named, which may be a Level 3 or an engineer.

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 valuation enough for them to decide the construction?

Sometimes the valuer flags it and the lender then asks for more. Ask them. A valuation is not a Level 3.

Should you hide the construction until after the survey?

No. The surveyor needs to know what they are inspecting, and the lender needs to know what they might lend on.

Sources