Seller-side surveys
The buyer asks you, the seller, to pay for their Level 3. Is that a RICS rule?
No. A buyer asking you, the seller, to pay for their Level 3 is not a RICS rule. RICS describes survey levels so a client can choose one. It does not require the seller to fund the buyer's inspection, and it does not make Level 3 a cost that automatically crosses the table. You may agree to contribute, or you may refuse. Either choice is a negotiation between the parties. It is not compliance with a rule, and a refusal is not a breach of the home survey standard.
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?
Level 3 is the detailed survey a buyer might choose for an older, altered or unusual building, or when they plan major work. The decision to instruct it, and the fee, sit with the person who wants that report. MoneyHelper makes a different point about valuations: a mortgage valuation is for the lender, and it is not a structural survey. Neither statement turns the buyer's Level 3 fee into your obligation. The buyer is asking for a favour, not enforcing a published duty.
If you do consider paying, say what you would be paying for, and that the instruction remains theirs so the report is still for them. Do not let the request be described as something RICS expects of sellers. If you refuse, the buyer can still instruct and pay for the Level 3 themselves. Their choice of level is about the building and the advice they want. It is not a bill you must pick up because they preferred the more detailed product.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Have you already agreed, in writing, to fund any inspection?
- Is the buyer asking you to pay a Level 3, or confusing it with the lender's valuation?
- Who would the report be for if you did contribute to the fee?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the request as a negotiation, not as a RICS rule.
- Refuse or agree in writing, and say which it is.
- Do not describe a refusal as a breach of the survey standard.
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 you pay the fee, does the surveyor then work for you?
Not unless the instruction says so. Paying a contribution does not, by itself, make you the client or turn their Level 3 into your survey.
Is a mortgage valuation the same request as a Level 3?
No. A valuation for the lender is not a structural survey, and it is not a Level 3 bought for the buyer.