Survey costs
You booked a camera survey and the seller then refused access. What should that firm's terms already have said about the fee?
They should already have said what happens to the fee if access is refused. A kept charge, a reduced charge, a free rearrangement or no charge are all things the booking can spell out. You contracted with the camera firm. Their terms govern the seller's refusal. The home survey standard does not write cancellation rules for that separate contractor, and the original survey invoice does not decide the camera firm's money either.
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?
Access is always a practical risk on a second visit. The seller may change their mind, be away, or refuse a particular door, cover or room. A careful camera firm says, before you pay, whether the trip is charged if the van arrives and cannot work. If the terms are silent, ask before the day rather than arguing afterwards. Silence in the home-survey guidance is expected, because that guidance is not the camera firm's contract. Do not fill the silence with a percentage you have made up, and do not assume a full refund or a full charge without reading what you signed.
Tell the surveyor, if you want, that the camera visit could not happen. That information may explain why a drain question remains open. It does not move the camera fee onto the survey fee or off it. If you still want the drains filmed, the next step is another appointment the seller will actually allow, on terms you have now read. Keep the emails. Your solicitor may need to know access was refused, because that is a conduct point in the sale, not a tariff point in the RICS standard.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Does your report depend on a camera visit that may never happen?
- What drain limitation remains if access stays refused?
- Is the camera firm's cancellation fee any part of your invoice?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read the camera firm's terms before the appointment.
- Do not invent a cancellation percentage.
- Tell your solicitor if the seller blocked access.
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 surveyor also could not see the drains, is one fee owed twice?
No. Two limits are not one charge. The camera contract is separate from the survey invoice.
Can RICS order the camera firm to refund me?
No. The booking terms, not the home survey standard, deal with that firm's fee.