Survey costs
You cancel after the surveyor has travelled. Why is any charge for that a term of the firm's engagement, not a RICS fine?
Not a RICS fine. If you cancel after the surveyor has travelled, any charge is a term of that firm's engagement, not a sanction levied by RICS. RICS does not fine a buyer for calling the visit off. The firm may have set out, in the terms you accepted, what happens when time and travel have already been spent. That clause is their commercial term. Read it. Pay what you agreed, or dispute it with them if the terms do not say it. Do not describe the sum as a professional-body fine, and do not invent a figure the terms do not contain.
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?
Travel is a cost the firm incurs before anyone is inside the house. Engagement terms often say when a cancellation becomes chargeable, because the day cannot be given back. Those terms are the contract between you and the firm. They are not a RICS schedule of fines, and they are not the same for every firm. If your terms are silent, you should not assume a charge, and the firm should not invent a RICS tariff to fill the silence. Ask for the clause.
Do not guess an amount, and do not let an agent quote one. If a charge is due, it should be the charge the terms describe, invoiced by the firm. It is still not a repair cost, and it is still not a reason the seller must contribute. Cancelling is your decision about the instruction. The survey that never happened has not fined you. Only the engagement, if it says so, has a consequence for a visit that had already started its journey.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which term covers cancellation after you have travelled?
- Does that term name the charge, or is the fee still unstated?
- Is any sum you mention your firm's charge rather than a RICS fine?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read the engagement terms before you argue about a charge.
- Treat any charge as the firm's term, not a RICS fine.
- Do not invent an amount the terms do not state.
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
Can RICS fine you for cancelling after the surveyor sets off?
No. Any charge is the firm's engagement term. It is not a RICS fine, and no tariff has been published for it.
If the terms are silent, is a cancellation charge automatic?
No. Silence is not a tariff. Ask the firm to point to the term before you accept a charge for the journey.