Survey costs
What should you ask if one survey quote is far cheaper than the others?
Ask which level it is, what it excludes, and whether VAT, travel and a valuation are inside it. A low number is not a bargain if it is a Level 1, a desktop note, or a valuation for the lender. RICS does not set a single price. It does describe Level 1 as the lower end and more bespoke Level 3 work as the higher end. Compare like with like.
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?
Read the assumptions: house size, parking, whether the loft is boarded, whether the firm thinks the property is “standard”. A cheap quote that assumes a two-bed flat will be rewritten when they learn it is a former church. Cancellation terms matter too. The cheapest firm is not obliged to be the one who will answer the phone after the report.
Do not choose only on price, and do not assume the dearest is the most thorough. Ask what the fee buys. There is no RICS badge for “premium”. A regulated firm and a clear level are the checks. Do not pay a private fee and assume it replaces every document this purchase already includes. Ask the solicitor which documents those are.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which RICS level is this number?
- What is excluded?
- What would change the fee after you have accepted?
What are the typical next steps?
- Line the quotes up on level, VAT and extras.
- Discard any quote that will not name the level.
- Do not instruct a valuation and call it the cheap survey.
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 a non-RICS firm be cheaper and still fine?
They are a different product. RICS regulation is not a legal monopoly. Know which you are buying. Do not call it a RICS level if it is not.
Does a low fee include the repairs?
No. The fee is the report. Repairs are extra, whoever inspects.