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Choosing a survey level

Who do you complain to if a home survey misses something?

Ask that before you instruct. If the firm is regulated by RICS, RICS is the complaint route their regulation describes, after the firm’s own process. If the firm is not regulated by RICS, you are using that firm’s process and whoever regulates them, which may be a different body such as RPSA for its members. A review on a website is not a complaint.

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?

A visual survey does not guarantee that a hidden defect will be found. Complaining that nobody opened a floor you did not instruct them to open is not the same as complaining that they ignored a crack they photographed. Read the scope before you accuse.

This page is not the complaints service and it does not name a redress amount. There is no published “missed defect” tariff. Write to the firm, keep the report, and use the route they are actually in. Do not withhold the survey fee as a self-help remedy without advice.

What should you ask your surveyor?

  • What is your internal complaint process, and what body comes after it?
  • Are you regulated by RICS?
  • What in this scope would you not be expected to open?

What are the typical next steps?

  1. Save the engagement letter with the report.
  2. Complain first to the firm, in writing, about a specific missed item.
  3. Do not post a star rating and call that notice.

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

Does a bad survey let you unwind the purchase?

Not by itself. If you have exchanged, the contract matters. Ask your solicitor. The surveyor does not unwind it.

Can SurveySorted complain to RICS for you?

No. This site explains reports. It is not your surveyor and not a redress scheme.

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