Choosing a survey level
Is a desktop or remote “survey” a RICS Home Survey level?
No. Level 1, 2 and 3 are inspections of the property. A desktop note, a video call or a look at the listing photos is not those levels, even if a surveyor prepared it. RICS describes the levels as visual inspections, more extensive as the level rises, and none of them is a guarantee of what was not seen. If nobody attended, almost nothing was seen.
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?
Remote advice can be useful before you book, for example to say a former church needs a Level 3 rather than a Level 1. It is not the report you send to a solicitor as the inspection. The consumer guide’s fees are about the surveys, not about a five-minute video. Ask whether someone will visit, how long they expect to be there, and what the PDF will be called.
Do not pay a Level 3 fee for a desktop product. Do not call a video a Home Report. mygov’s single survey is a visual inspection by a chartered surveyor. A floorplan on a portal is not that either. There is no RICS rating for a house nobody entered.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Will a surveyor visit this property?
- What will the document be called, and which level is it?
- What can you not say because you have not been?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not exchange on a remote note.
- If you only wanted advice on which level to buy, keep that advice separate from the survey.
- Ask who attended and on what date when the report arrives.
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
Is a video walkaround from the agent a survey?
No. It is a viewing. The agent is not your surveyor.
Does a floor plan count as an inspection?
No. It is a drawing. It does not rate the roof.