Choosing a survey level
What is the desktop part of a Level 3, and why is it not the inspection?
A Level 3 includes enquiries and desktop research as well as the visit. That research can flag radon maps, flood services, listed status or mining. It is not a measurement, a title search or a substitute for walking the house. The Level 3 description still says services are inspected visually and not tested.
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?
If the report quotes a flood service or a radon map, read the sentence for what that service actually is. GOV.UK’s England flood check does not give an individual-property likelihood. UKradon’s map is not a becquerel reading. The surveyor should not upgrade either into a rating.
Your solicitor’s searches are still needed. A surveyor’s desk note is not a local search and not HM Land Registry. Do not pay for the survey and then skip searches because the report mentioned a river. They are different products with different fees. No search fee is stated here.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which desktop sources did you use, and which are only limitations?
- Did you visit, or is any section desk-only?
- Are environmental notes separated from condition ratings?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep solicitor’s searches even when the survey mentions the environment.
- Do not treat a map colour as a rating 3.
- Ask the firm which databases they check before you assume mining or flood was included.
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 Level 2 include the same desk study?
Do not assume it. Ask this firm what this level includes. The products differ.
Is a desktop-only “survey” a Level 3?
No. Level 3 includes an inspection of the building. A report produced without a visit is a different product. Do not pay Level 3 prices for it.