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Choosing a survey level

Can the next buyer use the survey an earlier buyer commissioned three months ago?

Only if the surveyor agrees they may rely on it. In England and Wales the report was written for the first client. Three months also means the building may have changed. RICS does not transfer reliance by the passage of time. A seller who hands the PDF over should say whose it was. A buyer who relies on it without a letter is using advice that was not owed to them.

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?

Ask the firm whether they will readdress the report, reinspect, or neither, and what that costs. A readdress without a visit does not see a new crack. A refusal means you instruct your own. RICS says a purchaser can rely on a Scottish Home Report, which is why handing over an old English PDF is a different problem. Do not call the old PDF a Home Report to get round it.

There is no RICS rule that an old report is free to the next buyer. The first buyer paid for their decision. They do not have to give it to you, and if they do, you still need the surveyor’s position on reliance. Do not edit their pages and pass them off as a new inspection.

What should you ask your surveyor?

  • Will you let a new buyer rely on this report?
  • Do you need to revisit, given the date?
  • Who was the original client?

What are the typical next steps?

  1. Next buyers: instruct your own survey unless the firm extends reliance.
  2. Sellers: do not delete pages from the old PDF to make it look better.
  3. Do not change the date.

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 the seller have to disclose the old survey?

That is a legal question for their solicitor and the forms, not a RICS rating. Do not invent a duty here.

If the old survey found a rating 3 that was repaired, is it gone?

Only the repair and a new look can say so. The old paragraph remains a description of that day.

Sources