Survey costs
One firm quoted more for a Level 3 than for a Level 2 of the same house. What has the higher fee not listed about the defects?
The higher fee has not listed any defect. It is one firm's price for a Level 3 rather than a Level 2 of the same house, which is a longer inspection and a report with more advice. The defects, if there are any, are found on the day. They are not itemised in the quote. Paying more does not preview what is wrong, and it does not buy a mortgage valuation. MoneyHelper makes the distinction: a mortgage valuation is not a structural survey. Neither fee is a defect list.
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?
Level 3 costs more because the surveyor spends longer and writes more about how an older or altered house is built, what the repairs might involve and what happens if they are left. It is decided before anyone has been round the building. A cheap Level 2 is not a statement that the house is sound, and a dearer Level 3 is not a statement that it is falling down. Reading the gap between two numbers as a schedule of works invents a document the firm has not written.
Ask each firm what the fee includes and which level you would get, in writing. When the report exists, read the defects there, not in the quote. Your solicitor and any lender should see the report you instructed, not the difference between two prices. Do not ask the firm to justify the fee by producing a defect list they have not yet earned. The survey has not been done, so there is nothing to list.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Does the higher figure buy Level 3 scope, rather than a list of defects?
- What is included in each fee, and what would be a further investigation?
- Are you confirming this quote is not a mortgage valuation?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read the fee difference as scope, not as a defect list.
- Wait for the report before you talk about what is wrong.
- Do not treat either quote as a mortgage valuation.
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
If Level 3 is dearer, does the firm already know the house is worse?
No. The firm has priced a more detailed service for the same address. It has not listed defects, because the inspection has not produced them. A higher fee is not a preview of the roof, the walls or anything else.
Can you subtract the two fees and call that the repairs?
No. The gap between a Level 2 fee and a Level 3 fee is not a repair cost. No repair has been specified. MoneyHelper's point still stands: a valuation is not this survey, and neither number is a bill of works.