Survey costs
The quotation separates the inspection fee from any later revisit. Why should you not assume the first fee includes going back?
Not included by assumption. The quotation separates the inspection fee from any later revisit, so you should not assume the first fee includes going back. A revisit fee, if one is quoted, is that firm's quotation. It is not a RICS tariff, and RICS does not publish a national price for returning. The first fee is the inspection you are booking now. Going back is another visit, another arrangement, and another figure unless the firm's own terms fold it in, which this quotation says they have not. Read the split as the split.
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?
Surveyors return for many reasons: a hatch that was locked, a seller who was out, a defect you later ask them to see again. None of those reasons spends the first fee twice unless the terms say so. Your quotation has already separated the numbers. Ask what the inspection fee covers, what a revisit would be for, and whether the figure for coming back is fixed or still to be quoted.
Do not invent the revisit figure, and do not describe a firm's price as a RICS charge. RICS explains that survey fees vary. It does not set the cost of a return visit. If you think you will need the surveyor to come back, ask before you instruct, and keep the answer in writing. If you do not, budget only for the inspection you have been quoted. The paper in front of you has already said the fees are apart.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- What does the inspection fee include, and what does it leave out?
- In what situations would you charge a separate revisit?
- Is any revisit figure a firm quotation or still unpriced?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read the inspection fee and the revisit as separate items.
- Do not assume the first fee includes going back.
- Treat any revisit price as the firm's quotation, not a RICS tariff.
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 revisit fee set by RICS?
No. A revisit fee is the firm's quotation, not a RICS tariff. RICS does not publish a national price for going back to the house.
If the hatch was locked, is the return visit free?
Not unless your quotation says so. A locked hatch is a reason you might need a revisit, not proof the first fee covers it.