Choosing a survey level
The firm's banner says full structural survey. Which RICS level, if any, has that phrase actually booked?
No level at all. Full structural survey is not one of the RICS home survey levels, so the banner has not booked Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3. The names that have existed since 1 March 2021 are those three. Until the firm writes one of them on your instruction, the slogan has purchased nothing you can point to in the current range.
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?
Buyers read full structural as if it meant the widest possible look, and then argue later about what was left closed. There is no level by that name to have that argument against. Level 1 is the visual overview for a conventional home. Level 2 is for a conventional home in reasonable condition and of simple form, as survey only or with a market valuation and reinstatement. Level 3 is for older, altered or unusual construction, or where major works are planned. The banner skips that choice.
Ask which of the three they will name, and ask them to retire the slogan on your paperwork even if they keep it on the website. None of the three guarantees that concealed parts are sound, and services stay visual rather than safety-tested. A higher-sounding phrase does not add a hidden fourth product. If the fee is large, that still does not invent a level: cost is variable, and some bespoke work costs more, but the product name has to be a real one.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which of Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 will be written on the instruction?
- Will you remove full structural survey from the engagement letter?
- What will you not open or test, once a real level is named?
What are the typical next steps?
- Make the firm pick Level 1, 2 or 3 in writing.
- Do not pay against the banner phrase alone.
- Read the scope of the level they finally name.
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 full structural mean the surveyor is a structural engineer?
No. The phrase is not a level and it does not name a different profession.
If they then say Level 3, has the banner become true?
The booking is the Level 3 they named. The banner was not what booked it.