Choosing a survey level

The Scottish Home Report already contains a valuation. Does that stop you commissioning a private Level 2 as well?

It does not stop you. The valuation sits inside the Home Report's single survey, which is a visual inspection by a chartered surveyor, packaged with a property questionnaire and an energy report. That bundle does not bar a buyer from commissioning a private Level 2 as well. A purchaser may rely on the Home Report, and that reliance is still not a guarantee that concealed parts are sound.

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?

The Home Report has three parts. The single survey includes the valuation and is the visual inspection. The property questionnaire covers its set of categories from the seller's side. The energy report is the EPC. Together they are what the seller's process provides. They are not a rule that you must make do with that inspection and no other. If you want a Level 2 of your own, for a conventional home of simple form in reasonable condition, you can instruct one. Survey only, or survey plus market valuation and reinstatement, is a choice on that private job.

Do not expect the private Level 2 to erase the Home Report, or the Home Report valuation to count as the private survey. They can sit side by side. Urgent items and items needing future attention in the single survey are not automatically the English rating numbers, so do not translate them by force. If you walk away from the purchase, that is a separate decision from whether a private report you chose to buy is refunded. Read both documents for what each inspector could see, and do not treat either as proof of the hidden structure.

What should you ask your surveyor?

If I commission you privately, will your Level 2 be a different report from the Home Report single survey?
Will you avoid treating the Home Report valuation as your own market figure unless I have bought one?
Which concealed parts will you still not be guaranteeing?

What are the typical next steps?

You may still instruct a private Level 2 beside the Home Report.
Read the single survey's valuation as part of the Home Report, not as your private survey.
Do not treat reliance on the Home Report as a guarantee of hidden fabric.

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 private Level 2 replace the need for the Home Report?

No. The Home Report is the seller's pack where it is required. Your Level 2 is an extra you choose.

Is the energy report the same thing as the Level 2?

No. The energy report is the EPC inside the Home Report. A Level 2 is a condition survey.