Choosing a survey level
What does MoneyHelper say a mortgage valuation is, and why is that not a Level 2?
MoneyHelper says a mortgage valuation is not a structural survey. It is for the lender, so the lender can decide what security it has. A RICS Level 2 or Level 3 is instructed by you to describe condition. Reading the valuation as if it were your survey is how buyers miss the defects the valuer was not asked to report.
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 lender may not even give you the valuation narrative. A figure on an offer letter is not a condition rating. RICS’s consumer guide separates the survey you commission from the processes around lending. If the valuer and the surveyor are the same person on the same visit, ask in writing which hat they are wearing and which document you will receive. A combined visit does not silently upgrade a valuation into a Level 3.
Buy the level of survey that matches the building. A conventional modern flat and a knocked-about Victorian house do not justify the same instruction. MoneyHelper will not choose it for you, and the lender’s valuation fee is not a contribution towards your choice unless the lender says so in writing.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- If you are also doing the valuation, which document will be the condition survey?
- What will the valuation not cover that a Level 2 or 3 would?
- Which level do you recommend for this building, and why?
What are the typical next steps?
- Instruct a home survey in your own name if you want condition advice you can rely on.
- Do not treat “valuation accepted” as “building accepted”.
- If a retention appears on the mortgage offer, read it with the survey. They are different mechanisms.
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
Can you send the seller the valuation?
It may not be your document to send. Ask the lender. Use your own survey for a price conversation.
Does a free valuation from a broker change the answer?
No. Who pays does not turn a valuation into a survey. Ask what was instructed.