Condition ratings
If the survey’s photo looks worse than the wording, which one do you act on?
Act on the words, and ask the surveyor to reconcile the photo. A photograph is an illustration. The condition rating and the sentence under it are the finding. RICS defines rating 3 as serious or urgent, and rating 2 as not serious or urgent. A dramatic close-up does not promote a 2 into a 3. A bland photo does not cancel a 3.
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?
Survey photos crop out context. A crack can look huge. Ask for the location and the width in words, not in a zoom. If the photo shows something the text never mentions, ask whether it was considered. Do not run a second diagnosis from a JPEG.
When you send the report to a contractor, send the paragraph, not only the image. Quotes based on a crop are how bills drift. There is no price in the rating. The quote they write is the price. The surveyor’s words say what they think the picture shows. A contractor who has not read them is pricing a guess.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- What does this photograph show, and which rating does it belong to?
- Is the crack as wide as the crop suggests? Please say so in words.
- Is anything in the photos omitted from the ratings?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask the firm to clarify before you send a panic email to the seller.
- Give contractors the text and the photo together.
- Do not uprate the house yourself because a picture frightened you.
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
Are drone photos part of Level 2?
Only if the firm agreed them. They are not a secret extra in every fee. A drone still does not open a valley.
Does a thermal image prove damp?
Not in a standard home survey. Most reports do not include one. A bright patch is not a moisture content.