Survey costs
Can you use a website’s typical repair cost as the price of the defect in your survey?
No. A typical figure, even a careful one, is not a quote for this roof, this access and this finish. RICS condition ratings contain no prices. If a page on this site gives a range, it will say where the number came from. If it does not have a source, it will not invent one. Your number comes from a contractor who has seen the job.
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?
Rating 3 means, in the Level 3 description, that written quotations should be obtained before legal commitment. That is a quote for the work described, not a lookup table. A rating 2 is not urgent in RICS’s definition, but a long list can still cost more than one rating 3. Add quotes up. Do not add ratings up.
VAT, access, listing consent and making good change the bill. A London scaffold and a village ladder are not the same “typical”. Refuse any negotiation that starts from a national average you cannot show the seller. RICS does not publish a repair tariff a buyer can paste into a price reduction.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which defect do you want priced, in the report’s own words?
- Did you include a price? You should not have, unless you quoted a document.
- What access will a contractor need?
What are the typical next steps?
- Get at least one written quote for each rating 3 you care about.
- Do not email the seller a screenshot of a generic cost guide.
- Keep the survey fee out of the repair total. It is not a repair.
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 builder’s verbal “about ten grand” a quotation?
Not one you can show a seller. Ask for it in writing, with what is included.
Does a retention by the lender equal the repair cost?
No. A retention is the lender holding back part of the mortgage. It is not cash you can spend, and it may not match the quote.