Survey costs
Why is a roofer’s quote not a reason to call the survey fee too high or too low?
They are different invoices. The survey fee buys the inspection and the report. The roofer’s quote buys a repair, if you accept it. RICS does not publish a tariff that ties one number to the other. A large roof quote does not mean you overpaid the surveyor. A small survey fee does not cap the repair.
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 sometimes divide the roof quote by the survey fee and look for a ratio. There is no such ratio in the RICS consumer guidance. The survey may be what prompted the quote, which is the point of a rating 3: obtain written quotations before you commit. The quotation is allowed to be larger than the survey. It is also allowed to be smaller.
Compare survey fees with other survey fees for this address, at a named level, with VAT and exclusions shown. Compare roof quotes with other roof quotes for a named specification. Do not average the two into a single ‘cost of buying the house’.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Does your fee include any repair, or only the report?
- Which findings, if any, need a contractor’s quote rather than a longer survey?
- Will you comment on a quote if I obtain one?
What are the typical next steps?
- Pay the surveyor for the survey you booked.
- Get repair quotes only where the report gives you something specific to price.
- Keep the two numbers in separate columns when you speak to the seller.
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 the surveyor write the roofer’s price into the report?
They might note a figure you supplied. It is still not their quote, and it is not a RICS tariff.
If the roof quote is tiny, was the survey a waste?
No. A survey that lets you avoid a scare is still the product you bought. The fee is for the inspection, not for a minimum amount of bad news.