Seller-side surveys
What should a seller in England prepare so the buyer’s inspection is not cut short?
Keys to outbuildings, a clear loft hatch, access to the consumer unit, and a note of where the stopcock and the boiler are. A Level 2 or Level 3 is visual and will not move heavy furniture. NI entries caused by a screwed-down hatch or a locked garage become the buyer’s unanswered questions, and unanswered questions become price talks.
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?
You do not have to commission the survey. You do have to let it happen if you want the sale to proceed on the timetable you have agreed. In Scotland, the Home Report surveyor needs the same physical access, earlier in the process. Pets, tenants and alarms are the usual reasons visits fail. Tell the agent the practical constraints in advance so the surveyor does not arrive blind.
Leave guarantees, planning papers and any electrical or gas certificates where the solicitor can send them. Do not expect the surveyor to read a box of paper in the kitchen and call that a legal search. Do not walk them round arguing. They are entitled to see the parts the instruction covers. If you refuse a room, expect NI, and expect the buyer to notice.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which areas were NI because of access, and which were NI because of safety?
- What could a seller still open before a return visit?
- Which papers would have helped, and which are outside a visual survey?
What are the typical next steps?
- Clear hatches and outbuildings before the appointment.
- Tell tenants, and leave instructions for alarms.
- Send guarantees to the solicitor rather than leaving them on a table.
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
Should you point out defects on the day?
You can say what you know. Do not steer the inspection. What you know may also belong on the forms your solicitor has given you.
Can you refuse loft access?
You can, and the buyer can treat the loft as unseen. If the sale depends on the survey, refusal has a cost that is not the surveyor’s problem.