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Seller-side surveys

Should a seller in England commission a survey before marketing?

They do not have to. There is no rule that a seller in England or Wales must obtain a RICS home survey before marketing. Some sellers do, so they understand the house. A buyer should not assume that a seller’s survey, if one exists, is a document they can rely on.

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?

RICS’s consumer material talks about surveys helping people understand a building. That is a reason a seller might buy one, not a duty. The EPC is a separate legal requirement when selling, explained on the government EPC pages. An EPC is not a survey. In Scotland the position is different: a Home Report is part of marketing, and RICS says a purchaser can rely on it.

If you are the seller and you want a survey, choose the level as a buyer would, and be ready to show it with its terms. If the terms say only you can rely on it, showing it to a buyer does not transfer reliance. Your solicitor can explain what you should disclose. The survey does not replace honest answers about damp, insurance claims and alterations.

What should you ask your surveyor?

  • If I instruct you as a seller, who may rely on the report?
  • Which level fits this house if I want to know the condition before I set a price?
  • What will this report not do for a later buyer?

What are the typical next steps?

  1. Decide whether you want the information for yourself. Do not buy a survey only to wave a rating 1 you may not get.
  2. Disclose what you know, with your solicitor’s advice, whether or not you commission a survey.
  3. If the house is in Scotland, follow the Home Report rules instead of this English answer.

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

Will a seller’s survey stop the buyer getting their own?

No. Buyers in England and Wales usually instruct their own. Your report might inform them. It does not bind them.

Should you fix everything the survey finds before viewings?

Not necessarily. Some repairs help a sale. Some can wait. The survey gives you the list. It does not run the sale strategy.

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