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How should you compare a snagging-company fee with a Level 3 quote on a new home?

As different jobs. A snagging list checks the new plot against incomplete and unsatisfactory items. A Level 3 is a RICS home survey with condition ratings and a description aimed at older or unusual buildings, which a standard new house may not need. RICS does not say you must buy Level 3 for every new build, and a snagging firm does not become RICS because the fee looks similar.

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?

Ask each what you will receive. If the new house is conventional and you want handover defects listed for the builder, a snagging inspection may be the relevant product. If the frame, the roof or an attached block is unusual, ask a survey firm whether a RICS level is the better instruction. NHBC Buildmark, if that is the warranty, is a third document. None of the three includes the others by default.

There is no RICS snagging tariff and no rule that the dearer invoice is the survey. Compare the output. Do not pay both and expect them to use one set of ratings. Do not pay a Level 3 price for a list that will not mention ratings, unless the list is what you wanted.

What should you ask your surveyor?

  • What document will I get, and does it use RICS ratings?
  • Is this a new conventional house or something a Level 3 is meant for?
  • Is the warranty inspection included? It is not, unless the paper says so.

What are the typical next steps?

  1. Buy the product that matches the question you have.
  2. Do not add the two fees and call it one survey.
  3. Read the warranty separately.

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 one firm do both?

Yes, if the quote splits them. Make sure you can see which day is the survey and which is the snagging list.

Does a new house with a rating 3 mean the snagging was pointless?

No. Snags can be small and a rating 3 can be real. They answer different lists.

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