Survey costs
Who pays for the specialist the survey has recommended?
You do, unless the seller agrees to, or the contract says otherwise. The specialist is not inside the RICS fee. A drain camera, an EICR, a timber opening-up or a structural engineer is a new instruction with its own price. The survey should say what question that person is to answer. It should not guess their fee.
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?
“Further investigation” is not a condition rating of its own. It is the sentence that tells you the surveyor could not finish the diagnosis. Pay for the investigation that answers it, not for a second general survey that will repeat the same limit. Agree the scope in writing: what they will open, what they will not, and when you will have it.
Before exchange you can still walk away if you dislike the answer, subject to the contract. After exchange it is usually too late. Ask your solicitor about timing before you spend heavily. There is no national specialist tariff on this page.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- What question should the specialist answer?
- What will they need to open, and will the seller allow it?
- Is their fee something you are estimating? Please do not.
What are the typical next steps?
- Instruct the specialist with a written scope.
- Do not commission three specialists for one sentence until you know which trade the sentence names.
- Ask the seller about access before you book.
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 the seller pay because the survey was bad news?
Not as an automatic rule. It is a request. They can refuse.
Is the cheapest specialist the one to use?
Use the one who will answer the question. A cheap letter that says “possible defect” repeats the survey.