Choosing a survey level
What should you agree before a survey of a tenanted house?
Agree access, in writing, with the seller: who will be in, which rooms can be entered, and whether furniture will be pulled out. A RICS inspection works around occupation. Fitted furniture, stored lofts and floor coverings limit every level. Those limits should be written down. They are not a secret rating 1 for the rooms the surveyor could not cross.
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?
Tenants are not obliged to stage the house for your report. The seller is the person who must arrange what they agreed. A surveyor who cannot see the boiler, the loft or the back addition should say NI. Level 3’s extra description does not include a right to move someone’s bed. There is no RICS compensation that turns a blocked room into an inspected one.
If the tenancy ends before completion, you may want a second look at empty rooms. That is a new instruction unless the quote included it. Ask the price before you assume it is free. Do not pressure the tenant on the day. Do not treat their furniture as the seller’s concealment unless you have a fact, not a mood.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which rooms do you already know you may not see properly?
- Will the report mark those NI rather than assume them?
- Is a return visit after the tenants leave included?
What are the typical next steps?
- Get the seller to confirm access before the appointment.
- Read every NI line that occupation caused.
- Book a second look only if you need it and it is priced.
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
Does a tenant’s clutter cause damp?
Clutter can hide it or mimic a cold corner. The survey should say what it could see. It should not blame the tenant for a leak.
Can the surveyor insist on cupboards being emptied?
They can ask. They cannot ransack a home. Refusal becomes a limitation.