Survey costs
What should the survey terms say before you pay a fee?
The level, the address, who the client is, whether a valuation is included, what is excluded, what happens if you or the seller cancels, and whether VAT is in the figure. RICS does not supply a national price, but its consumer guide does tell you to get a written quote that names the level. A card machine before those words exist is how people buy the wrong product.
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?
Cancellation matters when chains collapse. Some firms keep a portion of the fee if they have already blocked the day. Ask. Access assumptions matter when the house is tenanted. Reliance matters when two of you are buying. None of this is small print you can skip because the firm is regulated. Regulation does not fill a blank engagement.
Keep the email. If the report later claims to be a level you did not buy, you will need the quote. There is no RICS ombudsman shortcut that rewrites a contract you did not read. In Scotland, check you are not paying privately for a Home Report the seller must already provide, unless you have chosen an extra inspection with your eyes open.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Please point me to the level, the client and the cancellation term.
- What is excluded that people often assume is included?
- Is VAT in this figure?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read the terms before you pay.
- Save the quote next to the report.
- Do not pay a deposit for a level the firm will not name.
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
Is a verbal quote enough?
Not if you need to know the level later. Ask for the email.
Does paying a booking fee create the instruction?
It starts the firm’s process. The terms still define the product. Read them before the fee is gone.