Choosing a survey level

Why is the time a surveyor spends on site not the same thing as the survey level?

RICS distinguishes Level 1, 2 and 3 by the scope of the inspection and the report, not by a national minimum number of minutes. A short visit can be a proper Level 1. A long visit can still be a Level 2 if that was the instruction. Buy the level named in the quote. Do not buy ‘three hours’ as if it were a level.

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?

Time varies with the size of the house, how much is locked, and what the surveyor finds. None of that rewrites the contract. If you agreed a Level 2, you get a Level 2 even if the surveyor stays all afternoon to photograph a complicated roof. If you agreed a Level 3, a quick walk round is a problem with that instruction, not a new product called a Level 2.

Ask, before the day, which level is booked and what will be left not inspected. Ask afterwards which areas were not entered. Those sentences matter more than a clock. This page does not publish a duration, because RICS does not set one in the consumer guidance.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Which level is written in my quote?
What will you not have time or scope to open, whatever the clock says?
If you leave early because access fails, what do I still pay?

What are the typical next steps?

Judge the report against the level you booked, not against a neighbour’s anecdote about hours.
If large areas are not inspected, ask whether that was the level or a failed access.
Do not demand a longer visit as a substitute for booking a Level 3.

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 longer visit include a drain camera?

No. A camera is a different instruction. Time on site does not add tests the quote excluded.

Can the surveyor change the level on the day?

Only if you and the firm agree a new instruction. Staying longer is not a silent upgrade.