Choosing a survey level
The house is unoccupied and the services were off. What could the survey not observe that a lived-in house would have shown on the day?
It could not see the services operating. With the house empty and the supplies off, the survey could not watch the boiler fire, the heating warm, the hot water run, the taps and WCs discharge, or the lights and fans work. A lived-in house with services on could have shown, on the day, whether those parts ran or failed in ordinary use. That operating check did not happen. The report should say so. Silence is not a demonstration that the services work.
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?
Empty houses hide how the place behaves. No one has been showering, heating rooms or filling the kettle. If the water, gas and electricity were isolated, the surveyor could not open a tap and learn anything, and could not ask a boiler to start. What remains is a visual look at fittings that were present and cold. Present is not the same as seen working. Do not tell yourself the system passed because nothing leaked while it was switched off.
Read the report for what was off and what was not tested. Ask the surveyor which services they could not operate, and which visible defects, such as a stained ceiling or a corroded tank, did not depend on a live supply. Before you exchange, decide whether you need the services on for a further look. Switching on, once the owner agrees and it is safe, is a different visit from the day everything was dead. Until then, the gap stays in the report.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which services were off, and what could you therefore not see operating?
- Which defects did you still find without the supplies being live?
- What should I not assume about heating, water and electrics from this visit?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read the report as silent on services that could not be run.
- Do not treat switched-off fittings as fittings that passed.
- Ask whether a later visit with services on is needed before you commit.
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
If the boiler looks new, has it been shown to work?
No. A new case is not a firing. With the services off, the survey did not see the boiler operate, and age or appearance does not fill that gap.
Does a lived-in house get a full safety test the empty one missed?
No. A home survey is not that test either way. What the empty house missed is seeing the services operate on the day, which a lived-in house might have shown.