Condition ratings
Where does RICS put the phrase about investigating urgently?
Inside the definition of condition rating 3 in the Level 3 description: defects that are serious and/or need to be repaired, replaced or investigated urgently, with the risk of serious safety issues or severe long-term damage, and written quotations before legal commitment. It is not a fourth rating called “urgent”. If the surveyor wants something looked at urgently, it belongs in that definition or in a clearly worded further investigation.
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?
People search for a rating called urgent because Scottish single surveys talk about urgent repairs. The English and Welsh RICS definitions you are reading in the Level 3 text use 1, 2, 3 and NI. mygov.scot’s Home Report wording is a different form. Do not force the Scottish adjective onto an English rating 2.
If your report says “investigate” under a rating 2, ask the surveyor whether they meant a rating 3. The words and the digit should match. RICS’s “What to do now” note is the consumer follow-up to the ratings. Read it beside the element, not instead of the definition.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which elements are urgent in the rating 3 sense?
- Is any “investigate” sentence sitting under a 2, and is that intentional?
- Are you using Home Report wording or RICS ratings?
What are the typical next steps?
- Match the digit to the sentence before you send the report to a lender.
- For a true rating 3, get the quote or the investigation before you exchange.
- If you are in Scotland with a Home Report, use its urgent and future-attention categories. Do not relabel them as English ratings without reading both.
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 urgency the same as danger to life?
The definition includes serious safety issues and severe long-term damage. Not every 3 is an emergency this afternoon. Read the sentence. If it says immediate risk, act on that wording.
Can you downgrade a 3 by getting one quote?
A quote does not change the rating. It tells you the cost of the thing the rating describes. The rating stays until the work is done and someone reinspects, if they agree to.