Survey costs
RICS's What to do now note tells you to obtain quotations before commitment. Does the note itself state the quotation?
No. The note tells you to obtain quotations before you commit. It does not state the quotation. There is no price sitting in that advice, because the advice is to go and get prices from the people who will do the work. The note advises you, the buyer. It does not invoice the seller, and it does not fill in a number the contractors have not given. Any figure you write underneath the note is yours or a contractor's, not the note's.
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?
Rating 3 is the serious and/or urgent category, and the linked advice is to obtain written quotations before you enter a legal commitment. That sequence matters. First you understand something needs pricing. Then a contractor prices it. The note cannot skip the second step, because the price depends on the property, the access and the scope. What to do now is consumer advice attached to the report's logic. It is not a price book, and it is not a demand addressed to the seller. The seller may never see it. Even if they do, it does not become their bill.
When you obtain quotations, give the contractors the paragraph, not a request to match a figure the note never contained. Compare scopes. Decide whether you will proceed, renegotiate, or walk away before you are legally committed. If you are already committed, the note's timing advice cannot unwind the contract by itself. Talk to your solicitor about what stage you are at. Do not tell anyone the note has already stated the quotation and that the only job left is to pay it. The quotation does not exist until a contractor writes one.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which items are the ones that need quotations before commitment?
- Does your report contain any contractor price I might mistake for the note?
- What should I hand a contractor so they price your finding rather than a guess?
What are the typical next steps?
- Obtain written quotations before legal commitment where the matter is serious.
- Do not claim the note already states the price.
- Ask your solicitor which stage the purchase has reached.
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 I am past commitment, does the note still print a price?
No. The note never prints the quotation, at any stage. Your solicitor advises on the contract.
Does the note invoice the seller for the repairs?
No. It advises the buyer. It does not invoice the seller.