Survey costs
Does the survey fee become payable when you instruct, when they inspect, or when the PDF arrives?
Whatever the terms you accept say. RICS does not choose that moment, and it does not publish a tariff. Ask the firm which stage earns the fee, whether a deposit is separate, and what happens if the inspection cannot take place. Do not assume a payment in advance is refundable.
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?
Some firms invoice on instruction, some on the day, some on delivery. All of those can be honest if they are written down. The argument starts when the quote was only a number and a bank detail. Cost being variable, in the consumer guide’s words, is about how fees differ. It is not a calendar of when the client pays. A deposit is not defined by RICS as a percentage of anything. If the terms name a deposit, read what it is and when it is lost.
Match the payment point to the cancellation point before you transfer money. If the fee is earned on inspection, cancelling after the visit is a different conversation from cancelling the night before. If the fee is earned on the PDF, ask what you owe if you no longer want the report after a delay. There is no national answer. The only safe record is the term you agreed. Repairs, specialist reports and lender fees are other invoices entirely.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- At what moment is your fee earned?
- Is any deposit refundable, and until when?
- What is owed if the seller turns the surveyor away?
What are the typical next steps?
- Get the payment point in writing before you pay.
- Do not invent a refund the terms do not give.
- Keep the survey invoice separate from every other cost of moving.
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 you pay late, does the rating change?
No. The fee and the opinion are different. A dispute about an invoice does not regrade the house.
Does the consumer guide say the PDF must arrive before they can bill?
No. It does not set the billing point. The firm’s terms do.