last updated August 3rd, 2025
If you are unfamiliar with buyers suveys read Do I have to have a survey when buying a house? - Survey FAQs that gives common questions and answers about home inspection.
It is done by you and is a preliminary assessment and opportunity to see what you like or dislike about the house. It will take 1-2 hours probably. You check the house condition, basic 'workings' and it gives you an idea whether the house needs work. Download the Free PDF Printable House Viewing Checklist Survey now and you can use it straight away.
Any possible sources of water damage should also be checked as explained at House Buyer Tips - Where to check for water damage and dampness in a home survey.
If you find problems during your pre-purchase home survey, get a repair cost and approach the vendor with a revised offer - if they refuse to negotiate, then you have to decide if you really want the property and are willing to pay for further detailed inspections. Further inspections may show up faults so your initial survey also helps you to assess if the vendor will bargain. Read our article about the Importance of House Surveys and Insurance to see why a pre-purchase inspection is so important!
The article How to Identify Structural Problems Before Buying a Home offers some help on what structural problems you should look out for during your inspection.
The surveys below are the more common ones carried out in the UK - they are not listed in any particular order as each investigates a general or specific area and one inspection may indicate another type should be carried out - for example a dip in a roof noticed by a RICS inspection would indicate that the attic should be inspected which might reveal foam insulation.
Always check that any third party you hire to inspect has an insurance policy to cover them for any damage they might cause and for professional indemnity where a written report is being supplied. If a report is wrong and you buy the house, you may be able to make a financial claim.
This type of insulation is sprayed to the underside of a roof and is known to later cause dampness and possibly cause roof timbers to rot. It has become controversial as a mortgage may be refused if it is discovered so ensure that you or your surveyor check if it is present. As it covers timbers when applied, it may be difficult to establish the condition of the roof support structure and mortgages will probably be refused. A thorough inspection should be carried out by a trained surveyor familiar with the material. It can be removed but it is expensive to do so.
Open Cell and Closed Cell are the common types; Open cell is almost 'spongy' to the touch while Closed Cell is rigid and dense which gives it better insulation characteristics.
If the house is built pre-2000, there is a possibility of asbestos containing material (ACM) in the building. Typically, asbestos was used in insulation, cements, plaster, ceiling tiles and paints. The average person won't recognise asbestos and it is often discovered during a RICS survey or if your mortgage company insists on an asbestos check. If you have any suspicions that asbestos is present, always call in expert advice. An asbestos house survey is intrusive as materials are 'opened up' and may need testing.
Mould and dampness can be caused by bad or low air circulation - you see black spots on walls beside beds against outer (cold) walls or in corners of rooms including bathrooms with no fans. The dampness is usually on external walls often North facing which are cold possibly because of bad insulation and lack of heat from the sun. If it is clearly an air circulation problem, it is usually little cost to remedy using fans or moving furniture to allow air flow. If you think it is a form of dampness from within the wall, look for external factors like a dripping external tap, overflowing drains or rain water pipes or plants against the wall. If you notice dampness always raise the matter with your building surveyor. Damp meters are the most abused tool on the market so be careful of anyone that just relies on them to form a judgement. If a buyer has high damp readings on a HomeBuyer report question the report. A meter just gives a reading - it does not indicate the source of the problem or indeed if the readings are relevant - cellar dampness is to be expected in older buildings.
A pest control inspection may be needed if there are obvious signs of rodents, bees or birds being present usually in the roof or attic. Costs are fairly minimal and most homes in the UK do not need this type of survey.
Flat roof inspections are low cost surveys using drone or a camera attached to a tall pole to check the readily accessible parts of the house. Flat roofs should always be inspected as some roof materials used such as felt are prone to leakage. The membrane is the protective layer that prevents rainwater entering the building typically made from felt, bitumen, EPDM rubber or GRP (Glass reinforced plastic) materials. The condition of chimney pots and coping stones (the stone/concrete on top of a wall) is also well worth checking as dampness can be a problem if the coping is cracked or missing. A local roofer is often the best option as they can cost a repair at the same time.
A gas boiler and central heating system should be checked by a gas verified installer from Gas Safe. Look out for leaks and an old system - 15 years old would be approaching end of life and have reduced efficiency.
Ask them to verify that the water supply is suitable for a new boiler (flowrate and pressure) as if not it can be expensive laying a new pipe from the mains roadside supply.
An electrician will check the electrical wiring system and may produce an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) to verify that it is suitable and safe - you should also think about possible changes that you would like to make to the property - for example, maybe you want to have an electric instead of gas cooker - will the current wiring be suitable and how much would changes cost?
If the house is built pre-60s ask them to check for Tough Rubber Sheathed and VIR cables (Vulcanised Indian Rubber Electrical Cables) - these were used to the mid 60s and have to be replaced as they rot over time. Older wiring such as Lead Sheathed cables should also be replaced.
Radon gas is a naturally occurring radioactive gas with no smell or taste and is invisible. It can accumulate in homes and pose potential health risks when present in high concentrations. It is an experts area to investigate in detail and the Government website at UK Radon.org is very informative. A property with readings above 'The Radon Action Level' should have measures implemented to reduce the presence of radon. Environmental surveys will be used if there are risks attached to ground pollution typically and are not very common - more information is at Radon Gas and Hidden Environmental Risks - Test your house for radon.
Carried out by drain cleaning and inspection companies, a camera is pushed down the underground drains to check for cracks or blockages and can identify causes of dampness. It is a fast non-intrusive survey that can save a lot of money and costs very little. Access to the pipework is usually through a manhole or vertical sewer (stack) pipe.
If the house was built from the 1940's to 1960's it may have pitch fibre pipes which are end of life so a CCTV survey is imperative.
If you are interested in buying the house, you will buy a 'Water Search' which gives an approximate location of sewer and (possibly) water pipes under your property that are the property of whoever supplies sewage services (known as the 'sewage undertaker') and of water pipes owned by the 'water undertaker'. These are only approximate and they can have a major impact on whether you can build an extension on your future house as there are restrictions on building over or near waste pipes - you might have to ask for a 'Build over agreement' and in addition, you might have to pay for an inspection of the pipes crossing your land. A little known fact is that when waste pipes cross your land from another property, the owner is the local sewage company and you must give round the clock access to any manholes that these pipes enter.
RICS is the Royal College of Chartered Surveyors and members are professionally qualified. They have various levels of surveys that vary from a basic visual inspection to a structural assessment. A Home Buyers survey (Level 2) is common, visual and includes roof and attic inspection if accessible and safe to do so. Services (water, electricity etc) are not checked in detail in a Level 2 survey - that is your responsibility with your inspections. The RICS surveyor may recommend further investigation if they notice dampness or suspect a structural fault.
When checking services or windows etc, at most they will check a 'selection' - they do NOT check all taps/switches etc - that is your job in your home inspection.
These are surveys by professionally qualified engineers and is a structural home inspection for compliance with building regulations - if the home your are buying has had an extension built on, it is always worthwhile to ensure that it is compliant with Building Regulations both in terms of construction and paperwork. If works were done without the correct Building Inspection, you will probably have to ask for a Regularisation Certificate from the seller which is Building Control retrospective approval. Loft extensions and staircase access to them are two areas to have checked.
If the property has had works carried out due to subsidence or a structural issue and there has been an insurance claim, a Certificate of Structural Adequacy should have been issued by an Engineer, Surveyor or Insurance Loss Adjuster verifying what happened and the remedial works carried out. This document may not be transferable to a new owner and is not a guarantee or promise that the problem will not arise again. It is often required for mortgages or insurance companies and you may have to have a Structural Survey carried out or have the document assigned to you at a cost. Contact the issuer to discuss always.
Wall ties are small pieces of metal or plastic that connect the inner leaf (wall) and outer leaf of a cavity wall and help to main stability. The ties are placed in lines at different heights during construction. When they fail, you can see bulging in the wall often in a straight line along the base of bricks.
Sometimes a seller may make you aware of a serious problem in the house, you may be notice it or it becomes apparent through your surveys. If a single defect requires detailed 'intrusive' investigation such as excavation to expose foundations or stripping back floorboards, it is referred to as 'Specific Defect House Inspection'. Permission must be given by the house owner and costs may sometimes be shared as agreed.
A thermal camera can visualise the surface temperature of the walls and roof and can be an indicator of where heat loss is occurring. Buying an Energy-Efficient Home - What to Look For explains various ways to reduce energy costs and what to look out for during home viewing / open days. There are some relatively cheap attachments to mobile phone cameras which are suitable for the sellers home inspection that can indicate not just where there is heat loss but are also useful for locating leaking pipes. Surveying companies advertise as 'thermal imaging scan home inspection surveys' or similar wording.
A building survey generally is a visual non-intrusive 'look' at a property and it does not specifically investigate the structural integrity of a property which can require 'opening up' walls to check for floor / roof supports.
Yes, particularly if you are considering making structural changes after you buy the property.
The house seller in Scotland supplies a survey as part of a 'Home Report' and the buyer usually pays in the rest of the UK. For problem specific or 'expert' surveys as listed above, the house buyer usually pays.
The house surveyor may open / check a few windows and see what type of glass is installed (e.g. double-glazing).
They do not check every switch or socket - they may select a random few - an electrician will carry out a full check if asked. You can check sockets with a Socket Tester using your House viewing checklist for buyers - What is a house buyers inspection?.
If a light chair is near a wall, a surveyor might move it but if there is a heavy wardrobe against a wall that they want to view, they should flag it as 'not inspected / inaccessible'.
No - All RICS Level 1, 2 & 3 surveys are NON intrusive.
Level 3 is the most detailed.
If the solicitors have completed all other searches without problems and there are no survey problems found, it is only a matter of a few weeks usually.
If you are buying the house and there are no problems, you have no need to share it. If you are using problems discovered in the survey to negotiate a price reduction (Rule of thumb for making an offer on a house - How to Negotiate), you may have to share it. If you decide not to proceed with a purchase and you have not put down a deposit, there is no requirement to show it.
