There is a particular moment in many house purchases when excitement gives way to mild panic.
The survey arrives.
It is 40, 60 or perhaps 100 pages long. There are condition ratings, photographs of things you hadn’t noticed and references to defects you hadn’t previously considered.
Then you reach the services.
Electrical installation: further investigation recommended.
Gas installation and boiler: specialist inspection recommended.
Suddenly, the perfectly liveable house you viewed two weeks ago appears to need rewiring, a new boiler and several thousand pounds spending on it.
Except that isn’t necessarily what the surveyor has told you at all.
Understanding the difference between a defect they’ve actually found and something they simply haven’t tested is one of the most useful things a buyer can learn.
Which type of house survey should you get?
RICS currently offers three levels of home survey.
RICS Home Survey Level 1
This is the least detailed option.
It provides a basic assessment of the property’s condition and is generally most appropriate for a conventional property built from common materials and appearing to be in reasonable condition.
RICS Home Survey Level 2
This is more detailed and is a common choice for relatively conventional homes.
It looks at the condition of the main elements of the property, highlights defects and provides advice about repairs and ongoing maintenance.
A Level 2 survey can also be offered with a valuation.
RICS Home Survey Level 3
This is the most comprehensive of the three.
RICS describes it as suitable for properties that are large, older, run-down, unusual or altered, or where the buyer is planning major works.
For anyone considering a period home, extensively altered property or a building constructed using less conventional materials, that extra detail can be particularly valuable.
Across our part of East Anglia, that’s relevant to plenty of properties.
From Victorian and Edwardian terraces to older cottages, converted buildings and homes that have accumulated several generations of extensions, not every property behaves like a modern cavity-wall house.
The survey you choose should reflect the building you’re actually buying.
Why does my survey say the electrics need checking?
This is probably one of the most misunderstood parts of a home survey.
A surveyor looking at the electrical installation isn’t carrying out an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR).
RICS explains in its Level 2 service description that services are often hidden within the property’s construction. The surveyor visually inspects accessible parts but doesn’t carry out specialist tests.
The RICS description also makes clear that this visual inspection cannot assess the efficiency or safety of electrical, gas or other energy sources.
That’s an important distinction.
If your survey says something along the lines of:
“The electrical installation was not tested and should be inspected by a suitably qualified electrician.”
that does not automatically mean:
“The electrical installation is unsafe.”
It means the surveyor hasn’t performed the specialist testing necessary to tell you that it is safe.
Those are very different statements.
Why does the survey recommend having the boiler and gas checked?
For essentially the same reason.
Your building surveyor isn’t carrying out the work of a Gas Safe registered engineer.
RICS states that its visual inspection does not investigate the internal condition of boilers or flues or assess the safety or efficiency of gas and other energy sources.
So again, read the precise wording.
“We haven’t tested this” is not the same as “we have found a fault with this.”
If the surveyor has seen evidence of an actual problem, however, that’s different.
Which brings us to perhaps the most important skill when reading your report.
How can you tell a real survey problem from a standard warning?
Look for specific observations.
A generic recommendation for specialist electrical testing is one thing.
A surveyor reporting damaged fittings, visible alterations or evidence that causes them particular concern is another.
The same applies throughout the report.
Compare:
“The installation has not been tested and specialist inspection is recommended.”
with:
“There is evidence of significant water penetration to the roof structure.”
One describes the limitations of the inspection.
The other identifies something the surveyor has actually observed.
If you can’t tell which you’re reading, don’t guess.
Speak to your surveyor.
A conversation about the findings can be considerably more useful than repeatedly reading the report and becoming increasingly concerned about the wording.
What do the condition ratings on a RICS survey mean?
RICS Home Surveys use condition ratings to help buyers understand the significance of what has been found.
Broadly:
Condition Rating 1 means no repair is currently needed and the element should be maintained normally.
Condition Rating 2 means defects need repairing or replacing but aren’t considered serious or urgent.
Condition Rating 3 means defects are serious and/or need urgent repair, replacement or investigation. RICS advises obtaining quotations before making a legal commitment to purchase.
You may also encounter NI, meaning not inspected.
Depending on the report, you may also be directed towards documents or further information the surveyor recommends obtaining.
The ratings are useful, but don’t read them without the explanation beside them.
Two Rating 3 items can represent completely different levels of cost, complexity and risk.
What should you ask the seller for after receiving your survey?
Before immediately commissioning every specialist mentioned in the report, find out what information already exists.
Through your solicitor or estate agent, you may be able to establish whether the seller has:
- a recent EICR or other electrical certification
- boiler servicing records
- relevant gas documentation
- guarantees for work carried out
- Building Regulations approvals or completion certificates
- FENSA or equivalent certification for replacement windows and doors
- paperwork relating to extensions or alterations
The appropriate documentation will depend on the work and when it was carried out.
And importantly, don’t assume that the absence of a particular certificate automatically means work is defective.
It means there may be another question for your solicitor, surveyor or specialist to investigate.
Why do surveys on older houses look particularly frightening?
Because older houses are older.
That sounds flippant, but it’s important.
A Victorian property has had well over a century to move, weather, settle, be repaired, extended, replastered and altered.
It was also constructed according to the methods and materials of its time.
Older properties can have solid walls rather than modern cavity construction. You may encounter lime mortar and plaster, suspended timber floors, older roof structures and ventilation arrangements that work differently from those in a recently built home.
That doesn’t mean every crack, uneven floor or patch of moisture should be dismissed as “just old”.
Far from it.
But it does mean context matters enormously.
A feature that would be unusual in a ten-year-old house might be entirely unsurprising in one built 150 years ago.
Choose a surveyor who understands the type of property
This can be particularly important with period homes.
If you’re considering an older cottage, Victorian terrace or unusual property in one of the villages around The Brecks or further into Norfolk or Suffolk, ask potential surveyors about their experience with that type and age of building.
You’re not simply paying somebody to identify imperfections.
You’re paying for help understanding what those imperfections mean.
A long list of observations without context can make almost any old building sound terrifying.
Good surveying advice helps you distinguish character and routine maintenance from defects requiring proper investigation.
Should you worry about damp readings in an older property?
You should take damp seriously, but you should also understand that diagnosing moisture in older buildings can be more complicated than looking at a meter reading.
Traditional buildings can behave differently from modern properties, particularly where original breathable materials have been replaced or altered.
If a survey identifies moisture, the useful questions are:
Where is it coming from?
What is causing it?
Is there evidence of damage?
What investigation or repair does the surveyor recommend?
Treating every moisture reading as proof that an older property needs an expensive generic “damp treatment” can be just as unhelpful as ignoring genuine water ingress.
Diagnosis comes first.
Does a bad survey mean you shouldn’t buy the house?
Not necessarily.
One of the purposes of a survey is to find things.
A completely blank survey wouldn’t necessarily be reassuring. It might make you wonder what you’d paid for.
The useful question isn’t:
“Has the survey found problems?”
It’s:
“Now that we know about them, what do they mean for my decision?”
Some findings are simply future maintenance.
Others need investigation before exchange.
Some might alter what you’re willing to pay.
And occasionally, something genuinely serious may cause you to reconsider the purchase altogether.
That’s the value of having the survey before you’re legally committed.
Should you renegotiate your offer after a survey?
Sometimes.
If the survey uncovers a significant problem that wasn’t apparent when you made your offer, it’s perfectly reasonable to consider whether that changes the price you’re prepared to pay.
But there’s a difference between using a survey to understand an unexpected cost and treating every line of the report as an opportunity to renegotiate.
Suppose you’re buying a 100-year-old house.
The survey tells you that parts of it are 100 years old.
That isn’t new information.
But if it discovers a previously unknown structural defect requiring £12,000 of specialist work, that’s a materially different conversation.
If you’re considering renegotiating, evidence helps enormously.
Rather than:
“The survey says the roof needs work, so we’d like £10,000 off.”
it is far more constructive to establish what actually needs doing and, where appropriate, obtain quotations.
Then everybody is discussing the same problem.
Remember that your surveyor and your solicitor do different jobs
This distinction can also prevent confusion.
Your surveyor principally investigates the physical property.
Your conveyancer investigates the legal title and transaction, including searches, rights, restrictions and relevant paperwork.
Sometimes their work overlaps.
A surveyor might spot an extension and recommend that your solicitor checks whether the relevant approvals or documentation exist.
That doesn’t mean the surveyor has discovered the extension was unlawful.
They’re identifying something the legal process should investigate.
Again, the language matters.
Buying an older home?
Period and older properties can be hugely rewarding places to live.
They can also require more maintenance, greater understanding of traditional construction and a willingness to accept that perfectly straight walls and maintenance-free ownership probably aren’t part of the package.
Whether you’re looking at an older home in Thetford, a cottage in the Brecks, a village property elsewhere in Norfolk or something across the Suffolk border, don’t be frightened by the fact that your survey has things to say.
That’s why you commissioned it.
Read what the surveyor has actually found.
Separate observations from standard limitations.
Ask questions where you don’t understand something.
Commission specialist investigations where they’re genuinely recommended.
Then make your decision with better information than you had before.
A survey isn’t there to talk you out of buying a house.
It’s there to help you understand the house you’re buying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my house survey say the electrics need testing?
A RICS home survey involves a visual inspection rather than specialist electrical testing. A recommendation for an electrician to inspect or test the installation therefore doesn’t automatically mean the surveyor has found dangerous wiring. Read the wording carefully to establish whether it is a standard limitation or whether the surveyor has identified a specific concern.
Why does my survey say I need a gas or boiler inspection?
Building surveyors don’t carry out the specialist testing performed by Gas Safe registered engineers. A recommendation for further inspection may simply reflect that the surveyor couldn’t assess the safety or internal condition of the system rather than indicating a known defect.
Is a Level 2 survey enough for an older house?
It depends on the property. RICS describes Level 3 as suitable for properties that are older, larger, unusual, altered or in poor condition. If you’re buying a period property or a home that has been extensively changed, the additional detail of a Level 3 survey may be worthwhile.
What does a Condition Rating 3 mean on a house survey?
A Condition Rating 3 identifies a defect that RICS categorises as serious and/or requiring urgent repair, replacement or investigation. RICS recommends obtaining quotations before making a legal commitment to purchase.
Should I panic if my survey has several red or Condition Rating 3 items?
No, but don’t ignore them either. Read the explanation accompanying each rating and speak to your surveyor. A Rating 3 can sometimes arise because further investigation is needed, so understanding why the rating was given is more useful than simply counting how many appear in the report.
What paperwork should I ask for after receiving a survey?
Depending on the property and the findings, relevant documents might include electrical certification, boiler service records, guarantees, Building Regulations documentation and certificates relating to alterations or replacement windows. Your conveyancer and surveyor can advise which documents are relevant to the particular property.
Is damp normal in an old house?
Damp shouldn’t simply be dismissed because a building is old. However, traditional buildings can manage moisture differently from modern homes, so the cause needs to be properly understood. If moisture is identified, ask what is causing it and whether further specialist investigation is recommended.
Can I renegotiate the house price after a survey?
You can reconsider your offer if previously unknown information materially changes what you believe the property is worth to you. A renegotiation is generally easier to justify where there is a specific unexpected defect supported by professional advice or quotations rather than a collection of routine maintenance recommendations.
Should I walk away from a house because of a bad survey?
Not automatically. First understand what the findings mean, what needs investigating, what repairs might cost and whether those costs were already reflected in the agreed price. Some survey findings are routine maintenance, while others can materially change the risk or economics of the purchase.
Are surveys particularly important when buying older homes in Norfolk or Suffolk?
They can be. There is a wide variety of property ages and construction methods across the region, from period townhouses and Victorian terraces to traditional cottages and converted buildings. Choosing a surveyor familiar with the particular age and construction of the home can help put findings into the proper context.
Sources
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Description of the RICS Home Survey Level 2, including the scope of inspection, limitations relating to services and the use of condition ratings.
The RICS Home Survey Standard and service descriptions explain the distinction between the three survey levels and the circumstances in which more detailed inspection may be appropriate.
About the Ethical Agent Network
Location Location East is a founding member of the Ethical Agent Network, a national network of independent agents committed to higher standards of honesty, transparency and service.
For buyers, that matters because good estate agency isn’t about dismissing concerns raised by a survey or trying to keep a transaction together at any cost. It’s about helping people understand the information available, encouraging the right professional advice where necessary and allowing them to make an informed decision.
Find out more about the Ethical Agent Network
Article by Andrew Overman | Partner | Location Location East
