A RICS home survey is a structured inspection of a house or flat, written so you can decide whether to proceed, renegotiate, or walk away. It is not a warranty, a schedule of works, or a legal report. Knowing the difference before you instruct will save you from expecting the wrong document — and from ignoring the right one.
This article sets out what the surveyor will look at, what they will not, and how you should use the report. It applies to Levels 1, 2 and 3 under the RICS Home Survey Standard. The depth of comment changes with the level. The physical limits of a visual inspection do not.
What the surveyor inspects
The surveyor inspects the readily accessible parts of the property: the main walls, roof coverings they can see, chimneys, joinery, floors they can walk on, ceilings, windows, doors, and the visible parts of the heating, electrical and plumbing installations. They look at the grounds and any outbuildings that are part of the instruction, and they note things that affect the house even if they sit outside it — a large tree beside a shallow foundation, a shared driveway with no obvious maintenance, a stream against the rear wall.
Condition is rated so that urgent and serious defects are not lost in a long description. The report should tell you what the element is, what is wrong with it, why that matters, and what you should do next. On a Level 2 or Level 3 that “next” may be a repair, a specialist inspection, or simply monitoring. On a Level 1 report the comment is shorter by design: it flags the problem rather than designing the remedy.
Where the surveyor cannot see something that matters — a flat roof hidden by a parapet, a floor void with no hatch, a ceiling lined in the loft — they must say so. Those caveats are part of the product. They tell you where the risk still sits after the visit.
Services, grounds, and the things around the house
Heating, electrics, water and drainage are inspected visually. The surveyor may turn on a tap, look at a boiler, or note an old consumer unit. They do not carry out an electrical installation condition report, a gas safety check, or a CCTV drain survey unless that is a separate instruction. If the installation looks dated, amateur, or incomplete, the home survey should say that a specialist test is the next step — not pretend the visual look is a pass certificate.
Outside, they will comment on standing water, retaining walls that lean, and paths that throw rain at the damp-proof course. They will not give you a landscaping plan. They will say when the site is making the building wetter than it should be.
What a RICS home survey does not cover
It does not open up the structure unless there is a specific, agreed reason and a safe way to do it. Floor coverings stay down. Fitted furniture stays put. Sealed voids stay sealed. The surveyor is not a demolition contractor, and they will not strip a roof to count the nails.
It does not guarantee that every defect has been found. A competent inspection reduces the chance of a nasty surprise. It cannot remove that chance, because buildings hide their worst problems behind finishes, under insulation, and in the weather you did not have on the day.
It is not a valuation unless you have asked for one as an extra, and it is not a mortgage valuation. Those are different products. It is not a legal title report, a planning history, or a check that every window has the right certificate. Your solicitor does that work. The surveyor may notice an alteration that looks recent and unconsented, and they should mention it. They cannot tell you that the paperwork is complete.
It is not a schedule of works or a builder’s quote. A Level 3 report will discuss repair options and their implications more fully than a Level 2. Neither document prices the job to the nearest pound. For that you need a contractor who has read the report and seen the building.
It is not an asbestos survey or a specialist tree report. Where those issues look likely, the home survey should recommend the right follow-up rather than invent certainty.
How to use the report before you exchange
Read it as a decision tool, not as a snagging list to throw at the estate agent in one go. Separate three piles: items that are urgent for safety or weather-tightness; items that should be investigated before you commit; and items that are ordinary maintenance you can plan after completion. The first two belong in the conversation with your solicitor and, if the price still matters, with the seller.
If the surveyor recommends a specialist — a structural engineer, a roofer who can get on the covering, an electrician — do that before exchange whenever the finding could change the price or the decision to buy. Waiting until after completion turns a negotiation point into a household bill.
Compare the report with what you were told in the particulars. A “new roof” that is a re-cover over tired structure, or a “damp-proofed” wall with cement tanking on a solid cottage, should be reconciled in writing. Our compare reports page shows how much explanation you should expect at each RICS level. If the building is more complex than you first thought, it is better to upgrade the survey than to squeeze answers from the wrong product.
Instructing the inspection properly
Give the surveyor the full address, the estate agent’s brochure, and any information you already have: a lease, a guarantee, a previous report, or a comment from the lender’s valuer. Tell them about parts you care about — a converted loft, a septic tank, a summer house that is actually lived in. Access is your responsibility to arrange. A locked loft hatch or a dog that cannot be moved is not a small inconvenience; it is a hole in the inspection.
You can see the products we offer under services. We will say if the property looks like a poor fit for the level you first asked for. That conversation is part of doing the job properly.
If you want a RICS home survey that is clear about what it covers and honest about what it does not, book a survey with The Welsh Surveying Co, or email lydia@thewelshsurveyingco.co.uk with the particulars. We will recommend the right level and inspect the house for you before you exchange.