How much should I expect to pay for a RICS survey?

Jovialist

Hi,

Just wondering what the going rate usually is for a RICS accredited surveyor to survey a house? Does it vary on the size of the house? Does it vary across the country (England)? Is it sensible to have them have a quick look at the property and get a quote, first (in some ways it's a slightly unusual property), or is that a bit OTT?

Thanks.

user1977

What level of survey? What sort of unusual property? What's the asking price? The fee is mainly determined by the price bracket of the property. 

propertyhunter

Do what everyone does - call up a few surveyors and give them the details of the type of survey you want, the agreed price and the address. 

I had a range of prices for a 3 bed detached in Zone 6 London level 3 survey from £800-1340. Their level of service, detail and turnaround times etc. vary. It's good to get a personal recommendation from someone, otherwise look at Google reviews. 

nimbo

I had two quotes from the same guys for a level three. 

House one was slightly bigger and would have cost about £750 

house two was £699 or something like that. It was more expensive so I’m guessing the more rooms the more he charged. 

I’m in South Yorkshire so obviously not paying London prices. 

canaldumidi

https://www.rics.org/uk/upholding-professional-standards/sector-standards/building-surveying/home-surveys/

Van_Girl

We price on a number of factors which include, level of survey, general condition, size, construction, age and features - essentially we try to estimate how long it's likely to take us and quote based on our hourly rate.  

You are likely to see some variation depending on location

If you have the agents advert link (e.g. rightmove etc), send this with your enquiry along with any details you think are important. I don't think a surveyor is going to spend time actually visiting before providing you with a quote

As a guide, our Level 2's typically start at £450 and Level 3's typically start at £900 plus VAT, and we are North West. But that said, residential surveys are not our bread and butter so we probably come up quite expensive!

silvermountains

Van_Girl said:

We price on a number of factors which include, level of survey, general condition, size, construction, age and features - essentially we try to estimate how long it's likely to take us and quote based on our hourly rate.  

You are likely to see some variation depending on location

If you have the agents advert link (e.g. rightmove etc), send this with your enquiry along with any details you think are important. I don't think a surveyor is going to spend time actually visiting before providing you with a quote

As a guide, our Level 2's typically start at £450 and Level 3's typically start at £900 plus VAT, and we are North West. But that said, residential surveys are not our bread and butter so we probably come up quite expensive!

I am seeing variation in level 3 quotes - some say VAT needs to be added and some say there is no added VAT needed.  Do you know why this would be @Van_Girl?

Slithery

Are the surveyors VAT registered? If not then they can't charge VAT. If they are then they have to charge VAT.

Van_Girl

As Slithery said - a small one (wo)man band might not be VAT registered. A company most likely will

hpsauce86

We paid 700 for our level 2, I got several quotes for about 900-1100 for level 3. This is in Leeds. 

K_S

Jovialist said:

Hi,

Just wondering what the going rate usually is for a RICS accredited surveyor to survey a house? Does it vary on the size of the house? Does it vary across the country (England)? Is it sensible to have them have a quick look at the property and get a quote, first (in some ways it's a slightly unusual property), or is that a bit OTT?

Thanks.

@jovialist For a (say) 250k house in the North East: A basic valuation - £250-300, Level 2 Homebuyers - £400-500, Level 3 Buildings Survey - £600-750 upwards. 

If you need a valuation figure (and/or an insurance reinstatement figure) along with the Level 2 or Level 3 surveys, expect that to add on around £100-150 to the cost.

Definitely get them to send across a sample report (or two) for the kind of property it is before deciding to instruct. I've personally never heard of a surveyor visiting the property before giving a quote, they should be able to get the details they need for a quote from the property address and the Rightmove listing.