Condition
+ advice.
The standard choice. Ratings on every element, defects explained, from £425. For conventional, apparently sound homes.
Read the Level 2 guide ↗︎G1
THE PILLAR GUIDE / SURVEY LEVELS
Three levels.
One right answer.
Every year, buyers pay for the wrong survey — too shallow for an old house, too deep for a sound one. This guide gives you the answer first, then the story behind it.
Prefer the 20-second checker? →THE ANSWER / READ THIS FIRST
Conventional and post-1930 → Level 2. Older, altered or unusual → Level 3.
That single sentence answers most buyers. The fee difference is a few hundred pounds; the difference in what each can catch is tens of thousands. The rest of this page is the reasoning — and the handful of cases where the cheap option becomes an expensive mistake.
01
01 / THE MISTAKE MOST BUYERS MAKE
The bank looked.
Nobody inspected.
Your lender’s mortgage valuation is not a survey. It is a brief check — sometimes done without anyone visiting the property — to confirm the house is worth what the bank is lending. It protects the lender, not you.
A survey is the opposite: a qualified professional inspects the property on your behalf and reports what condition it is really in, before you are committed. Since 2021, RICS has standardised home surveys into three levels. Here is what each one actually is.
Condition
SURVEYCHOICEDEPTH OF INSPECTION
Cause
+ strategy.
The deepest look, from £675. For older, altered, unusual or tired buildings — anywhere the building needs explaining.
Read the Level 3 guide ↗︎02
02 / AND LEVEL 1?
The survey
almost nobody needs.
Level 1 — the Condition Report — is a top-level once-over with ratings but no advice: it flags that something is wrong, not why or what to do. It suits almost nobody, which is why it is rare and why we do not push it. A nearly-new home is better served by a snagging inspection.
03 / HOW EVERY REPORT SPEAKS
Three colours.
Tap each one.
Whichever level you choose, the report rates every element 1, 2 or 3. Try each rating and read a real-style extract — this is the language your report will use.
04 / SIDE-BY-SIDE
What changes when the depth changes?
| Question | Level 2 | Level 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Tells you | What needs attention | What, why, how urgent — and your options |
| Best for | Conventional, post-1930, decent condition | Older, altered, unusual, or poor condition |
| On site | 2–4 hours | Half a day or more |
| Fixed price from | £425 total | £675 total |
05
05 / THE HONEST RULE
£300 more.
Or £30,000 missed.
On a 1950s semi in good order, upgrading to Level 3 buys you little — take the Level 2 and keep the money. On an 1890s stone terrace, the Level 3 is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy. Around Yorkshire that matters more than the national averages suggest: a huge share of the local stock is pre-1919 — exactly what Level 2 was never designed for.
06 / AFTER THE REPORT LANDS
The report is not the product.
The decisions are.
- 01READ IT ALL→
Not just the summary
The detail sections say what each rating means for this house.
- 02PRICE IT→
Quotes for every 2 and 3
Numbers turn worry into information — before exchange, while you have leverage.
- 03USE IT→
Renegotiate with evidence
Significant findings are grounds to adjust your offer or ask the seller to fix.
- 04OR WALK
The rarest outcome
The survey that stops you buying the wrong house is the best money you ever spent.
07 / THE 30-SECOND VERSION
New-build → snagging. Post-1930 → Level 2. Older or altered → Level 3.
Still unsure? Answer three questions and the checker recommends the lightest sensible level — not the biggest invoice. Or read a real example report first.
STRAIGHT ANSWERS
Before you ask.
01What is included in a Level 2 survey?+
A visual inspection of all accessible parts of the property — including the roof space — with traffic-light condition ratings for each element, explanations of defects needing attention, and anything needing specialist investigation before you exchange. It does not include lifting floorboards or testing services.
02Is it worth paying for a Level 3 instead of a Level 2?+
For a conventional post-war house in reasonable condition, usually not. For anything older, extended, altered, unusual or in visibly poor condition, yes — the extra fee buys analysis of cause and repair options that a Level 2 does not include.
03Can I use my lender's valuation instead of a survey?+
No — a mortgage valuation confirms the property's value for the bank and may not involve an internal inspection at all. It is not a condition report and it protects the lender, not you.
04How long does a house survey take?+
A Level 2 inspection takes around 2–4 hours with the report a few working days later; a Level 3 takes half a day or more on site with the report in about a week.
05Do I need a survey on a new-build house?+
Not a traditional survey — a snagging inspection, which checks finish and workmanship against expected standards, is the right product for a new build.