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A basic condition report might cost £300-£900, while a comprehensive building survey (Level 3) could range from £630 to £1500 or more.
While it might seem expensive to spend £1,000 or more on a building survey, the potential savings can be far greater. Consider this: if a survey helps you renegotiate the price by £5,000, or avoid buying a home that needs £20,000 in structural repairs, it has more than paid for itself.
Purchasing a property will be one of the largest financial decisions you will ever make. As a new family home or as a long-term investment as well, you have to be sure what you are prepared to pay for. Sadly, there may be all kinds of issues lurking behind the facade of a property that do not become immediately apparent at a casual glance. The estate agent will encourage a potential purchaser to give: structural flaws and dampness are all there, but also subsidence and rotten timber.
Here it is that a building survey comes in handy. However, unlike the significance of a survey, the price might be misleading. Depending on many factors such as the size of the property, its age, its location, and many others, building surveys might significantly differ in price. Most of the buyers are wondering how much a building survey will cost in the UK.
This guide is going to help you answer that question in detail and tell you what to expect of cost depending on your situation and how to avoid paying over the odds. If you are going to purchase a property or you just need to know how much building surveys would cost in the UK, this guide will help you.
So, before we start, we should understand what a building survey is in the first place. The most comprehensive kind of property inspection that can be commissioned is a building survey, previously referred to as a structural survey. It is carried out by a RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) certified surveyor and gives a thorough inspection of the status of a property.
A building survey is in-depth, unlike simpler reports. It evaluates all the visible defects, as well as the potential problems which may turn into huge costs in the future. This includes:
It usually contains suggestions concerning the additional studies, cost estimations of the repairs, and a description of the possible problems in future.
Surveying a building before purchasing it may be an expensive option, but it is not advisable to ignore this option because of cost savings, particularly in a market full of competing houses. The initial expense of a building survey may appear to be high, but think along these lines:
A complete building survey is not only advisable in the case of older homes, odd buildings, or properties where the problems are visible, but it is a necessity. The reassurance it gives is frequently worth the cost, even when it is applied to more recent properties.
The typical cost for a building survey in the UK falls between £500 and £1,500. This is, however, a general range. It might cost you more or less, depending on various factors, and we will look at them in greater detail.
A majority of surveyors do not provide level fees. They, in turn, compute costs about:
It is needless to say that bigger properties are more costly to survey. A flat, one bedroom, may need only a few hours to view and write up by comparison with a big six-bedroom country house, with outbuildings, taking days.
The more time the surveyor spends, the more you will pay. For small flats, expect to pay closer to £500–£700, while a large home could push your survey cost above £1,500.
In older houses, especially constructed before the 1900s, better inspection is normally required. They are more prone to wear and tear, poor building materials, or even the results of past renovations that would require serious consideration.
As an example, a Georgian or Victorian house might ask the surveyor to search:
The additional work hours and the time spent to do it exactly well will tally with your quote.
Does the house show evidence of being in need of repair? And in that case, it will take more time to survey. The poorer the condition is, the higher the chance that a full survey will reveal numerous defects needing further analysis.
Although the property may appear perfectly okay to the eye of the beholder, surveyors can increase the cost of surveying your house if it has been marked before as subsidence-damp-moved.
The survey costs are also determined by the kind of home:
Flats, although smaller, are also problematic, unless they are in converted buildings, particularly those that are in Grade II or conservation areas.
Brick houses are uniform and not fixed with timber frames, thatched roofs, and not painted with non-standard materials such as steel or reinforced concrete; such homes are easier and cheaper to check.
These non-conventional constructions involve extra checks, experience, as well as, in many cases, special insurance advice - this increases the cost.
High-cost places such as London, Surrey or Oxfordshire attract more charges from surveyors. You might pay an extra £200–£300 for a London-based property compared to one in Newcastle or Leeds.
The travelling expenses may also be involved. If the surveyor is located at a distance away, they can put a charging scheme in place in terms of mileage or a day rate to compensate for the time spent and fuel used in travelling.
Extremely skilled or sought-after surveyors are expensive to hire, and in many cases, there is a reason. Their reports can be more detailed, explanatory, and have more updated inspection instrumentation, such as:
Such characteristics are able to increase the practicality of the survey to an impressive degree, but can also increase the price.
Although the headline cost of the survey is merely one aspect of the game, here are some other costs that you will perhaps incur:
In case of the likelihood of problems indicated by the building survey, like asbestos, cracking in the structure, or rotting timber, the surveyor can suggest the use of specialist examinations.
These are additional services, and they are not covered in the base survey charge.
Where one of the parties, i.e., the seller, will undertake repair work and you desire the surveyor to inspect it, he or she might require a re-inspection fee. This can range from £100 to £250, depending on how far they need to travel and what’s involved.
This may not include a valuation that you may wish to have on a mortgage or personal basis. Some surveyors bundle it in for an additional £100 to £200, but others will refer you to a separate valuation specialist.
In a hurry to get a survey? Some surveyors are willing to work at weekends or provide priority services at a price, provided you are in a hurry to finalise a property deal. This express service can add £100 to £300 on top of the usual cost.
To gain insight into the value for money, it is useful to draw a parallel between the building survey and other sorts of prevalent property surveys:
The following are some viable means through which you can cut down on the expenses of your survey without losing quality:
There are big differences in prices among surveyors. Using three to five accredited RICS professionals enables you to make comparisons of quotations and the level of service. Remember to clarify what is included, particularly VAT, photos and electronic reports included in the price.
Local surveyors are likely to be familiar with the building problems central to the area (such as flooding or the presence of clay soil) and might be cheaper to travel to you. They can give a report that is more precise and precise due to their experience.
There are packages that are offered by some estate agents/conveyancers which will incorporate surveys. These are, however, hit and miss and always ensure that the surveyor is independent and is not employed by the seller.
It is not the price in question, but the quality of the report that is important. The following would be the criteria to use during the selection process of a building surveyor:
Read online reviews, enquire on insurance cover and see that the surveyor is independent, preferably one with no affiliations to the seller or his agent.
Not only can a good building survey reveal where the problems are, but it can also inform and guide your knowledge on what kind of property you have, how you might want to redevelop it later and what surprises not to look forward to (because they might be nasty). It does cost an investment, however, in both mind and money.
Costs of various services and materials in this cost guide should be taken as estimates. These depend on location, preference and demands in the market.