Choose and use a property survey with confidence
A survey should be chosen for the property and your concerns, not simply by selecting the cheapest report. Learn what common survey levels are designed to provide, how to brief a surveyor and how to follow up important findings.
A lender's valuation is not your survey
A mortgage valuation is commissioned for the lender's purposes. It may be brief and does not give you the same scope of condition information as a survey instructed for you.
Ask prospective surveyors about inspection scope, exclusions, reporting format, access limitations and whether valuation or reinstatement-cost advice is included when you need it.
Match the inspection to the building
A conventional property in apparently reasonable condition may suit a mid-level survey. Older, altered, unusual, listed or visibly defective buildings often justify a more detailed inspection and report. The surveyor should help you choose an appropriate service after hearing about the property.
No visual survey can expose every concealed part of a building. Read limitations alongside findings and commission specialist investigations where a material issue remains unresolved.
Turn findings into decisions and questions
Separate urgent safety or legal issues from maintenance advice and longer-term improvements. Ask the surveyor to clarify wording you do not understand and share relevant matters with your conveyancer or lender where appropriate.
The Totally Moving survey-review demonstration shows how report text can be organised into questions. It does not diagnose defects, verify the surveyor's findings or replace professional advice.