Surveys for sellers · London & the Home Counties
Surveys for Sellers
Selling a home? A survey carried out for you shows what your buyer's own surveyor is likely to find — so you can deal with issues on your terms, protect your asking price and keep the sale on track.
Surveys for Sellers
Thinking of selling? A survey of your own reveals what a buyer's surveyor will report before it costs you a negotiation. Sort the small issues, prepare for the bigger ones, and go to market in control. Level 2 from £650+VAT, Level 3 from £900+VAT.
Market context
The way homes are sold is being reformed
The government has set out a roadmap to make buying and selling faster and less likely to fall through. A central idea is that sellers provide much more information up front — in a “sales pack” prepared before a home is even listed — so buyers know what they're taking on before they make an offer. Those proposals talk about upfront information that would include some form of property condition report, sitting alongside searches and legal details. What isn't settled yet is the important part: what that report would actually contain, how detailed it would be, and whether a qualified surveyor would need to produce it at all. The legislation to make any of this compulsory is expected towards the end of this Parliament, with further consultation to come first, so a mandatory condition report could still be several years away and its final shape is far from decided.
Our view: whatever the reforms eventually require, buyers will still commission their own independent survey for real reassurance. A seller's survey today puts you ahead of both the buyer and the paperwork — on your own terms, rather than to a specification that hasn't been written yet.
Timing matters
Don't get caught out by your buyer's survey
Most sales wobble at the same moment. The buyer's survey lands and turns up something the seller never saw coming, and suddenly there's a renegotiation, a delay, or a buyer walking away. A survey of your own turns that surprise into something you've already planned for.
- See what a buyer's surveyor sees — the same defects, condition ratings and red flags a buyer's report would raise, in your hands first while you still have time to act.
- Decide what's worth doing — fix the quick, inexpensive items that make a poor impression, and make an informed choice about the bigger ones rather than being forced into them mid-sale.
- Protect your asking price — price with the facts on the table and you're far harder to knock down; it's the late surprises that cost sellers money, not the defects themselves.
- Cut the risk of a fall-through — fewer nasty surprises for the buyer means fewer renegotiations, fewer delays and a much lower chance of the sale collapsing.
- Answer enquiries with confidence — know the issues before your solicitor's forms and the buyer's enquiries land.
- Stay ready for the reforms — whatever upfront information ends up being required, you'll already understand your home's condition.
What buyers will see
Our reports are written for buyers — so you see exactly what they'll weigh up
Every survey we produce is prepared for a buyer, and that's the point. When you commission one as a seller, you don't get a softened, seller-friendly version. You read the same report, with the same condition ratings and the same recommendations your buyer would sit down with. Our surveys rate each part of the home on a simple three-point scale, and it's the first thing a buyer's eye goes to.
A buyer's report will typically flag damp, condensation and timber problems; the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters (drone photography included as standard); movement, cracking and structural concerns; older or unusual construction and past alterations; the state of services and drainage; and the repairs a buyer's solicitor will want raised as enquiries.
To see precisely what you're up against, look at the reports themselves: Level 2 HomeBuyer Report and Level 3 Building Survey.
Choosing a level
Which seller's survey is right for your home?
The two levels mirror exactly what a buyer would choose, so you can match your report to the level of scrutiny your home is likely to attract. As a simple rule of thumb, pick the survey a buyer of your home would most likely commission.
RICS LEVEL 2
HomeBuyer Report
Best suited to conventional houses, flats and bungalows in reasonable condition and of a fairly typical age.
- Clear 1–2–3 condition ratings
- Visible defects and serious hazards identified
- Budget guidance for the repairs a buyer would notice
- A drone roof inspection
- A free Solicitor's Summary
From £650+VAT — typical fee around £850+VAT.
RICS LEVEL 3
Building Survey
Best suited to older, extended, altered, non-standard or run-down properties.
- Our most detailed inspection, examining the home element by element
- Explains what's wrong, what it means and what to do
- Prioritised repairs and the consequences of leaving them
- Drone photography of roofs and chimneys
- A free Solicitor's Summary
From £900+VAT — typical fee around £1,200+VAT.
Included with every survey
A free Solicitor's Summary with every survey
Every survey we carry out comes with a free Solicitor's Summary. It distils the key findings into the issues and risks that carry legal weight, so you can see in plain English exactly what your buyer's solicitor is likely to pick up on and raise as enquiries. Most firms either charge for a document like this or don't provide one at all.
Process
How it works
It's simple, and it runs on your timescale.
Tell us about the property
We'll confirm the right level and a fixed fee.
We inspect the home
A RICS-regulated surveyor visits, with drone photography of the roof included.
You get your report
The full buyer's-style report, plus your free Solicitor's Summary, written in plain English.
You stay in control
Fix, prepare or disclose, and go to market knowing exactly what's coming.
Fees
Clear pricing, no surprises
Fees depend on the size, age, location and condition of your home, so there's no single flat price. So you know where you stand from the outset, here's where our prices start and what most sellers pay.
| Survey | Starting from | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|
| Level 2 — HomeBuyer Report | from £650+VAT | typical around £850+VAT |
| Level 3 — Building Survey | from £900+VAT | typical around £1,200+VAT |
Every survey includes a free Solicitor's Summary. Optional extras, such as a market valuation (from £199+VAT) and a buildings reinstatement figure for insurance (from £80+VAT), can be added if you'd find them useful.
Common questions
Sellers often ask
Do I really need a survey if I'm the one selling?
You're not required to have one. But a survey of your own is the only way to know what your buyer's surveyor will report before they report it. Sellers who go in blind are the ones who get caught out by a mid-sale renegotiation.
Won't the government's reforms make this compulsory anyway?
Possibly, in time. The proposals point towards more upfront information, which may include a condition report of some kind. But the detail hasn't been decided, the legislation is expected towards the end of this Parliament, and a mandatory report could be several years away. A seller's survey gives you useful answers now.
If I get a survey, does my buyer still need one?
Most buyers, and their mortgage lenders, will still want their own independent survey, and that's fine. The value of yours is that you already know what theirs is likely to say, so nothing should come as a shock.
Which level should I choose?
As a rough guide, a Level 2 suits a conventional home in reasonable condition, while a Level 3 suits older, altered, unusual or run-down properties. Match the level a buyer of your home would most likely commission, and we're happy to advise when you ask for a quote.
Will a survey scare buyers off if it finds problems?
In practice it's the opposite. Knowing about an issue lets you deal with it before a buyer ever sees it. Problems discovered late, when trust is already stretched, are what lose sales.
Do I get the same report a buyer would?
Yes. Our reports are written for buyers, and that doesn't change when a seller commissions one. You read the same condition ratings, defects and recommendations, which is exactly why it makes such a useful preview.
Sell on the front foot
Get a fixed-fee quote for a seller's survey and find out what your buyer's surveyor would — before it costs you a negotiation.
Pricing shown is indicative and starts from the figures stated; the final fee depends on the property's size, age, location and condition. References to the government's home buying and selling reforms describe proposals under consultation at the time of writing and may change.