What a Level 2 Survey Does Not Tell You

The standard behind the survey

RICS home surveys in the UK follow the RICS Home Survey Standard. The 1st edition has applied since 1 March 2021 and is still the one surveyors must use. A 2nd edition is in draft: in its September 2026 update RICS said it intends to publish in the first quarter of 2027, with the effective date to be announced later. Until then, the Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 services described below are the current ones.

The Level 2 survey is the service most people still call a HomeBuyer Report. It can be bought as a survey only or with a valuation. RICS describes it as most suitable for conventional houses and flats built from common materials and in reasonable condition.

What a Level 2 survey covers

• An inspection of the inside and outside of the main building and permanent outbuildings, recording the construction and significant visible defects
• The roof space, if it is safe and reasonable to enter, looking at the roof structure
• Boundary walls, fences and shared areas, walking the grounds and any neighbouring public land
• A damp meter, binoculars and a torch, with a ladder only for flat roofs and hatches up to 3m high
• A desk-top study, a check of the Energy Performance Certificate against the house, and a list of documents to ask for before you sign contracts

What it leaves out

The RICS description of the Level 2 service is clear about its limits. The surveyor does not force or open up the fabric of the building: no taking up fitted carpets or floorboards, no moving heavy furniture, no emptying cupboards or roof spaces, no removing secured panels and no undoing electrical fittings. Insulation and stored goods in the loft are not moved.

• Services are not tested. Only the visible parts are seen, so the survey cannot assess the safety or efficiency of the electrics or gas, and does not investigate the plumbing, heating or drainage, or the inside of chimneys, boilers and flues.
• No asbestos inspection. Suspected asbestos should be flagged, but the surveyor is not acting as an asbestos inspector.
• No repair costs. Costing repairs and schedules of works are listed as extra services outside the standard terms.
• No legal advice. The surveyor may point out things for your conveyancer to check, such as warranties for replacement windows, but does not read legal documents.

Condition ratings 1, 2 and 3

Each main part of the house gets a rating. Read the 3s first, then the further investigations, then the 2s.

Rating	What RICS says it means	What to do before exchange
3	Defects that are serious and/or need to be repaired, replaced or investigated urgently	RICS says to get written quotations before you commit. Price it and raise it with the seller.
2	Defects that need repairing or replacing but are not serious or urgent	Budget for it. Several 2s on an old house add up.
1	No repair currently needed; maintain the property in the normal way	Nothing beyond normal maintenance.
NI	Not inspected	Ask why, and whether the element needs checking by someone else.
R	Documents to request before you sign contracts	Pass the list to your conveyancer.

What “further investigation” means

Where the surveyor cannot reach a conclusion with reasonable confidence, the standard expects a recommendation for further investigation. On period houses this often appears against drains, electrics, heating, timbers hidden under floors, roofs seen only from the ground, and cracks. It is not a box-ticking exercise: it is the surveyor telling you they could not see enough to judge, and that the answer, and the cost, sits with someone else. Get those investigations done before exchange, while you can still renegotiate or walk away.

Level 2 or Level 3?

	Level 2	Level 3
Suits	Conventional houses in reasonable condition	Large, older, run-down, unusual or altered houses, or where major works are planned
Inspection	Visual, of significant visible defects	More thorough; small corners of loft insulation lifted where safe
Opening up	None	None without the owner's consent or where there is a risk of damage
Services	Visible parts only, no tests	Visible parts only, no specialist tests
Report	Concise, with repair and maintenance advice	Detailed: likely causes, hidden risks and, where agreed, estimated costs and timescales
Contamination	No enquiries made	Enquiries made

For a Victorian or Edwardian terrace that has been extended, had chimney breasts removed or a loft converted, RICS guidance points towards Level 3. Neither level tests the services, so the checks below apply either way.

Checks to get on a London period house before exchange

Check	Who does it	Why it matters on a period house	Indicative cost
Drain CCTV survey	Drainage contractor	Old clay drains crack and root; the run is often under the house or garden	£85–£350 (Checkatrade guide, 2025)
Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)	Registered electrician	Wiring age and alterations are unknown; surveys do not check electrical safety	£200–£250 for a 3-bed house (MyBuilder guide)
Gas and heating check	Gas Safe registered engineer	Boiler, flue and pipework condition and safety	Ask for a quote
Roof inspection	Roofer, from scaffold or a cherry picker	Valleys, parapet gutters and rear slopes are hidden from the street	Depends on access
Structural opinion	Structural engineer or chartered surveyor	Cracks, bay windows, removed chimney breasts and walls	Ask for a quote
Damp and timber	Independent damp surveyor	Old walls are often misdiagnosed as rising damp	£200–£600 (Checkatrade guide, updated 2023)

The cost figures are indicative market ranges from the named consumer sites, not Alstruct prices, and the sources do not say whether VAT is included. London prices often sit at the top of national ranges.

Drains

Thames Water says you are responsible for the drainage pipes within your boundary that serve only your property; pipes shared with neighbours became its responsibility from 1 October 2011. In a terrace the drain may run under the house or neighbouring gardens, and a camera survey shows cracks, roots and displaced joints that a surveyor cannot see from a lifted manhole cover. If you plan to extend over a drain, read our guide to build over agreements.

Electrics and heating

Electrical Safety First points out that buyers often assume the survey checks the electrics, and it does not. Ask the seller for an EICR from the last ten years, and certificates for any recent work; if there is none, get one. Gas Safe Register advises asking for gas safety records and booking a check by a registered engineer if there are none or the last one is over a year old.

Roof, structure and damp

London period roofs hide their weak points: valley gutters behind parapets, lead flashings and rear slopes. See our guides to leaking lead roof valleys and bay window structural problems. For damp, get an independent view before you accept a quote for injection or tanking; our guide to basement and cellar damp explains the options below ground.

Putting a price on what the survey finds

A condition rating tells you something needs doing; it does not tell you what it costs. On Alstruct's published London figures, a full rewire of a three-bedroom Victorian terrace is typically £10,000–£16,000 and a full new heating system £8,000–£15,000, and a partial renovation with a rewire, new heating and replastering £45,000–£100,000, all excluding VAT. See our Victorian terrace renovation cost guide for the full breakdown.

Share the survey and the specialist reports with your conveyancer and lender. Whether a price reduction or a retention is the right answer in your case is a question for your conveyancer.

How Alstruct helps

We do not carry out RICS surveys or valuations. We work alongside your surveyor: our pre-purchase advice service reads your Level 2 or Level 3 report, visits the house or reviews it by video, and gives you a written, itemised budget for the essential repairs and the works you plan. The fee is from £500 + VAT, credited in full if you appoint Alstruct for the works within six months of the report.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• RICS: Description of the RICS Home Survey Level 2 (survey only)
• RICS: Description of the RICS Home Survey Level 3
• RICS: Home surveys and the Home Survey Standard
• RICS: Home Survey Standard 2nd edition, September 2026 update
• RICS: Helping you choose the right survey
• Electrical Safety First: advice for home buyers
• Gas Safe Register: buying or selling a home
• Thames Water: sewer pipe responsibility
• Checkatrade: CCTV drain survey cost guide
• MyBuilder: EICR certificate cost guide

This guide is general information, checked against the sources above on 13 November 2026. It is not legal or survey advice: ask your conveyancer and surveyor about your own purchase.