Property reports for London homes, from £319
A chartered architectural technologist visits, photographs what is wrong and writes it up at a fee you can read before you book. Choose the whole house, one problem, or a repair list builders can price.
What property reports do we write, and what do they cost?
Three reports, each with the visit included and no VAT to add: a building defect report for one problem from £319, a property condition report for the whole house from £349, a repair scope of works from £429, and a structural inspection for cracks from £395, carried out by a structural engineer we arrange within the fee. The first three are visual inspections written for owners, landlords and builders. None is a RICS survey, and where something needs an engineer the report says so.
Reports and prices
Property survey reports
- Property condition report£349The whole house walked and photographed, with a written list of defects and what to repair first
- Building defect report£319One problem inspected: the likely cause, the repair options and who to call next
- Structural inspection for cracks£395A structural engineer inspects your cracks or movement, and we arrange the visit and the brief
- Repair scope of works£429A measured list of repairs after fire, flood or a leak, so every builder prices the same job
Structural calculations, engineering design and formal inspections are provided only through an appointed professional, such as a structural engineer or a building control surveyor. These reports do not replace them: where a report finds something that needs one, it says so and names the kind of professional to appoint.
Which report for which problem?
Pick by how much you want looked at. One visible problem means a defect report. A whole house you want to understand before spending means a condition report. Damage that builders must price, after a fire, a flood or a leak, means a repair scope.
Each report page says in its first lines what it covers, and links to the other two, so you can switch before you pay.
- A leaking roof, a wet wall or a cellar that floods: [building defect report](/property-survey-reports/building-defect-report), from £319
- A house you own or let and want written up room by room: [property condition report](/property-survey-reports/property-condition-report), from £349
- Damage that needs a measured list for builders and an insurer to read: [repair scope of works](/property-survey-reports/repair-scope-of-works), from £429
- Cracks, movement or a sloping floor: a structural engineer is the right professional. Our [structural inspection for cracks](/property-survey-reports/structural-inspection-cracks), from £395, sends one, and the defect and condition reports tell you when you have reached that point
What can a visual inspection tell you, and what can it not?
A visual inspection tells you what is on show: staining, slipped tiles, cracked render, blocked gutters, signs of where water is getting in. It cannot tell you what is behind a sealed panel, under a floor or inside a wall. RICS says even its Level 1 and 2 surveys leave secured panels in place (RICS).
So our reports give likely causes and repair options, not certainties, and they say what we could not see. Structural calculations, engineering design and formal inspections come only through an appointed professional, and the report tells you when to appoint one.
If you are buying and need a RICS survey, buy it from an RICS firm. We do not sell Level 1, 2 or 3 reports.
Measured and topographical surveys
A condition report records defects. It does not produce scaled drawings. If you need the building measured for drawings, our measured building survey is a fixed £150 per visit for our own drawing work.
For a stand-alone measured or topographical survey, our sister site DrawingsDirect sells them: see its measured building survey page.
What comes after the report?
A defect or condition report ends with a ranked list or a named cause. A repair scope turns that into a priced job. For refurbishments, the builder-side reports on the builders and construction reports hub pick up from there, and the whole range is on the reports page.
Property report questions
Are these RICS surveys?
No. They are visual inspection reports by a chartered architectural technologist. RICS Home Survey reports are produced by RICS-licensed firms, and we do not hold that licence.
Is the visit included in the fee?
Yes. Every report here includes the visit, and no VAT is added; the crack inspection includes the structural engineer’s visit. Builders, and any engineer’s repair design, are paid separately.
Which report should I buy first?
If you can point at one problem, a defect report. If you want the whole house understood, a condition report. If the damage is already clear and builders need to price it, a repair scope.
What if you find a structural problem?
The report records what we see and says to appoint a structural engineer. We do not give structural opinions ourselves; our structural inspection for cracks, from £395, arranges the engineer for you.
Do you do topographical surveys?
Not as a report here. Measured and topographical surveys are sold by our sister site DrawingsDirect, and we measure houses for our own drawing work.
Tell us what is wrong
Send the address and a line on the problem. We recommend the right report and give you the fixed fee.