A condition report on your whole house, from £349
A chartered architectural technologist walks every room, the roof you can see and the outside walls, photographs each defect and writes up what is wrong and what to repair first. The visit is in the £349. It is a visual report, not a RICS survey.
- From £349, visit included
- Photos, defects and repair priorities
- Visual inspection, not a RICS survey
What does a property condition report cost?
The fee is from £349 and the site visit is part of it, so there is no separate survey charge and no VAT to add. We inspect the whole building by eye, record each defect with a photograph and a note, and rank the repairs by how soon they matter. It suits an owner or landlord who wants the facts before spending, and a builder who needs a written starting point.
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.
What the report gives you
- A room-by-room walk of the inside, plus the roof, walls, windows, gutters and ground you can see from the outside
- A photograph and a plain-English note for every defect we find, so you can show a builder exactly where to look
- Repairs ranked into act now, plan within the year and keep an eye on
- A clear line on anything that needs a specialist, such as a structural engineer, a damp surveyor or a heating engineer
- A pointer to the next step, from a defect report on one problem to a repair scope that builders can price
How is a condition report different from a RICS survey?
A condition report is a visual record of defects made by a chartered architectural technologist. A RICS Home Survey is a standard report by an RICS-regulated surveyor, and RICS says a firm needs its licence to produce one (RICS). We do not hold that licence, so we sell the first and not the second.
The two overlap in method: neither opens up the structure. Level 1 and 2 reports leave secured panels in place (RICS). What differs is the standard, the wording and the purpose. Our report is written to help you decide which repairs to price. It is not written to a lender’s or a buyer’s standard, and it carries no valuation.
When you need the RICS survey instead
Buy the RICS survey when you are purchasing and a lender or your solicitor expects one, or when you want a surveyor’s opinion on a large, older or run-down building. RICS points buyers of that kind of property to Level 3 (RICS).
If you already own the house, or you are a landlord keeping a rental in order, the condition report usually answers the question you have, which is what is wrong and what comes first.
Whole house or one problem?
Use this report when you want the whole building looked at. If you can point at one problem, such as a stained ceiling, a bulging wall or a failing roof slope, a building defect report looks hard at that one thing and costs less.
Once you know what is wrong, a repair scope of works turns the findings into a measured list that builders can price line by line.
What the report will not say
We do not give a structural opinion, a damp diagnosis by instrument or a valuation. Where the walk-round points at cracking, movement or foundations, the report says so and names a structural engineer as the person to appoint, which our structural inspection for cracks arranges. Where it points at rising or penetrating damp that needs testing, it names a damp specialist.
That follows how we work on every report: structural calculations, engineering design and formal inspections come only through an appointed professional. The report tells you when you have reached that point, so you do not spend on the wrong repair.
Landlords: a written record of the state of the house
A landlord must keep a rented home fit for human habitation throughout the tenancy (gov.uk). Fitness is judged against the 29 hazards in the 2005 Regulations, so a dated report with photographs shows what you knew and when you acted on it.
It is not a legal certificate and it does not replace a gas or electrical safety check. It is the picture of the building that those checks do not give you.
Works that need building regulations approval
Some repairs the report points to need building regulations approval, for example replacing roof coverings, windows and doors, or a heating system (gov.uk). If your repair list includes any of them, our tender package and building regulations drawings are the next step.
The full list of what we publish for builders is on the reports page.
The rules and the standards behind it
- Level 2
- RICS describes its Level 2 survey as suited to conventional properties in reasonable condition that are simple in form and layout. RICS consumer guide: house surveys
- Level 3
- RICS suggests its Level 3 survey for a large, older or run-down property, an unusual or altered building, or a buyer planning major works. RICS consumer guide: house surveys
- No panels off
- The standard RICS inspection at Levels 1 and 2 does not remove secured panels, so it is a visual inspection of what is exposed. RICS consumer guide: house surveys
- Licence
- RICS says a firm needs its licence to produce an RICS Home Survey Report at Level 1, 2 or 3. We do not hold it and do not sell those reports. RICS Home Surveys standard
- 29 hazards
- In a rented home, fitness for human habitation is judged by reference to the 29 hazards in the Housing Health and Safety (England) Regulations 2005, among other matters. gov.uk: guide for landlords, Homes Act 2018
- Throughout
- A landlord must keep the property, including common parts, fit for human habitation at the start of the tenancy and throughout it. gov.uk: guide for landlords, Homes Act 2018
- Owned or rented
- The Housing Health and Safety Rating System is a tool for identifying and assessing risks to health and wellbeing in a home, whether rented or owned. gov.uk: HHSRS guidance for landlords
Property condition report questions
Is a property condition report the same as a RICS survey?
No. It is a visual inspection report by a chartered architectural technologist, not an RICS Home Survey, and it carries no valuation. RICS reports are produced by licensed RICS firms.
Source: RICS Home Surveys standard
Will a lender accept it for a mortgage?
Do not rely on it for that. A lender or your solicitor will usually ask for a RICS valuation or survey, so buy that if you are purchasing.
Can a builder price repairs from the condition report?
It gives a builder the defects and photographs to start from, but not measured quantities. For a list builders can price line by line, order a repair scope of works.
What if you find cracks or damp?
We record them with photographs and say what they may point to. A structural cause goes to a structural engineer, and damp that needs testing goes to a damp specialist.
Is the £349 the full price?
Yes for one property and one visit. The visit is in the fee and no VAT is added. Repairs, specialists and builders are paid separately.
Other services people book with this one
Get the whole house written down
Send the address and tell us whether you own it or let it. We reply with a visit date and the fixed fee.