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Property Survey & Valuation Checklists
Practical, step-by-step checklists to help homebuyers, sellers, landlords and investors prepare for property surveys, valuations and inspections. Use these guides to make sure nothing gets missed.
Before Your Home Survey: Preparation Checklist
What to do before the surveyor arrives, to make sure the inspection is thorough and nothing is missed.
- Confirm the survey date, time and type (Level 2 or Level 3) in writing with your surveyor.
- Inform the estate agent or vendor that a survey is booked and confirm access to the whole property including the loft, cellar and garage.
- If the property is occupied, ask the vendor to clear the loft hatch area and ensure all rooms are accessible.
- Request that utilities are connected — the surveyor needs electricity and gas live to test the heating and hot water system.
- Ask the vendor to unlock all external doors, outbuildings and side gates so the surveyor can inspect the full plot.
- If you have particular concerns (a crack you noticed, a damp patch, a sloping floor), write them down and share them with your surveyor before the inspection.
- Arrange for any pets to be secured or removed from the property during the inspection.
- Check that the surveyor has your correct contact details and knows how you want to receive the report.
- If you want to attend the survey, agree this with the surveyor in advance — most are happy for you to be present, but ask that you save questions until the end.
Before Your Valuation: Preparation Checklist
What to prepare for a residential property valuation, whether for tax, probate, matrimonial or lending purposes.
- Confirm the purpose of the valuation in writing — the valuer needs to know whether it is for tax (CGT, IHT, SDLT), probate, matrimonial, Help to Buy or mortgage lending.
- If it is a retrospective valuation, confirm the valuation date (the date as at which the property is to be valued).
- Gather any planning permissions, building regulation completion certificates, guarantees and warranties for work done to the property.
- Compile a list of major improvements with approximate dates and costs — extensions, loft conversions, new kitchens and bathrooms, replacement windows, rewiring, re-roofing.
- Measure the gross internal floor area if you can, or provide the floor plan from the original purchase or an EPC.
- Note the council tax band, the EPC rating, and the tenure (freehold, leasehold, or shared ownership).
- If leasehold: have the lease term remaining, ground rent and service charge figures ready. For shared ownership, have the percentage owned and the terms of staircasing.
- For probate valuations: have the date of death and any relevant grant of probate or letters of administration to hand.
- For matrimonial valuations: confirm whether the valuation is for a single joint expert or for one party only.
- Ensure clear access to all rooms, the loft and the exterior — the valuer needs to see the full extent of the property.
Pre-Purchase Survey Readiness Checklist
A comprehensive checklist for homebuyers, from instructing the survey through to understanding the report.
- Decide which survey level is right for your property: Level 2 for conventional properties in reasonable condition; Level 3 for older, larger, listed or altered properties.
- Do not rely on the mortgage valuation — it is for the lender, not you. A mortgage valuation does not assess the property's condition.
- Instruct your surveyor directly, not through the estate agent — this keeps the surveyor independent and working in your interest.
- Book the survey as soon as your offer is accepted, to avoid delays later in the conveyancing process.
- Share the property's listing details, age, construction type and any known history with your surveyor before the inspection.
- Ask your surveyor when you can expect the report — typically 3 to 5 working days after inspection.
- When you receive the report, read it in full. Pay particular attention to condition rating 3 items (defects requiring urgent attention).
- If anything in the report is unclear, call your surveyor. You are entitled to a conversation about the findings — there is no extra charge for this.
- Use the survey report to renegotiate the purchase price if significant defects were not reflected in the asking price. Many buyers recover several times the cost of the survey this way.
- If the survey recommends further investigations — such as a damp specialist report, electrical inspection or structural engineer assessment — obtain quotes before exchange of contracts.
- Share the relevant sections of the survey with your solicitor or conveyancer, particularly anything affecting the title, boundaries, rights of way or lease terms.
Post-Survey: What to Do Next
You have your survey report. Here is what to do next, step by step, to protect your purchase.
- Read the survey report the same day you receive it. Do not file it unread — every day that passes is a day the vendor could accept another offer.
- Separate the defects into three categories: (a) safety issues that must be fixed before moving in, (b) repairs needed within the first year, and (c) maintenance to plan for over the next 5 years.
- For category (a) items — such as unsafe electrics, gas leaks, structural instability — get firm repair quotes now, before exchange. Ask your solicitor to raise these as enquiries.
- For category (b) items — such as a roof repair that is not urgent, or repointing that will be needed — obtain ballpark costs and factor them into your budget.
- If the survey reveals defects that were not apparent during your viewings, use the report as a negotiating tool. Provide the relevant pages to the estate agent as evidence for a price reduction.
- If you are buying with a mortgage, check whether any survey condition rating 3 items affect the lender's valuation. Serious defects may cause the lender to retain part of the mortgage advance until repairs are completed.
- Obtain buildings insurance quotes that reflect the property's condition as revealed by the survey. Some insurers will ask to see the survey before quoting.
- Keep the survey report — it is not a single-use document. It forms your baseline for future maintenance planning and can be shared with contractors when obtaining repair quotes.
- If the surveyor flagged any areas they could not access (such as a locked room, a full loft, or a flat roof that could not be seen), decide whether you need those areas reinspected before exchange.
- For leasehold properties: forward any survey comments about the building's structure, common parts or service charge items to your solicitor — these may affect your understanding of the lease obligations.
Quick Reference: Which Survey Do I Need?
RICS Level 2
Standard construction, built within the last 50 years, appears to be in reasonable condition.
Conventional modern homes · Flats · Bungalows
RICS Level 3
Older than 50 years, listed, unusual construction, altered, in poor repair, or you plan major works.
Period homes · Listed buildings · Renovation projects
Valuation Only
You need a market value for tax, probate, matrimonial or lending purposes, not a condition assessment.
Red Book · Tax · Probate · Matrimonial
Not sure which survey you need? Call us with the property details and we will advise you — there is no charge for the conversation and no obligation.
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