Level 2 Survey Cost: Published Fees and What Affects the Quote

There is no standard price or fee scale for a Level 2 survey, and RICS does not publish one. Published fee guides give a starting range, and this page quotes two of them. If you are comparing house survey cost at Level 2 against other levels, the level itself is the first variable — but it is not the only one.

What a RICS Level 2 survey cost reflects is the property, the level of service, the time the work takes and the surveyor’s own business costs. So the useful question is not how much a Level 2 survey is in general, but what a quote for your property actually includes.

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What published fee guides say

FindTheSurveyor does not publish unsupported averages or price bands. The figures below are each publisher’s own, quoted as published and checked on 27 September 2026. They are not FindTheSurveyor quotes, averages or local prices.

Nationwide Building Society publishes its own fees for the Home Survey Level 2 reports it offers, by property value and including VAT. A selection of its bands:

Nationwide’s table does not say which of the two Level 2 products described below its fee covers.

HomeOwners Alliance, in a guide headed “How much does a house survey cost in 2026?”, gives a typical Level 2 cost of £400 – £1,000. By property value its table shows £400 – £600 for £100k – £249k, £600 – £700 for £250k – £349k, £700 – £800 for £350k – £499k and £800 – £1,000 for £500k – £1m, in a row that groups the RICS Level 2 survey with the RPSA Home Condition survey. It does not say whether VAT is included, and it says London surveys are typically more expensive because the fee depends on the value of the house.

The two publishers’ figures overlap in some bands and not in others. Neither has seen your property. Use their figures as a range check, then compare what each quote covers.

What RICS says drives the fee

RICS’s own consumer guidance sets out the factors, and they are worth reading before comparing quotes:

• the complexity of the home — “a larger, more complex home will take longer to survey, and will therefore cost more”;
• which level of survey best meets your needs;
• the time necessary to provide that level of service; and
• the firm’s associated business costs, which RICS gives as including travel time and overheads.

RICS also makes the point that a report is specific to one property at one moment, so “it may differ in cost to another”.

On duration, RICS states that an inspection “takes between two hours to a full day”, depending on the size and complexity of the property, and that for particularly large properties it may take several days. Time on site is not the whole job — the report is written afterwards — but it explains why a large or awkward property costs more than a small conventional one.

RICS’s advice on shopping around is direct: “You don’t have to go with the firm recommended by your bank or estate agent. Shop around, ask for quotes from different RICS firms and discuss your needs so you can choose the right firm for you.”

The one thing that changes the price at Level 2 and nowhere else

This is the part most cost comparisons miss, and it can make two Level 2 quotes genuinely different services.

RICS publishes two Level 2 report products:

• RICS Home Survey – Level 2 (survey only)
• RICS Home Survey – Level 2 (survey and valuation)

In the survey-only version, a market valuation and a reinstatement cost are extra services, requiring separate terms of engagement. In the survey and valuation version they are included as standard — the report carries the surveyor’s opinion of market value and an insurance reinstatement figure, and adds a whole section for it.

There is no Level 3 equivalent. At Level 3 a market valuation and reinstatement cost are always extra services. A valuation is bundled at Level 2 and only at Level 2.

So when you compare two Level 2 quotes, establish which of the two products each one is. A cheaper quote may be survey-only; a dearer one may already include the valuation you were about to pay for separately.

RICS defines the reinstatement figure precisely, and it is not the same as market value:

Reinstatement cost is the cost of rebuilding an average home of the type and style inspected to its existing standard, using modern materials and techniques, and by acting in line with current Building Regulations and other legal requirements. This includes the cost of rebuilding any garage, boundary or retaining walls and permanent outbuildings, and clearing the site. It also includes professional fees, but does not include VAT (except on fees). The reinstatement cost helps you decide on the amount of buildings insurance cover you will need for the property.

Property factors that affect the quote

From the RICS scope for Level 2, the things that lengthen an inspection:

• size — floor area, number of storeys and number of rooms;
• complexity — extensions, alterations, changes of level, outbuildings and unusual layouts;
• age and construction — the standard notes that a Level 2 service is unlikely to suit complex buildings, unique or older historic properties, or properties in neglected condition;
• access — whether the roof space is reachable, whether inspection chamber covers can be lifted safely, and whether the property is occupied and furnished; and
• location — RICS names travel time as a business cost the fee has to cover.

On age, the standard gives one figure, and it is carefully qualified: a Level 2 report on homes with traditional timber frames or those built “much before 1850” is “likely to be inconclusive and be of little use to the client”. That is guidance about suitability, not a cut-off — the standard says competence is what decides it.

Where a Level 2 is used on a property it does not suit, the standard warns of the practical outcome: it “will often result in numerous referrals for further investigations, an outcome that many clients find disappointing”. A cheaper Level 2 that ends in referrals may cost more overall than the right level first time. The difference between Level 2 and Level 3 covers that decision.

Compare the scope, not just the number

Two quotes at the same price can be different pieces of work. Ask each to state:

• which Level 2 product it is, survey only or survey and valuation;
• whether a market valuation, reinstatement cost or repair costings are included or extra;
• the report format and expected delivery time;
• what is excluded, and what would trigger a recommendation for further investigation;
• the provider’s relevant qualification or membership;
• VAT treatment and whether the figure quoted includes it; and
• availability, and how long the quote stands.

One distinction worth getting right. RICS advice about obtaining “at least two quotations” refers to quotes from contractors for repair work identified in the report — not to quotes for the survey itself. They are separate things, and conflating them leads people to expect repair pricing inside a survey fee.

VAT and the complete figure

Compare complete figures. A quote may be stated with or without VAT, and the reinstatement definition above is a reminder that VAT treatment varies even inside a single figure — RICS excludes VAT from reinstatement cost except on fees.

Ask whether the quoted amount is the total payable, and whether anything is charged separately, such as a return visit, an additional copy of the report or an extra service added later.

Level 2 or Level 3?

For the same property, a Level 3 survey normally costs more, because its inspection and report go further. That does not make it the right level for every property.

The difference between Level 2 and Level 3 sets out the decision, the Level 2 survey guide explains what the service covers, and the Level 3 survey cost guide covers the factors at that level. The house survey cost guide compares quotes across levels.

Compare quotes for the actual property

Provide the full address, the property information above and any specific concerns when posting the job. The administrator reviews the complete enquiry and sends invited surveyors only a restricted, non-identifying brief before selection.

If a quote is received and passes the administrative-completeness check, it is shown in the authenticated customer portal. A presented quote includes the price breakdown, scope, availability, delivery timing, validity date and a private documentary profile. Availability varies, so submission does not guarantee an invitation, quote or introduction.

FindTheSurveyor charges neither party a fee. You pay the professional fee directly to the surveyor.

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