Level 2 and Level 3 home surveys, fees, certificates, damp and defects — from an RICS-regulated practice in East Ham, London.
The short version. MSR Surveying Ltd is an RICS-regulated building surveying practice at 311 High Street North, East Ham, London E12 6SL, covering London, Essex and the Home Counties. A RICS Home Survey Level 2 starts from £399 and a RICS Home Survey Level 3 from £499. Every report is delivered within 3 to 5 working days of the inspection, and quotes are free and fixed for your property.
Call 020 3318 9426, email info@msrsurveying.co.uk or request a quote.
These are the questions buyers, owners and developers ask us most often, answered plainly. Jump to a section, or read straight through.
If the property is a conventional house or flat in reasonable condition that has not been extensively altered, a RICS Home Survey Level 2 is normally the right report. If it is older, larger, unusual, altered or extended, in poor condition, or you are planning major work, choose a Level 3. Compare them side by side in our Level 2 vs Level 3 guide.
A Level 2 is a visual, non-invasive inspection that rates each part of the property 1, 2 or 3 and flags what needs attention. A Level 3 goes further: it describes the condition in detail, explains the likely causes of the defects found, sets out the repair options and the risk of leaving them. A Level 2 starts from £399 and a Level 3 from £499.
A Level 1 is the most basic RICS home survey, intended for conventional modern properties in good condition where you only want a broad view of the state of the building. It does not go into the detail most buyers want. MSR Surveying carries out Level 2 and Level 3 home surveys, which are the two reports buyers in London usually need.
Yes. A mortgage valuation is carried out for the lender, to confirm the property is worth what you are borrowing against. It is not a survey of condition and it is not written for you. A RICS Home Survey Level 2 or Level 3 is instructed by you, and it tells you what is actually wrong with the building.
A new build can still be handed over with defects, which is why snagging inspections exist. A snagging survey lists the items for the developer to put right. If you are the one building or converting, what you are more likely to need is a Professional Consultants Certificate for your buyers and their lenders.
Yes. A RICS Home Survey Level 2 is commonly used for conventional flats in reasonable condition, and we carry out Level 2 surveys on flats across London. Where a flat sits in an older converted building, has been altered, or there are concerns about the structure of the block as a whole, a Level 3 is usually the better choice.
Yes. Owners instruct surveys to understand a defect before selling, to plan repairs or a renovation, or to settle a disagreement about a building. Depending on what you need that may be a Level 3 building survey, a specific defect report on one problem, or a schedule of condition.
It is the RICS Home Survey Level 2, formerly called the HomeBuyer Report. An RICS-qualified surveyor carries out a visual, non-invasive inspection and rates each part of the property 1, 2 or 3, so you can see at a glance what is sound, what needs attention and what is urgent. Fees start from £399.
Condition rating 1 means no repair is currently needed. Rating 2 means a defect that needs attention but is not serious or urgent. Rating 3 means a defect that is serious, or that needs repairing, replacing or investigating urgently. The ratings let you read the priorities out of a report without going through every line.
Not automatically; a Level 2 is a condition report. MSR Surveying is an RICS Registered Valuer practice, so a valuation can be carried out as separate work when you need one, for example for a Help to Buy repayment or a shared ownership staircasing. Ask about it when you request your quote.
No. A Level 2 inspection is visual and non-invasive, so the surveyor does not open up the structure or cause damage. Where something cannot be seen or reached, the report says so and recommends further investigation rather than guessing. That is one of the reasons the Level 3 report exists for more complex property.
A Level 2 identifies and rates the defects and tells you what needs attention or further investigation. If you want the likely cause of a defect, the repair options available and the risk of leaving it, that is a Level 3 building survey. Our own fees for both are set out on the survey costs page.
Usually not. Period and older homes, and anything that has been altered or extended, are exactly the cases the RICS Home Survey Level 3 is designed for. On a Victorian terrace there is normally movement history, roof and chimney work and past alterations to understand, and a Level 3 explains the cause rather than only the symptom.
It is the most detailed RICS home survey. You get a detailed account of the property condition, the likely causes of the defects found, the repair options and the risk of leaving them. It suits period and older homes, larger or unusual properties, altered and extended homes and anything in poor condition. Fees start from £499.
In practice, yes. Full structural survey is the older term people still use, and the RICS Home Survey Level 3 is the report that took its place. If a seller, a buyer or a lender asks you for a full structural survey, a Level 3 building survey is what they mean.
Choose a Level 3 for period or older homes, larger or unusual properties, anything altered or extended, property in poor condition, and before major renovation. The extra cost is small set against finding structural movement, a failed roof or an unauthorised alteration after you have completed. A Level 3 starts from £499.
A Level 3 sets out the likely cause of each defect, the repair options and the consequence of doing nothing, which is what you need in order to negotiate or to plan work. It is not a priced schedule of works. Where you need costs for tendering, see specifications and tender documents.
No. Even on a Level 3 the inspection is carried out without causing damage to the property. What changes is how far the surveyor goes in interpreting what is visible and in explaining cause and consequence. Where a defect cannot be assessed without opening up, the report says so and names the further investigation needed.
It is the sensible starting point. Before committing to a renovation you want to know the condition of the roof, walls, floors and services, which defects have to be dealt with first, and what the existing structure will allow. A Level 3 gives you that, which is why we recommend it ahead of major work.
A RICS Home Survey Level 2 with MSR Surveying starts from £399. The final fee depends on the property itself, so the quote is given for your specific address rather than read off a list. There is a full breakdown of what moves the price on our survey costs page.
A RICS Home Survey Level 3 with MSR Surveying starts from £499, with the final fee set by the property. Larger, older, altered and poor-condition properties take longer to inspect and longer to write up, which is what moves the figure. Send us the address and you get a fixed fee for it.
Because there is more work in it. A Level 3 takes longer on site, covers more of the building, and the report explains the cause of each defect, the repair options and the risk of leaving it rather than only rating what the surveyor can see. On our fees that difference starts at £100.
Size, age, construction type, condition, how much the property has been altered or extended, and location. A large Victorian house that has been extended twice takes far longer than a modern two-bedroom flat. That is why we quote per property. The factors are listed in full on the survey costs page.
No. You are quoted one fee for the survey before you instruct us, and that is the fee you pay. If something comes to light that needs work outside the survey, such as a valuation or a specific defect investigation, we tell you what it is and what it costs before anything is done.
Yes. Getting a price from MSR Surveying costs nothing and carries no obligation. Send the property address and a few details through the quote form, or call 020 3318 9426, and you will get a fixed fee for that property rather than a range.
A PCC is quoted per project rather than from a price list, because the fee follows the location, the type of construction and the build cost. Request a PCC quote with those details and we will give you a figure for your scheme.
A survey is the one cost in a purchase that can save you a multiple of itself. Serious defects such as structural movement, roof failure, damp or unauthorised alterations are either negotiated on price, dealt with before exchange, or paid for by you afterwards. From £399 it is the cheapest part of the transaction.
Your report is delivered within 3 to 5 working days of the inspection, for a Level 2 and for a Level 3 alike. The inspection itself has to be arranged around access to the property, so the sooner access is agreed with the agent or vendor, the sooner the report reaches you.
Three steps: request a quote with the property address, accept the fixed fee, and we arrange the inspection with the agent or vendor. Start on the booking page or the quote form, call 020 3318 9426, or email info@msrsurveying.co.uk.
You read it by condition rating, deal with the rating 3 items first, and decide whether anything needs further investigation, a renegotiation on price, or work before exchange. We have written that process up in full: see what happens after your survey report.
London, Essex and the Home Counties, from our office at 311 High Street North, East Ham, London E12 6SL. There is a page for each area we work in, from the E postcodes of east London through the City, north, west and south London, Essex, Hertfordshire and the TW postcodes. See areas we cover.
An RICS-qualified surveyor from MSR Surveying Ltd, an RICS-regulated firm. The practice is led by its founder, Saqib Riaz BSc (Hons) MCIOB AssocRICS, an RICS Registered Valuer with over 15 years of experience in residential and commercial surveying across London, Essex and the Home Counties.
Yes. MSR Surveying Ltd is an RICS-regulated firm, office number 241194 on the RICS register, based at 311 High Street North, East Ham, London E12 6SL. Regulation means the firm works to RICS professional standards and is covered by RICS complaints handling and redress requirements.
A PCC is a certificate confirming that a new-build, converted or extensively renovated property was inspected at key stages of construction and is in general compliance with Building Regulations. It is what allows a buyer and their lender to proceed where there is no structural warranty. Full detail on the PCC page.
No. A PCC is a professional certificate, not insurance, and it carries no defects liability period. A structural warranty is an insurance product. A PCC is the cost-effective route where no warranty was taken out, and it is accepted by most lenders, but it does not insure the building.
Six or ten years from the date of certification, depending on the certificate issued for the project. Buyers and their lenders will want to know which period applies, so it is worth settling that at the point you instruct the certificate rather than at the point of sale.
A Professional Consultants Certificate is recognised by UK Finance, formerly the Council of Mortgage Lenders, and is accepted by most mortgage lenders. Individual lenders set their own criteria, so always check with the specific lender before relying on it for a sale.
Self-builders, small developers and conversion projects whose buyers or lenders need one because there is no structural warranty on the property. If you are selling a home you built or converted and the buyer lender is asking for cover, a PCC is usually the answer.
Yes. A structural warranty is available as well as the certificate route, and the PCC page sets out when the upgrade makes sense. A warranty is insurance and carries a defects liability period, so it is the stronger product wherever buyers or lenders require insurance-backed cover.
A snagging inspection on a new build lists the defects and unfinished work for the developer to put right, before or after legal completion. It is not a RICS home survey and it is not about structural condition: it is a defect list you can hand to the housebuilder. See snagging surveys.
An independent damp report. It establishes whether you are dealing with rising damp, penetrating damp or condensation, because the three have different causes and different remedies. An independent surveyor has no treatment to sell, which matters when a damp-proofing contractor has already quoted for work.
Rising damp comes up through the structure from the ground. Penetrating damp comes in from outside through a defect such as failed pointing, a blocked gutter or a leaking roof. Condensation forms inside, from moisture in the air and poor ventilation. Getting the diagnosis right decides whether the fix is modest or expensive.
Not always. Where there is one specific concern, such as cracking, movement, a roof problem or water ingress, a specific defect report investigates that issue and tells you the cause, what it means and what to do. If you are buying the property, a Level 3 covers that defect and everything else.
A photographic record of the condition of a property at a point in time. It is used before party wall works so that any later damage can be attributed fairly, and at the start of a commercial lease so a tenant is not held liable for what was already there. See schedules of condition.
Under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 a party wall surveyor serves and responds to notices, agrees or makes an award setting out how the work will be done, and records the condition of the neighbouring property beforehand. We act for building owners and adjoining owners: see party wall surveyors.
No. MSR Surveying is a building surveying practice: RICS home surveys, defect and damp investigation, party wall matters, schedules of condition, certificates and warranties, valuation and project work. Land and measured surveying is a different discipline and not something we offer.
Tell us the address and what is worrying you, and we will tell you which report you actually need, including the times when the answer is the cheaper one. Call 020 3318 9426, email info@msrsurveying.co.uk or use the quote form. You may also want the Level 2 vs Level 3 comparison or the survey costs page.
