The maximum number of estimates you will receive is 5, and in most urban areas, for the common survey types, you will receive a full complement. But in some areas, particularly rural areas, the actual number may be fewer, depending upon the number of surveyors offering the specific service you require, as:
a) not all surveyors will offer all survey types in their chosen territories, and
b) some areas, particularly more rural areas, simply have fewer surveyors covering them!

Yes, fees include VAT where applicable. But note not all surveyors are VAT registered, particularly independent surveyors or smaller practices who's prices will be shown without VAT.

The scope and work involved in the preparation of the RICS Condition Report is very similar to that of a RICS Level 2 HomeBuyer Report. It involves the same amount of travel to the property, the same visual inspection, and only a slightly less comprehensive report. Because of this, the price differential between the two report levels is insignificant, generally less than 10%. Added to this, many surveyors consider the scope of a Level 1 report to be insufficient for buyers to make a truly informed buying decision. As a result very few suveyors actively offer the Level 1 survey, preferring to only offer the Level 2 HomeBuyer report as a more appropriate alternative. Conseqently we no longer include the RICS Level 1 Condition Report as a search option on our site.

Results will list surveying firms of a mixture of sizes and locations. Some are independent practitioners, and others may be larger firms covering wider areas. Smaller firms and independent surveyors tend to be highly localised - they don't like to waste hours 'on the road' travelling between surveys!

Larger regional or semi-national firms with main offices that are located out of your immediate locality usually employ surveyors local to the postcodes they appear in for the same reason, so you can expect that the surveyor carrying out your survey for any firm appearing in your search results will have a good knowledge of your local area. Just because the main office of a surveying firm is distant from your location does not mean the actual surveyor carrying out your survey is not local!

If you are in any doubt as to the local knowledge of the surveyors returned, we'd recommend you simply ask about their experience of your locality before you choose.

We need your postcode to find local surveyors actively operating in the area. The full address helps surveyors answer any questions you may have based on the specific property, and its location, for which you require the survey.

We need these to email your estimates to you, and so the surveyors can contact you to discuss your exact requirements. If you choose to withold your contact information (by entering dummy information for example) you will still be able to view your search results on screen, but they will not be emailed to you. If you prefer to be emailed but not called, simply enter 'please don't call me' or a series of zeros in the telephone number field.

You can if you wish, but if you choose to withold your contact information (by entering dummy information for example) we will not be able to email your estimates to you, although you will still be able to view your search results on screen. If you want to receive confirmation of your estimates by email but prefer not to be called, simply enter 'please don't call me' or a series of zeros in the telephone number field.

Details of your survey estimate and the contact details you provide are are stored in our database, and sent to the surveyors shown in results so they can respond to you. They are prohibited from using your data for any other purpose.

If you tick the 'Please send me details of other services...' box we may send you additional information on our other services and products. If you do not tick the box you will not receive any further offers from us. Under no circumstances will we sell or pass your personal data to any other party - please see our privacy policy for full details. 

Our website uses a Secure Socket Layer (commonly called an SSL certificate) to encrypt all data being transmitted between your browser and our webserver using the https protocol to ensure that no personal information can be intercepted. Click on the padlock in your browser address bar for details of our SSL certificate.

Yes. All the surveyors or firms listed on our site are RICS accredited - either AssocRICS, MRICS, FRICS, or RICS Regulated Firms. Results may also return estimates for companies such as Your Survey, that provide a centralised 'outsourced' marketing, booking and administration service for individual RICS regulated surveyors.

Most surveyors base their fees on the amount of time taken to carry out the property inspection and prepare their final report.

They will generally include an allowance for covering their travel time and mileage to and from the property, and time to answer any follow up questions.

Although Level 1 and Level 2 surveys (RICS Condition Report and RICS HomeBuyer Report) have to meet the RICS standard minimum scope, there can be variations to that. For example, some surveyors may include more detailed photos and additional information. Although the minimum RICS specification should be met, the survey may include 'extras' that add to the cost. This variation can be more marked for Level 3 surveys (Building Surveys), where reports may be more in-depth and more customised.

Many surveyors will provide sample reports, and it is worth requesting a copy of these to compare before giving your instruction to proceed to check you are comparing 'like-with-like'.

Another factor to consider is VAT. The fees quoted on our site include VAT where applicable. However, not all surveyors are VAT registered, particularly independent surveyors with smaller practices, and that will be reflected in their quoted fee.

No. The fees quoted on our site are estimates based on a conventional property of standard construction, so should be correct for 'normal' urban properties.

However, if properties are older, or have been modified, for example through the addition of extensions, garages, conservatories, or loft rooms etc, then there might be extra costs involved. This would particularly apply to properties that have additional outbuildings or annexes. You should always check that the surveyor is aware of these, or any specific concerns you want addressed, in order to obtain a confirmed quotation.