You've waited a week. You've tried not to think about it. And now the email is in your inbox: your building survey report has arrived. It's 40 pages long. There are photographs. There are numbers in coloured boxes. And somewhere in the middle of all of it is the information you really need.
Take a breath. At Balham Surveyors, we write our reports specifically to be understood by non-experts — but it helps to know how to read them. Here's a practical guide.
Start With the Executive Summary
Every RICS survey report starts with a summary section — sometimes called the "key findings" or "executive summary." This is deliberately written to give you the most important information as quickly as possible. Read it first. It will tell you:
- Any condition 3 (urgent) items that need immediate attention
- A summary of the overall condition of the property
- Any matters that should be investigated further before exchange of contracts
Don't panic if there are condition 3 items. They're serious enough to flag, but in most cases they're manageable. Keep reading to understand what they are and what they mean.
Understanding the Traffic-Light System
Both Level 2 and Level 3 surveys use a condition rating system:
- Condition 1 (no action): Everything is fine with this element. No repair or replacement is currently needed. You can move on.
- Condition 2 (action needed): There are defects that need attention — either now or in the near future — but they're not urgent or structurally significant. These are maintenance issues, essentially.
- Condition 3 (urgent): These are serious issues that need professional attention before you exchange contracts, or that should be factored into your purchase decision. These are the ones to focus on.
A typical survey report for a Victorian terraced house in Balham might have several condition 2 items (minor roof tile issues, repointing needed, some damp in one room) and possibly one or two condition 3 items (a failing flat roof extension, significant crack in the rear addition). That's normal. It doesn't mean the property is falling down.
Focus on the Condition 3 Items
Once you've read the summary, go through the report and mark every condition 3 item. For each one, ask yourself:
- What is it? (Read the description carefully)
- Why is it a problem? (Is it structural, safety-related, or just expensive to fix?)
- What does it cost to fix? (Level 3 surveys include cost estimates; Level 2 surveys may recommend obtaining specialist quotes)
- Do I need to investigate further before exchange?
Note the "Further Investigation" Recommendations
Surveyors often recommend further investigation in situations where they've identified a concern but can't fully assess it — perhaps because access was limited, or because specialist expertise is needed. Common examples include:
- Specialist damp survey (where damp is found but the cause is unclear)
- Structural engineer's report (where significant cracking or movement is identified)
- Drainage survey (CCTV investigation of drainage systems)
- Electrical installation condition report
- Gas safety inspection
These recommendations aren't optional extras — they're important. If your surveyor says "further investigation is recommended before exchange," take that seriously. Budget for the specialist investigation and factor its findings into your decision.
The Condition 2 Items: Don't Ignore Them
Condition 2 items are easy to overlook in the relief of finding no condition 3 issues. But over time, ignored condition 2 items become condition 3 problems. A loose roof tile becomes a water ingress issue; blocked gutters cause penetrating damp; hairline cracks widen.
Read through the condition 2 items, group them by type (roofing, damp, structural, services, etc.) and draw up a rough maintenance schedule for the first few years of ownership.
Call Your Surveyor
This is the most important piece of advice I can give. Once you've read the report and made some notes, call your surveyor. At Balham Surveyors, we offer every client a follow-up call — at no extra charge — to go through the report and answer your questions.
Don't be afraid to ask "basic" questions. There are no stupid questions when you're about to spend £400,000+ on a property. Ask about the significance of specific findings. Ask whether we think the asking price properly reflects the condition. Ask what we would do in your position.
That conversation often turns out to be the most valuable 30 minutes of the whole purchase process.
Using the Report to Negotiate
If the survey has identified significant issues — particularly condition 3 items with substantial repair costs — you have strong grounds to go back to the vendor and renegotiate the price. See our guide on how to use your survey to renegotiate the asking price for a step-by-step approach.
At Balham Surveyors, we write reports in plain English — we deliberately avoid unnecessary jargon. But if there's anything in your report you don't understand, please just call us. That's what we're here for. We'd rather spend 20 minutes on the phone with you than have you misinterpret a finding.
There's no hard and fast answer — it depends on what the condition 3 items are and how much they'll cost. A single condition 3 item for a failing flat roof might cost £3,000 to fix — manageable. Multiple condition 3 items totalling £40,000 in estimated repairs changes the picture significantly. Context matters enormously.
You're entitled to share your survey report with whoever you choose. In practice, sharing it with the vendor can be a useful way to support a renegotiation. However, you don't have to share the whole report — you could share just the relevant sections or a summary of the key findings.