When you are in the middle of a property purchase, everything feels like a race against time. You want to get to the exchange of contracts as quickly as possible before anything goes wrong with the chain.
If you are planning to book a home survey, you need to know exactly how it impacts your buying timeline. Let’s break down exactly how long a survey takes, from the moment you call us to the moment the PDF report hits your inbox.
1. Booking and Arranging Access
Once you instruct your surveyor, they need to coordinate with the estate agent or the current homeowner to find a suitable date for the physical inspection. Depending on how responsive the agent is and whether the property is currently occupied, this usually takes a few days to lock in. Contact us to check the next available inspection date.
2. The Physical On-Site Inspection
The time spent at the property depends entirely on the size of the house and the depth of the survey you chose:
- RICS Level 2 Survey: The surveyor inspects the main internal and external elements and checks for damp.
- RICS Level 3 Survey: A more detailed inspection, so the surveyor spends longer at the property checking roofs, floorboards, boundaries and construction materials. Time on site depends on the size, age and condition of the home.
3. Writing and Delivering the Report
Your surveyor doesn’t just hand you a checklist when they walk out the front door. They return to the office to compile their findings, analyse data (like damp readings), review photographs, and write a detailed report.
We will confirm the expected delivery date for your report when you book.
Pro Tip for Home Buyers:
Instruct your surveyor as soon as your offer is accepted to avoid delaying your solicitor’s legal work.
Further reading: What does a surveyor do?
