Level 3 building surveys

The project

During 2024 we carried out a programme of 26 RICS Level 3 building surveys for buyers and owners across London. Each survey looked at the condition of the property, gave condition ratings and repair advice, and brought in a structural engineer's input where a defect called for it. Taken together, they cover a wide spread of London housing and the issues that tend to come with it.

A Level 3 survey is the most detailed RICS survey for a home, suited to older, larger or altered properties, or to anyone planning work. One recorded detail shows a secondary flat roof finished in mineral felt with an aluminium edge trim. That is the sort of element that is easy to overlook but has a limited life, and it can let water into the structure below if it fails.

Combining survey and engineering advice

Each property was inspected and its elements given condition ratings, with repair advice set out so that the buyer or owner knew what needed attention and how urgently. The value of a Level 3 survey lies as much in that practical advice as in the ratings themselves, because it turns a list of observations into decisions someone can act on. For a buyer, that might shape a price negotiation. For an owner, it sets out what to budget for first and what can wait until a later season.

Where a defect went beyond what a surveyor would normally comment on, a structural engineer gave input. That avoids the common outcome of a survey simply recommending further investigation and leaving the buyer to find an engineer at short notice. Our guide on structural engineers and building surveyors explains where the two roles differ.

Planning something similar?

If you are buying an older or altered home, a Level 3 survey with structural input can answer questions that a standard survey would refer on. Our guide to structural reports for a house purchase explains when a separate engineer's report is worth commissioning.