Inspection and Survey Practice
Scope, standards and inspection discipline
A Level 6 surveyor must choose and deliver the right survey product. Under the RICS Home Survey Standard, the main residential products are a Level 1 Condition Report, a Level 2 Home Survey and a Level 3 Building Survey. The level chosen must match the client's needs and the property's age, construction and condition, and must be confirmed in the terms of engagement. Those terms should record the purpose, scope, inspection basis, limitations, assumptions, report format, fees and complaint route. A survey is not a warranty: the surveyor gives reasonable skill and care at the date of inspection.
Candidates must know the condition-rating system. Rating 1 means no repair is currently needed; rating 2 means defects needing repair or replacement but not considered serious or urgent; rating 3 means serious or urgent defects, a combination of defects, or an element not functioning; NI means not inspected. Record why an area was not inspected - a locked roof void, restricted access, an occupied room, services not tested - and recommend further investigation. Use precise language: 'no evidence of dampness was observed' is defensible; 'there is no damp' is not. Distinguish a valuation from a survey; a mortgage valuation is not a condition report.
Traps include assuming a Level 2 covers every concealed area, treating a client's assurances as verification, omitting limitations, and using rating 2 for an urgent safety defect.
Worked rule of thumb: if access is obstructed, record the limitation, describe what can be seen, and recommend a specialist or further inspection. Never fill an evidence gap with an assumption.