Do you need a survey to get a mortgage?

Mortgage survey key figures at a glance

Do mortgage lenders require a survey?

Mortgage lenders require a valuation, not a survey.

No law says you must have a survey before you buy, as the RICS consumer guide to home surveys confirms for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

What the lender does need is confidence that the home is good security for the loan. If the valuer reports serious problems, the lender can lower the loan, hold some of it back or refuse to lend.

When a survey makes sense

In practice, a survey makes the most sense in these situations:

• the home is more than about 50 years old, or has been extended or altered
• it is a listed building, a conversion, or a castle or converted church
• it is built in an unusual way, such as timber or steel frame
• you plan major work once you move in
• something in the viewing worried you, such as damp patches, cracks or an old roof

Scotland works differently. There, the seller must give you a Home Report, which includes a survey and a valuation. According to mygov.scot, you should get it within 9 days of asking.

Is a mortgage valuation the same as a survey?

No. A mortgage valuation tells the lender what the home is worth, while a survey tells you what condition it is in.

The two often get mixed up because the same professionals carry them out and lenders sometimes call the valuation a “valuation survey”. The table below shows the main differences.

Why the valuation is not a condition check

Your lender may not even send anyone to the home. A lender may use an automated valuation model, which is software that estimates value from sales data, or a desktop check using records and photos.

Either way, treat the valuation as a check on value only. You can read more in our guide to the lender’s valuation.

What does a mortgage valuer look for?

A mortgage valuer looks for anything that affects the home’s value and how easily the lender could sell it if it had to. That includes size, location, recent sales of similar homes nearby and any obvious defects.

Valuers often note visible cracking, signs of damp, a roof in poor repair, Japanese knotweed and evidence of non-standard construction. They also check for a working kitchen and bathroom, because a home that cannot be lived in is weak security for a loan.

Lenders that do consider one often need a specialist product such as an uninhabitable property mortgage.

The valuer does not lift carpets, test the boiler or go into the loft. If a problem is hidden, a valuation is unlikely to find it, which is the gap a survey is there to fill.

Which survey level do you need?

Your choice depends on the age, size and condition of the home. RICS introduced its Home Survey Standard on 1 March 2021, which created three levels that replaced the older names you may still see used.

Level 1 survey (once called a Condition Report)

Level 1 is the most basic report. It uses a simple rating to flag urgent defects and risks but gives little advice on repairs. It suits newer, conventional homes in good condition.

Level 2 survey (once called a HomeBuyer Report)

Level 2 is a common choice for a standard house or flat. The surveyor looks at the roof space and drains where they can and gives guidance on repairs. You can also add a market valuation and a reinstatement figure, which is the cost of rebuilding the home for insurance.

Level 3 survey (once called a Building Survey)

Level 3, also known as a full structural survey, is the most detailed. It suits older, larger or altered homes, and it sets out repair options, likely timings and what could happen if you leave a defect alone.

What a survey costs

Survey fees depend on the value and size of the home. At the time of writing (October 2026), RICS says a Level 1 starts at a few hundred pounds and some detailed services cost over £1,000. Getting two or three quotes is worth the effort. Our property survey guide explains each level in more depth.

When should you book a survey?

Book the survey once your offer to buy is accepted and before you exchange contracts. Exchange is the point at which the deal becomes legally binding, so you want the survey report in your hands well before then.

In reality a solicitor won’t let you exchange contracts until your mortgage is approved.

You can apply for your mortgage and book the surveyor at about the same time. The two reports then tend to arrive within a few weeks of each other. The awkward part is cost. You pay for the survey before you are legally committed, so if it persuades you to walk away, the fee is money spent on a home you will not buy. That is still cheaper than finding the problem after exchange. It remains a real cost on a purchase that may fall through for other reasons.

If you are not sure whose job it is, our article on who organises a survey when buying a house sets out who does what.

What happens if the mortgage valuation comes in low?

If the valuation comes in below the price you agreed, the lender bases your loan on the lower figure. This is called a down valuation, and it can mean you need a bigger deposit, a lower price or a different deal.

For example, say you agree to buy a home for £500,000 and apply for a mortgage of £400,000, which is 80% loan to value (LTV). LTV is the size of the loan as a share of the home’s value. If the valuer says the home is worth £480,000, 80% of that is £384,000, so the lender offers £16,000 less than you asked for.

Your options after a down valuation

You then have three main choices:

• Renegotiate the price. The valuation gives you evidence, and the seller may face the same problem with the next buyer.
• Add more deposit. Paying the £16,000 gap yourself keeps your LTV at 80%.
• Borrow at a higher LTV. Some lenders would still lend £400,000 against £480,000, but that is about 83% LTV and could move you into a different rate band.

You can work out where you sit with our loan to value calculator. A broker can also tell you whether another lender’s valuer might take a different view, although there is no guarantee of a higher figure.

What if a survey finds problems?

A survey that finds problems gives you choices. In the Direct Line poll from April and May 2026, 45% of surveys found issues. The same share of surveyed buyers used the report to negotiate a lower price.

Depending on what the survey finds, you can:

• ask the seller to reduce the price by roughly the cost of the repairs
• ask the seller to fix the problem before completion
• get a specialist report, such as a damp, drainage, electrical or structural engineer’s report, before you decide
• walk away if the cost or risk is too high

Some problems also matter to your lender. If the valuer spots work that needs doing, the lender may make a mortgage retention. That means it holds back part of the loan until the work is done.

Non-standard construction is another common sticking point, because some lenders will not lend on certain types of build. Our guide to non-standard construction explains what lenders look for.

Do you need a survey for a new build?

Your lender still needs a valuation on a new build, and a survey or snagging inspection is still worth having. Building control checks the home meets building regulations, but not the quality of the finish. Small faults are common when you collect the keys.

What lenders ask for on a new build

For new build homes, the seller must give the lender’s conveyancer a standard UK Finance Disclosure Form, and the valuer can ask to see it. It sets out any incentives, the tenure and how the home was built, and it has been compulsory since August 2018.

Lenders also want a new build to have a recognised warranty, such as a 10-year structural warranty. Each lender sets its own rules if there is no warranty, as the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook shows lender by lender. Our page on new build mortgages covers the rest of the process.

Snagging and your inspection rights

In the Home Builders Federation survey published in March 2026, most new build buyers reported some issues to their builder. Even so, 90% were satisfied with the quality of their home. The HBF results describe the vast majority of those issues as very minor.

A snagging inspection is the check that suits a new build best. It lists unfinished or faulty work, such as poorly fitted doors or missing sealant, so the builder can put it right. The HBF says around 250 builders have signed up voluntarily to the New Homes Quality Board. If yours is, clause 2.8 of the New Homes Quality Code lets you or a qualified inspector check the home before you complete.

Do you need a survey to remortgage?

You will not usually need a survey to remortgage, because you already own the home and the lender is only checking its current value. A lender can use an automated valuation for a remortgage, and may send a valuer if the loan is large or the home is unusual.

A low remortgage valuation can push you into a higher LTV band, which may affect the rates you are offered. If you have improved the home, keep a record of the work. It can help if you ask a lender to look at the valuation again.

Getting the right checks before you buy

Your lender’s valuation is a check the lender makes for itself. The only report written for you is the one you order. For an older, altered or unusual home, a Level 2 or Level 3 survey gives you what you need to negotiate, plan repairs or walk away in time.

If the valuation causes a problem, or you are buying a home some lenders avoid, the lender you pick makes a real difference. Contact us and we will introduce you to an independent, whole-of-market mortgage broker who can look at your options.