After the survey

Work through common choices after a survey: what to investigate before exchange, what evidence to request and when a finding may change your decision. This is general information, not advice on a specific purchase.

Start with a guided route

5 guided starting points are available.

Browse guided starting points

All scenarios (3)

Offer accepted
Offer accepted — is Level 2 enough or should we uplift to Level 3?
Evidence for this summary: RICS consumer guide to house surveys.
Level 3 found significant damp
Level 3 found significant damp — renegotiate, investigate further, or walk away?
Evidence for this summary: RICS consumer guide to house surveys.
Survey notes structural movement cracks
Survey notes structural movement cracks — what are the decision paths?
Evidence for this summary: RICS consumer guide to house surveys.

Recommended next step

The proportionate instruction depends on the building, the concern and what an inspection can reasonably establish. HCS confirms the scope before you book.

Instruct a RICS Level 3 Building Survey

Detailed survey for older, altered, listed, non-standard or defective London property.

Also consider

Instruct a building pathology / defect survey — Cause-led diagnosis for a defined damp, leak, crack or fabric problem — not a full purchase survey.
Not sure Level 2 or Level 3? Use the survey chooser — Use the live HCS tool for an indicative comparison, then confirm the scope before instruction.
Speak to a surveyor first — We confirm the proportionate instruction before quoting.

Ask a surveyor

Not sure what this means for your property? Speak with a Chartered Surveyor atHampstead Chartered Surveyors & Building Consultancy.

General library guidance is not a survey of your building. A short conversation helps confirm the proportionate next step.

Request advice Book inspection Discuss survey findings

From Survey Findings to Remedial Design, Tendering & Execution

Once our RICS chartered building surveyors have diagnosed the root cause of a defect through a Specific Defect & Building Pathology Investigation or RICS Home Survey, you can either instruct Hampstead Chartered Surveyors independently for JCT Contract Administration to tender the works to external contractors, or elect our joined-up group design-and-build route alongside our sister practices:

Hampstead Architecture & Planning: Architectural drawings, conservation-area and listed-building consents, structural engineering coordination, and Building Regulations packages translated directly from the survey diagnostics.
Hampstead Renovations: Principal contractor remedial execution, heritage masonry and roofing repairs, damp and timber remediation, and full residential refurbishments backed by £5M public liability, £10M employers' liability and contractors' all risks cover alongside Hampstead Chartered Surveyors' RICS-regulated Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII).

RICS Impartiality Note: Where Hampstead Chartered Surveyors acts as independent JCT Contract Administrator or Party Wall Surveyor, works are tendered strictly to independent third-party contractors in accordance with RICS conflict-of-interest governance.

Request a Specific Defect Inspection or Post-Survey Fee Quote

All fees are quoted transparently plus VAT (Specific Defect & Building Pathology inspections from £595 plus VAT).

Complete Building Defects, Symptoms & Post-Survey Reference Index

Browse every diagnostic defect guide, symptom pathway, property-type guide, and post-survey next-steps resource in the Hampstead Chartered Surveyors Building Defects Library: