When Is the Best Time to Instruct a Property Survey?

Buying a home can feel like a race against time. Once your offer has been accepted, there are mortgage applications, solicitor enquiries, searches and removal arrangements to think about. It is therefore understandable that many buyers are unsure about when they should instruct their property survey.

Should you arrange the survey immediately after the offer is accepted, or wait until the legal and mortgage process is further advanced?

In most cases, the best time to instruct a survey is shortly after your offer has been accepted and once the property has been taken off the market, subject to contract. However, there are advantages and disadvantages to both arranging the survey early and leaving it until later in the transaction.

A mortgage valuation is primarily carried out for the lender's benefit. It is not a detailed inspection of the property and should not be treated as a substitute for an independent survey.

A RICS Home Survey provides you with an independent assessment of the property's condition. Depending on the level of survey selected, it can identify defects, highlight areas requiring further investigation and help you understand the likely repair and maintenance obligations associated with the property.

The findings may also assist you when deciding whether to proceed with the purchase, obtain specialist quotations or renegotiate the agreed price.

Arranging the survey soon after your offer has been accepted is usually the safest approach, particularly when purchasing an older, altered or visibly poorly maintained property.

The main advantage is that potential problems are identified before you have progressed too far into the purchase.

If the survey identifies significant defects, you will have time to obtain quotations, commission further investigations and consider your options without being under immediate pressure to exchange contracts.

An early survey can also help prevent unnecessary legal expenditure. For example, if the property requires extensive structural repairs and you decide not to proceed, it is generally better to discover this before your solicitor has completed all searches and enquiries.

It also gives you more time to discuss the findings with the seller. Where repairs are required, you may wish to renegotiate the price, request that certain works are completed or simply make sure that you have sufficient funds available after completion.

Arranging the survey early can also keep the transaction moving. Surveyors may have limited availability during busy periods, and some properties require a second visit, specialist inspection or additional documentation before the position becomes clear.

The main risk is that you may pay for the survey before knowing whether the transaction will proceed.

The seller could withdraw, accept another offer or decide not to move. Your mortgage application could also be declined, or your solicitor may uncover a legal issue that prevents the purchase from progressing.

For this reason, some buyers prefer to wait until the lender has completed its initial checks or issued a mortgage offer.

However, waiting for the full mortgage offer is not always necessary. Mortgage applications can take several weeks, and delaying the survey until every financial and legal matter has been resolved may leave very little time to investigate any defects.

A sensible compromise is to confirm that your mortgage application has been submitted, the seller is committed to the transaction and the property has been removed from active marketing before booking the survey.

Some buyers delay the survey until the mortgage offer has been issued or the legal work is nearing completion. This can reduce the risk of paying for a survey on a purchase that falls through for an unrelated reason.

Waiting can provide greater confidence that the transaction is likely to proceed.

By this stage, the lender may have confirmed that it is willing to lend, searches may have been returned and the solicitor may have reviewed the title documentation. If serious legal or financial problems arise early in the process, you may avoid paying for a survey unnecessarily.

This approach may be reasonable when purchasing a relatively modern property that appears to be in good condition, particularly if the transaction is moving slowly and there are unresolved mortgage or legal concerns.

The greatest disadvantage is time pressure.

If the survey is arranged shortly before exchange, there may not be enough time to properly investigate the findings. You may need specialist advice from a structural engineer, roofing contractor, damp specialist, drainage company or electrician. Arranging these inspections and obtaining reliable quotations can take time.

Late survey findings can also cause tension within the transaction. The seller may already be expecting exchange, removal dates may have been discussed and other buyers and sellers in the chain may be applying pressure.

This can make buyers feel that they must either accept defects without proper investigation or risk disrupting the entire chain.

You should never exchange contracts until you are satisfied with the survey findings. Once contracts have been exchanged, you are normally legally committed to the purchase and withdrawing can have serious financial consequences.

It is often sensible to wait until the lender has at least completed its initial assessment of the property, particularly where there are concerns about mortgage suitability.

For example, some properties may be difficult to mortgage because of their construction type, condition, location or history of alteration.

However, a mortgage valuation is not always carried out as a physical inspection. Some lenders use automated or desktop valuations, meaning that a valuer may not visit the property at all.

Even where a physical valuation takes place, the inspection is limited and is carried out for lending purposes. A satisfactory mortgage valuation does not mean that the property is free from defects.

Chains can make the timing more complicated.

You may be reluctant to spend money until the chain is complete, particularly if your own property has not yet sold. However, waiting for every link in the chain to be completely secure can significantly delay the survey.

It is worth discussing the position with the estate agent and solicitor. They may be able to confirm whether the seller has found a property, whether the chain is complete and whether there are any known delays.

You can then make an informed decision based on the likelihood of the transaction progressing.

A survey does not always provide the final answer to every issue.

Surveyors inspect the property visually and non-destructively. Floor coverings are not lifted, walls are not opened and concealed services cannot normally be tested. Where evidence of a potentially serious defect is identified, further investigation may be recommended.

This could include:

• A structural engineer's inspection.
• A CCTV drainage survey.
• Electrical or gas safety testing.
• Damp and timber investigations.
• Roofing quotations.
• Asbestos sampling.
• Inspection of alterations and supporting documentation.

These investigations should ideally be completed before exchange of contracts. Leaving the initial survey until late in the process may make this difficult.

In most cases, we recommend instructing your survey shortly after your offer has been accepted, provided that:

• The seller has accepted your offer and stopped actively marketing the property.
• Your mortgage application has been submitted and there are no obvious lending concerns.
• Your solicitor has been instructed.
• You are reasonably confident that you wish to proceed, subject to the survey and legal checks.

You do not necessarily need to wait for the mortgage offer, all searches or the completion of every legal enquiry. The purpose of the survey is to help you make an informed decision before becoming legally committed.

The timing of the survey is important, but so is selecting the appropriate service.

A RICS Level 2 Home Survey is generally suited to conventional properties that appear to be in reasonable condition. It provides advice on significant defects, repairs and ongoing maintenance.

A RICS Level 3 Building Survey is more detailed and is normally recommended for older, larger, extensively altered, unusual or visibly deteriorated properties. It provides a more comprehensive assessment of the building's construction, condition and repair requirements.

Choosing an unsuitable survey simply because it is cheaper may leave you without the level of advice you need.

There is always a risk that a property purchase may fall through, regardless of when the survey is arranged. However, delaying the survey for too long can create greater risks.

Arranging it early gives you more time to understand the property, investigate defects, obtain quotations and negotiate where appropriate. Waiting may reduce the chance of paying for a survey unnecessarily, but it can leave you making important decisions under pressure.

The most important point is that the survey and any recommended further investigations should be completed before exchange of contracts.

At Haydens Residential Surveying, we provide independent RICS Level 2 Home Surveys and RICS Level 3 Building Surveys across Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire and the wider West Midlands. Our reports are written in clear language, supported by photographs and followed by the opportunity to discuss the findings directly with your surveyor.

If you are unsure which survey you require or when to arrange it, contact our team for straightforward advice before booking.