Your survey found something. It told you to investigate further — and then stopped. This is the bit that tells you what it actually is, what it costs to fix, and whether you should still be buying the house.
Before you exchange · England & Wales
A specialist property report is a focused inspection carried out by an accredited expert in a single discipline. It is commissioned when a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey identifies a defect that, under the terms of that survey, the surveyor cannot open up, test or diagnose — so the report recommends further investigation by a specialist.
At a glance
| What it is | A focused inspection of one defect by an accredited specialist in that discipline. |
|---|---|
| When to commission it | Between your survey and exchange of contracts — a pre-purchase step, not aftercare. |
| What triggers it | Wording such as "further investigation required" or "outside the scope of this survey" in a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 survey. |
| Who carries it out | An accredited member of the governing body for that discipline — PCA, IStructE, Gas Safe, NICEIC/NAPIT, UKAS, Arboricultural Association. |
| Turnaround | Inspection booked in 2–5 working days, written report within 48 hours of the visit. Accelerated where an exchange date is close. |
| Cost | Fixed price quoted before booking. Booking more than one report together usually reduces the total. |
| What you receive | Cause of the defect, extent, photographs, remedial specification and costs — issued to you, your solicitor and your lender. |
| Why the timing matters | Pre-exchange you can renegotiate, require the seller to do the work, or withdraw. Post-exchange the defect and its cost are yours. |
The eight reports
Each report is a separate discipline with its own accreditation, its own standard and its own deliverable. We instruct all eight, so you make one call rather than eight.
PCA accredited · CSRT / CSTDB
Distinguishes rising damp from penetrating damp and condensation — three problems with three different fixes and three very different price tags. Also covers wet rot, dry rot and woodworm to structural timbers.
Your survey said: "elevated moisture readings", "evidence of rising damp", "suspected rot to timbers"
Get a fixed quoteChartered engineer · IStructE / ICE
Cracking, subsidence, heave, bulging walls, sagging roofs, removed chimney breasts and unsupported openings — assessed by a chartered structural engineer, with a conclusion your lender will accept.
Your survey said: "cracking of structural significance", "possible subsidence", "movement requires assessment"
Get a fixed quoteBorescope inspection · BRE guidance
Cavity wall tie corrosion is common in pre-1980s masonry and routinely mistaken for settlement. A borescope inspection confirms tie condition, spacing and density, and whether replacement is genuinely needed.
Your survey said: "horizontal cracking at regular courses", "cavity wall tie failure suspected"
Get a fixed quoteHSG264 · UKAS laboratory analysis
Management surveys for occupied homes, and refurbishment & demolition surveys before work starts. Any property built before 2000 can contain asbestos — samples are analysed by a UKAS-accredited laboratory.
Your survey said: "materials likely to contain asbestos", or the property predates 2000
Get a fixed quoteNICEIC / NAPIT · BS 7671
An Electrical Installation Condition Report codes every observation C1, C2, C3 or FI — so you can see at a glance what is dangerous now, what must be remedied, and what is merely an improvement recommendation.
Your survey said: "electrical installation appears dated", "no evidence of recent testing"
Get a fixed quoteGas Safe registered
Boiler make, age and condition, flue integrity, gas soundness and the state of the heating system — so you know whether you are inheriting a working system or a replacement bill.
Your survey said: "heating system not tested", "boiler appears beyond its expected lifespan"
Get a fixed quoteArboricultural Association · BS5837:2012
Species, proximity, root influence and the risk to foundations and drains, assessed by a qualified arboriculturist — the report lenders ask for where a retention has been applied.
Your survey said: "trees in close proximity to the property", lender retention pending a tree report
Get a fixed quoteMSCC-coded camera survey
A camera run through the drainage system with MSCC-coded footage identifying blockages, collapses, root ingress and displaced joints — often the missing piece in a subsidence investigation.
Your survey said: "drainage not inspected", subsidence investigation, standing water
Get a fixed quoteStill not sure? Send us your survey and we will tell you which recommendations genuinely warrant a specialist — and which are standard caveats that appear in almost every report.
What you get
Different disciplines, same standard of deliverable. No report we instruct comes back saying "further investigation required".
The cause, not just the symptom. What is actually happening and why, rather than a description of what can be seen.
Extent and severity. How far the problem reaches and how urgent it is, so you can tell a £400 job from a £14,000 one.
Photographic evidence. Dated images of each finding, which is what makes the report usable in a negotiation.
A remedial specification. The specific works required, written so a contractor can price against it.
Costs. A realistic figure for the remedial work, not a range so wide it is useless.
Plain English. Written to be read by you and your solicitor, not only by another specialist.
How it works
Email the Level 2 or Level 3 report, or just tell us what it flagged. We will tell you which specialists are genuinely needed — and which recommendations you can ignore.
A fixed price per report, quoted before anything is booked. Where you need more than one, we price them together.
We deal with the agent and the seller to get the specialists in, coordinating multiple disciplines on one visit wherever the work allows.
Cause, extent, photographs, specification and costs — issued to you, your solicitor and your lender at the same time.
Common questions
We will read it, tell you which specialists you genuinely need, and quote a fixed price the same working day. If none of the recommendations warrant a report, we will tell you that too.