RICS L2 HomeBuyers

What is a HomeBuyer Report?

A HomeBuyers Report (now called an RICS Level 2 Home Survey) is a lesser standard of report than the a standard Building Survey (now called RICS Level 3 Home Survey). It still has its place, particularly for modern, simple properties that have not been altered and good condition is anticipated as a more economical solution for clients.

Why Do I Need a HomeBuyer Report?

As a purchaser, this type of objective information provided could be used to help you negotiate the price to reflect any undiscovered defects, potentially saving you money. It may also prevent you from making a bad decision and buying a property that has inherent defects which could prove costly to repair.

Is a HomeBuyers Report right for me?

The standard of a RICS Level 2 Home Survey (HomeBuyers Report) requires the Surveyor to limit the extent of the inspection and recommendations that can be made (for improvements and maintenance particularly). Generally, we encourage clients to consider a Level 3 Survey (which is a bespoke report, appropriate for all properties and priced to the property being inspected) as an alternative. We are still quite happy to produce a Level 2 (HomeBuyers Report) if specifically required.

Proforma Reports

Generally, other surveying practices use a 'proforma' report template provided by the RICS. This includes a traffic light reporting system. There is also a lot of superfluous pages, larger text and template content. We know that clients are sometimes disappointed by this report format.

Although the RICS defines the ‘standard’ of the inspection, in reality there is wide variety in the quality of the reports produced by different surveyors. The report is a bespoke document.

What Makes Our HomeBuyer Reports Different?

At Bradley Jones Associates, ourselves on delivering quality reports. We follow the standard defined by the RICS for Level 2 Home Surveys, but we do not adopt the proforma templates used by other practices, and instead produce a condensed form of our bespoke Level 3 Home Survey (Building Survey) which we divide into three clear sections:

1. Summary: A concise clear summary

2. Schedule: A limited (but clear) list of repairs items and maintenance issues with their urgency.

3. Main Report: with marked up photos and commentary throughout the property, highlighting items of concern.

Check out the competition

We encourage clients to check example reports from other practices ahead of any instruction, to be sure you appreciate the difference. Please see our reviews and example reports.